Teaching Children to Pray

I read a great article on quick prayers in Focus on the Family's magazine. When I was googling to find it online, I stumbled upon some interactive ideas for teaching children (or adults!) to pray. This website gives ideas for prayers individually, as families or with children. Here are their ideas for children's groups:


Passing the Bible : Gather the group into a circle. Pass a bible round the circle, starting and ending with a leader, who can open and close with a brief prayer. On receiving the bible, each group member has the option of saying a prayer aloud, saying a prayer silently, or passing the bible straight onto the next person. This can be done gathered around a lighted candle or some other focal point.

Praying Round the World Gather the group around a large atlas, or world map, with a arrow pointer made out of card. Encourage each group member before the session to find out somewhere in the world that needs our prayers, and to write a brief prayer. They then briefly explain the situation, point the arrow at the right place on the map and pray the prayer. Then it passes onto the next team member.

1 minute prayers : Gather the group in a circle, and each member has 1 minute each to pray (silently) for the person on their right, and the person on their left. Finally, they have 1 minute to pray for someone who is not in the room. This encouarages them to pray for one-another.

Prayer Box : Encourage each member of the group to write down a short prayer on a slip of paper and then post it in the box. The group can then be split up into threes and fours to pray through a random 3 or 4 of the slips of paper. This can be extended by passing on a set of pieces of paper to another group.

Praise Prayer : Read a praise psalm together (eg Psalm 150). Then encourage members to go on and praise God in their own words. One way of doing this is for each of them to think of one thing to praise God for and then after a count of 3 to shout it out together. This can be repeated with something to thank God for, and then again with someone that they want to pray for.