Hey Friend,
Let's just be honest that many times we hurry through mornings and evenings routines with our kids and don't even have enough time to sit down and just pray. Other times, prayer becomes this memorized five sentences that we go over before bedtime for the sake of covering our basic needs and requests.
Now, if we could really see with our natural eyes the power of prayer, I think we would all right now drop everything and just focus on prayer. Because you see, prayer is more than just words, it is a connection with the very Creator who holds the entire universe in his hands. There is no more important lesson our kids can learn from a young age than to pray!
My boys like to pray for people we know who are going through sickness, difficult times or friends they would like to come to know Jesus. One of my sons also loves to pray for pets we don't even own anymore, bunnies that run around our house and long-lost dogs he only saw once in his life. But that is ok because through prayer they can learn to entrust their hearts in the hands of God, and depend on God for their daily lives and those around them.
It is really a joy for parents to hear childlike voices lifting up their words to God with a simple belief in the power of prayer. We have so much to learn with our kids!
Incorporating family prayer time will look different for each family and season you may be living right now, so regardless of what it looks like for you, make a commitment to have a setup time when you can sit down with your kids and take turns praying. More than any sports practice, school homework or educational activity, prayer is the one thing that will last forever.
5 Books To Guide You How to Teach Your Child to Pray
What Happens When I Talk to God? - When younger, my boys enjoyed reading this picture book.
Prayer Works - This book has great lessons on prayer, you can make it a devotional reading one lesson a day.
I Talk to God About How I feel - It is important for kids to learn that they don't need to hide anything from God.
It will be Okay - When kids feel anxious or stressed out it is wise to sit down with them and pray about it. Let them know that they don't have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, they can trust God.
Operation World - Why not teach about Geography and the needs of others around the world when praying? I love this book to be able to pray for specific needs for every country. Kids can enjoy looking for the countries on a map.
