Prayer is the HEARTBEAT of the Christian home and is the cornerstone of Faith Formation.
Prayer is the way we spend time with God. We have a conversation with Him which includes both talking and listening.
How do we teach this to our little ones?
The most common way that most of us have prayer time
is at the end of the day.
is at the end of the day.
Bedtime prayers are a good way to introduce
a young child to prayer.
a young child to prayer.
Add prayer books to bedtime story time.
Soft friends make great prayer buddies. Prayer Bears can be part of prayer time.
A Prayer Bear Pattern For A Cloth Bear
Children respond well to visual prayers. This paper Prayer Bear wears a band-aid for someone who is sick. A heart reminds us of love and to pray for other people's feelings and happiness. The flower can remind us to ask God for ways
that we can be kind to others.
Photos of family and friends make great prayer prompts. A Buddy from the Buddy Jar can be chosen each night and prayers for that person can be said. The Buddy Jar could be part of the classroom Prayer Station.
Create a photo cube for prayer time. Simply print photos of family and friends from the computer and glue them with some Mod Podge for protection. The non verbal child can point to a picture and prayers can be said for the person in the photo.
Use Dollar Tree plastic photo albums for photos of friends and family.
A personal prayer book is a great way to build a foundation of lifting those we know and love to God for healing or protection.
Pope Francis developed the Five Finger Prayer. Infants and toddlers can be held while their fingers are touched and prayers are said out loud for those that each finger represents. Preschoolers and older children can touch their own fingers. Toes can work too!
Prayer Pails can be made for mealtime prayers. This is a great way to introduce new prayers and help those who have trouble making a decision on what prayer to say. Prayers can be typed on the computer or written small enough
to be placed on a large craft stick.
For older children a prayer journaling page is effective in helping one to slow down and focus. This page was created with the Faith based classroom in mind. At the bottom of the page , kids choose a friend to pray for, write their name on the line, say the prayer prompt , sign it and cut it out and give it to the friend. This is a free printable.
Sometimes our words are in our minds and hearts but we can't seem to say them. Praying in Color for Kids by Sybil MacBeth is a process that is helpful for children as well as adults.
Read more about it here.
Display written prayers for children to see around the house.
This hangs in a friends bathroom.
Blessing boards are a great way to show how God answers prayers. When you have been blessed with an answered prayer , write it down and display it. Pictures can be drawn and photos posted as well. Blessings boards can be large or small, with a visual reminder that when prayers go up, blessings come down.
As we model prayer and give His children "tools" that help to build a foundation of a daily prayer life, His children will pray. They will pray when something goes wrong. They will pray when something goes right or when life is confusing and scary. They will pray!
Jesus Listens When I Pray
And so we teach the next generation to pray Big prayers. In all of our weakness and sins, God works his love in and thorough us. How blessed are we that by the Lord's steadfast love, we too, can drawn near to Him with our every need.
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