I think it’s a pretty valuable family Bible time expenditure to get a piece of poster board or a dry erase board and draw a line down the middle and then let your littles write or draw the physical blessings on one side and the spiritual blessings on the other. They should learn the term from Ephesians 1:3. You should explain to them that spiritual blessings are things that God has given us to help us get to heaven. Cars are physical blessings because they help us get to the store and to worship, but we can get to heaven without them. Houses are physical blessings. We thank God for them, but we don’t have to have a house to get to heaven. Jesus did not even have one (Matthew 8:20)!
But spiritual blessings are things we need to get to heaven. The church where all the saved people are living, the Bible, the death and blood of Jesus, baptism, fellowship, prayer and its answers. Most of the spiritual blessings are even things we can’t see and touch, like forgiveness and our hope of heaven. These concepts are lofty for four-year-olds, but they will surprise you at how astute they will become at grasping this concept. You can even throw out things like an umbrella, a favorite toy, the godly example of Brother Joe, a vacation, worship, a doctor visit, a memorized scripture, etc… Have them identify as a physical blessing or a spiritual one and make it a game.
Then, when it’s time to pray, have them listen to you use superlative language to divide your thanksgiving. “We thank You, God for our houses and cars, but much, much more we praise you and thank You for Jesus!”… “We know You feed us when we are hungry, God, But OH!…Thank You for giving us Your word which feeds our souls for heaven! Help us to read it every single day so we can go to heaven!”…”We are very happy when we get to play out in the sprinkler or with our Hot Wheels cars. Thank You for those, Lord, but thank you most of all for the things we get to do to help other people to heaven. Help us to teach everyone we can find about heaven!”…”Lord, help us never to let houses, or cars, or toys or anything we have to keep us from having the important things that help us go to heaven! We just want to come and be with You! This is the BIG thing we have in our hearts!”
Let them hear these kinds of statements again and again and soon, they will be saying them (and meaning them) all on their own. They will begin, even as children, to set their affections on things above (Ephesians 3:2).
You can do this. Be diligent. Be consistent. Be victorious around the throne with your kids one eternal day!