The Prayer Guide
Praying Alone
Praying in families
Praying with others
Praying for..
Prayers to pray
Books to read
Online prayer
For Leaders
Sitemap
Contact
| |
Encouraging Kids to pray
Encouraging
children to pray is an important challenge to parents and to church leaders. This can be
quite different from helping adults to pray since children may well not have the same
concerns about praying aloud as adults. It can be a priviledge and a joy to pray with
children. Here are some ideas :
- A brief mealtime prayer
before eating together reminds the whole family that God is the provider of all.
This is a simple prayer, and even children as young as 4 can take their turn in saying
it.
- Conversational praying can be a very natural
way of including God in our conversations. You will need to explain that conversational
praying is very short prayers without the Amens, which focus on a common subject for a
while before moving on. Eg Mum : "Thank you Lord that Granny is feeling better", Sarah "Yes,
and we pray that she'd continue to feel stronger each day.", Jim "Help us
to remember to call her each day", Dad : "and we ask that you would be with her."
- News Prayer : Pray together as a family after
watching a news summary. This is an easy way to start praying for broader world issues, and can encourage children and young people
to develop a practical concern for God's world.
- Patterns and Styles : It's a good idea to get
into a habit of praying together in a certain place at a certain time - the routine can be
helpful. Yet, if there is no flexibility, the routine can become a chore. The style
of prayer can be very simple, using simple words and simple ideas - the key is to
encourage your child to talk to God, to bring their concerns to Him, and to enjoy spending
time with Him.
- You can use simple written prayers to help
your children pray, such as the ones included in this Prayer
Guide. However, do encourage them to use their own words as well - God doesn't demand
well constructed sentences and fine poetry!
|
Prayer Book : A Story,
a Hug and a Prayer is a great way of helping adults pray with their children. Read our
review. |
|