Teaching Your Child to Pray

One of my New Years Resolutions is really to immerse my children into prayer and the Bible. I’d like to teach them how to prayer and to understand when they should pray, but I wasn’t quite sure where to start until I started really thinking about it and conducting a little bit of research. It’s my goal to  teach them the best way possible.

I want my boys to understand that they will always have an ear to hear them besides mom and dad. I want them to know that they have someone they can confide in and who will keep their prayers safe.

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to get them started with prayer, and I knew that breaking it down and keeping the prayers simple would be the most effective.

I created a few simple “starter prayers” for those who also wish to surround your child or children with additional love and support from a higher power.

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I am going to start with the Lord’s Prayer. I think this is one that everyone should know. This might take your child some time to memorize.

“Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”

Health

Dear God, thank you for my health and the health of my family. Help me to wish health on others.”

Love

“Dear God, thank you for loving me and my family. Help me to love others in return.”

Joy

“Dear God, Thank you for my contagious laugh. Help me to bring joy to others through laughter.”

Peace

“Dear God, thank you for the peace that surrounds me. Help me to bring peace to others in a world with much unrest.”

Patience

“Dear God, thank you for teaching me patience. Help me to be more patient when things don’t go my way.”

Obedience

“Dear God, thank you for showing me what being obedient means. Help me to be more obedient to those who are helping me to be a better person.”

Kindness

“Dear God, thank you for showing me such kindness. Help me to be kind to others even when they are unkind to me.”

Faithfulness

“Dear God, Thank you for always keep our conversations between us. Help me to keep my faithfulness to you and others.”

Self-Control

“Dear God, Thank you for giving me the amazing ability to choose. Help guide me to choose what to see with my eyes, what to hear with my eyes, what I let out of my mouth, what I do with my hands and where I go with my feet.”

Gentleness

“Dear God, Thank you for being gentle with me. Help me to be gentle with others even if their actions or words are hurtful.”

Bravery

“Dear God, Thank you for teaching me bravery. Help me to be brave in all situations, and help me to understand that I can seek help if I feel that I need it.”

Compassion

“Dear God, Thank for you showing compassion on all of your children, including myself. Help me to be compassionate towards others.”

These are just a few examples of how to break down prayers into categories, and how to make them simple for your children. If you have guided your child through prayer, what tips of advice would you give them?