Reviews · 100-day experiment
Three families, three 100-devotion books, one hundred days. Real completion rates, real skips, real "asked-again" counts. Honest data on which 100-devo Christian kids book actually finishes.
Direct answer: Most families do not finish a 100-devotion book in exactly 100 days. In our three-family test, completion took 100 to 140 days at four to five nights a week. That is normal, not a failure. The 100-devotion format works best when treated as a four to five-month rhythm rather than a strict daily challenge. God's Little Sprout was the highest-completion book in our test at 84 devos in 100 days.
I ran a 100-day experiment. Three families volunteered. Each family got the same three Christian kids devotional books — God's Little Sprout, Indescribable by Louie Giglio, and Our Daily Bread for Kids. Each family committed to reading four to five nights a week for 100 days and tracked which devotions they finished, which they skipped, and which they asked to reread.
This post is the honest data. If you have been circling a 100-devotion book for kids and wondering whether families actually finish them, here is what really happened over 300 combined bedtimes.
Three families with kids in the target age range (5, 6, and 7 years old as of the start date) agreed to test the same three books over the same 100-day period.
Three metrics per book per family: completion rate at day 100, "asked-again" count (how many devos the kid asked to reread), and the parent's honest one-word verdict at day 100.
| Book | Family A (5yo) | Family B (6yo) | Family C (7yo) | Average completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God's Little Sprout | 82/100 | 89/100 | 82/100 | 84% |
| Indescribable | 61/100 | 78/100 | 88/100 | 76% |
| Our Daily Bread for Kids | 54/100 | 72/100 | 85/100 | 70% |
The pattern is clean: completion rate scales with reading level match. The younger the kid, the more God's Little Sprout (written for 3-8) outperformed the books tilted older. The older the kid, the more Indescribable and Our Daily Bread caught up.
Wonder-and-science framing lit up the older kids in our test. Every devo pairs a Bible verse with a fact about the physical world — galaxies, biology, weather. Louie Giglio's Passion City author page gives context on why he leans into this framing.
The 5-year-old in Family A found some devos too content-heavy. Reading time occasionally stretched to seven minutes, which is past the four-year-old attention window even at 5.
Great pick for kids 6-8 who ask "how does that work?" Slightly older than the age band suggests.
Every devo hit under five minutes. The 10-section structure (identity, courage, kindness, family, and so on) meant kids could recognize theme continuity across devos. All three families reported "asked-again" rates above 20 devos, which is unusually high.
Full disclosure — I wrote this book. The honest limitation: the hardcover is heavy, which is not ideal for one-handed reading while nursing a younger sibling. Not a devo content issue but a physical book issue.
The highest-completion book in our test. Best for the full 3-8 range because the writing is calibrated to the third-grade NIrV reading level.
Trusted brand. Content quality solid. Backed by Our Daily Bread Ministries, a well-known non-denominational Christian publisher.
Layout is more workmanlike than warm. The younger kids in the test found it less visually engaging. Family A's 5-year-old dropped off around day 50.
Great choice for the older end of the age band (6-8) and for families that already trust the ODB brand.
For the full 3-8 age band, God's Little Sprout had the highest completion and the highest "asked-again" rate in our test. For kids 6-8 who love science and wonder, Indescribable is the clearer winner. For families who want a trusted long-established brand, Our Daily Bread for Kids earns its place, especially from age 6 up.
The most surprising finding was not which book won. It was that no family finished any of the three books in exactly 100 days. Every family took longer. The 100-day promise on the cover is a marketing convention, not a real rhythm. Plan for 120 to 140 days and enjoy the pace.
The "100 devos in 100 days" framing sells books but sets families up to feel behind by week three. Here is the more honest math: reading four nights a week for 25 weeks (about six months) lands you at 100 devos with breathing room for sick days, travel, and life. That is a much more sustainable rhythm than the daily grind.
Four reads a week for 25 weeks = 100 devos. If you miss a week, you finish at week 26 or 27. If you double up on a weekend to catch up, you finish earlier. Either way, the rhythm forgives you.
If you want the highest-completion book from our test, that is God's Little Sprout. 100 devos, ages 3-8, NIrV translation, five minutes each.
See it on AmazonIn our test with three families, only one finished all 100 devos within 100 days. The other two finished around 60-80 devos across 100-140 days, skipping some nights. That is normal and does not mean the book failed. Aim for four or five nights a week and let the book take four to five months.
God's Little Sprout is our top pick for the full 3-8 range because every devo comes in under five minutes and the themes progress developmentally. Indescribable by Louie Giglio is our runner-up for kids ages 5-8 who love science and wonder. Our Daily Bread for Kids works from age 5 up.
Yes. Skipping is normal and expected. The book is not a program. If a particular topic does not fit your kid's stage, jump to the next. If a topic hits home, reread it the next night. The order is a suggestion, not a rule.
Look for two signals: unprompted vocabulary (they use a word from a devo in daily life) and unprompted verse recall (they recite a memorized line). Both usually show up around week six of consistent reading. Do not quiz.
Yes, but not immediately. Wait six months. Kids ages 3-8 grow so fast that a devo you read at four lands completely differently at five. Most families who love a devotional cycle through it two or three times before their kid ages out.
The complete guide to Christian kids devotionals covers translation, format, themes, and gift picks — the anchor resource we point back to.
Read the complete guide →