Tips & Activities for Praying With Children
Prayer is an important part of any faith, and the primary means of communication with God for all ages. Even very young children can learn about prayer, and they tend to be very open and comfortable with the notion of having a conversation with someone that they cannot see. Teaching children to pray early on helps keep them engaged in their faith and builds the foundation for a lifelong relationship with God.
Other People Are Reading
-
Modeling
-
Modeling prayer is one of the best ways to teach children how to pray. Sit with your child in a quiet spot and pray together. Keep the prayers simple for young children, such as thanking God for blessings or asking for God's protection and love. If you're praying with a preschooler or school-aged child, encourage him to name things that he wants to thank God for, such as his family, friends, toys and more. You may be surprised by what he lists but do not discourage his creativity. Prayer is a personal activity, and it's important to encourage gratitude, no matter what form it takes.
Spontaneity
-
To help children understand the idea that God is always listening, and that prayer isn't only for designated times, such as only at church, incorporate prayer into your daily life. Saying a blessing before a meal and praying before bed each night is important, but so is spontaneous prayer. When your child has a worry or concern, such as a big test or game coming up or an argument with a friend, stop what you are doing and pray about it. Encourage her to bring all of her concerns to God, reminding her that nothing is too small or unimportant for God and He is always listening. Let your everyday activities guide you in prayer. If you're planning a vacation, for example, pray with your kids before you leave and ask for protection during your travels.
-
Games
-
Some children think that prayer is boring. Kids are energetic, and prayer requires them to be quiet and spend time in reflection. However, you can make prayer more interesting by incorporating music or games. For example, play a game of "Musical Prayers" with your family or a group of children. Have each person in the group write out a concern on a piece of paper, either a personal concern, such as a sick friend, or a large-scale concern, like world hunger. Tape each concern to a chair, and play music while the group marches around the chairs. Stop the music, and ask each child to pray for the concern that is on the chair in front of them. Continue until each person has prayed for several concerns. Another option for encouraging large-scale prayer is to use a globe or map. Choose a random location, either by spinning the globe or closing your eyes and pointing, and have the children pray for the people in that location. Older children can research issues related to that country, state or city and pray specifically for those issues.
Conversation
-
A conversational prayer is a great way to get the whole family or class of children involved in praying out loud together. Instead of praying a long prayer or reading a list of blessings and requests, the conversational prayer gives everyone a chance to participate and add to the prayer. Let one person begin and present a topic; for example, "Let's pray for the people affected by tornadoes." Go around the group and ask each person to add their own thoughts, such as "Thank you for keeping people safe" or "Give us ideas on how we can help." This style of prayer is very natural, and the children may inspire each other to additional prayers or even action.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
