Teaching children to pray is an important part of introducing faith and a relationship with God. For easy and better communication, our Lord gave us prayer. Prayer is the best way to give them assurance that God is always close and accessible.
Children start to learn to pray even before they can speak sensible sentences by listening to prayer. With a good habit, you’ll want to reinforce prayer as a regular part of life as early as possible. Once a child can communicate verbally, they can learn to pray on their own, either out loud or silently.
Prayer as a Conversation
Make sure that your children should be well aware that prayer is simply a conversation with God. One that shows respect for his unending love and power, but that is spoken in our own words. Matthew 6:7 says, “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.” In other words, understand that we do not need scripted ones. Use the way we speak to God in our own words.
There are many prayers like The Lord’s Prayer, which was given to us by Jesus. Children can start practicing and learning these at an appropriate age. The concepts behind these prayers can be taught so that kids aren’t simply reciting words without meaning. If you teach these prayers, it should be in addition to, and not instead of, showing them how to talk to God naturally.
Let Your Kids See You Praying
The best way to start to teach your children about prayer is to pray in their presence. Look for opportunities to practice prayer in front of them, just as you would seek out instances to teach them about manners, good sportsmanship, or humility. While praying in the morning or before bed is a common and valuable practice, God wants us to come to him with all things at any time, so let kids see you praying throughout the day for a variety of needs.
Choose Age-Appropriate Prayers
Parents should keep in mind that the words and subjects are appropriate to their child’s age level. Do not scare them with prayers with hard words. Teach them simple prayers like, prayers for a good day at school, for pets, for friends, and family members, and for local and world events are perfect ideas for kids of any age.
Show children that there is no prescribed length to prayer. Quick prayers such as asking for help with choices, for blessings on a birthday party, or for protection and safe travels before going on a trip are ways to show kids that God is interested in all aspects of our lives. Another quick prayer to model is as simple as, “Lord be with me,” before getting into a challenging situation or, “Thank you, Father,” when a problem is easier to work out than expected.
Longer prayers are better for older children who can sit still for a few minutes.
Some children feel shy about praying out loud at first. They may say they can’t think of anything to pray. If this happens, you can pray first, then ask the child to finish your prayer.
Be Supportive
Reinforce that we can take everything to God and that no request is too small or insignificant. Prayers are deeply personal, and a child’s worries and concerns change at different ages. So, encourage your child to talk to God about whatever is on his or her mind. God loves to hear our every prayer, even for bike rides, a frog in the garden, or a successful tea party with dolls.