Getting children excited about prayer can be challenging. Images of people praying typically show someone standing calmly with their head bowed and eyes closed. That’s hard for many people, let alone a kid who’s now stuck at home all day.
But prayer is simply talking with the God who says, “let the children come to me.” God loves to hear the honest cries of your children’s hearts.
Helping your kids talk openly with God now will also impact the way they view prayer in the years to come. So, here are 4 easy prayer activities to help your family pursue God through prayer.
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Count Your Blessings
At the end of each day, spend 5-10 minutes talking about a few things that blessed your family. After everyone’s shared, thank God for the good He’s done in your life that day.
Modeling thankfulness for your kids now will help shape the way they remember hard seasons. (Plus, focusing on your blessings can help lower stress levels.)
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Pray Through the Week
Each week, pick a theme with your kids. (It could be a country, a person, or something your children love.)
Every day, have a child pray for that theme and allow whoever prays to choose a theme-related activity for you to do together. (Need activity ideas? You can find Bible-based coloring pages and Adventure Books here.)
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Go on a Nature Walk
The next time you go outside, ask your children to point out anything that makes them smile. Take turns thanking God for creating the beauty around you. Try to enjoy the world through their eyes, together.
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Pray through Praise Songs
Everything you do can be an act of worship. Pick one of your children’s favorite worship songs and sing it together. Make that song your prayer for the day.
Or, if you or your children are musical, pick a Psalm or the Lord’s Prayer and put it to music.
When prayer is a daily activity that your children look forward to, you help show them that they can talk to God anywhere, at any time, for any reason.
And, by letting go of any expectations for what their prayers should look like, you make space for your kids to creatively express themselves to God.