Family prayers are the foundation of one’s personal and spiritual life. So it is the duty of parents to make a prayer habit in the life of their children from childhood. The Catholic explains in ten ways how to pray with children to foster a good spirituality among them.
1. Find the Time
Find time to pray with the children every night. Make sure that you follow it every day.
2. Determine the Location
You can choose to pray in a noise free area at your house. So find the quietest and safest place to pray. Try to sit every day for the prayer in the same place hence your kid will feel that it is the place for your daily conversation with God.
3. Prepare the Prayer
Tell the child first what the purpose of the prayer is. For example, ask your child to thank God for his blessings. Allow children to pray in their own way. Let them begin the prayer with their words.
4. Go with a Good Starting
Prayer should be the beginning of a heartfelt relationship with God. When the father / mother starts praying by calling ‘My Jesus’, the child who hears will start to imitate it. That’s a good start for them to fall into spirituality.
5. Give the Child Time for Initiation
Allow the child to take the initiative in prayer. Assign them the responsibility of starting the prayer on time, in the space provided. Also, remind them to thank God for the things they have. Remind children to pray for someone else if they have asked for prayer help.
6. Be Patient
Sleeping babies are a common sight in some families, as they sit and pray after playing for so long. Don’t think that we can change the behavior by scolding or beating. The only thing that we can do is we need to guide them in prayer. Do not push children into prayer. Let them come to prayer by hearing your conversation with the God Almighty.
7. Tell Children to Thank God for Giving them Loved Ones
At the end of the prayer, ask the children to thank God for their love. Ask them to remember if there is anyone in particular.
8. Conclusion of Prayer
You can finish the prayer by saying, ‘Thank God for giving me a good family.’ Then the child will understand that it is time to go to bed or dinner.
9. Write Down and Keep Prayer Orders
Write down what is included in the prayer for thirty days in a month. Examining this at the end of the month will help you to see how much you have grown spiritually. Parents can also find out if their child is satisfied with prayer. We can also evaluate what can be done in addition to prayer.
10. Enjoy and Pray Calmly
Make prayer a part of the daily life of your children. The prayer can calm your family and baby. Prayer is not about how much time you prayed or how many words you uttered. The important thing is how close your baby is to God. So let’s join the children in prayer; Pray with them.