#8 TEACHING OUR CHILDREN to Pray

Prayer is sometimes hard for children to understand and mold into their lives. Very little children may wonder why everyone bows their heads and only one person talks. And why should they be quiet during prayer time? Thus, actions and a proper attitude toward prayer is a taught subject by the parent and follows Bible instructions:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

When the child is young, prayer is mainly taught by example. The child sees and hears an important emphasis in family life by the parent praying, for example, at mealtimes or during a daily Bible reading time. Thus, parents teach children to pray by placing many examples before them.

Jesus taught His disciples in the same way—by many examples and teaching:

Luke 11:1 “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

Suggestions for teaching children to pray:

  1. For very young children, being thankful for our food is a good way to begin to teach

the importance of prayer. The parent can ask the child to bow its head and repeat phrases—such as ‘Our Father in Heaven, thank you for the food.’ Then, the end of the prayer can be ‘In Jesus name, Amen.’

Prayer can also be taught in the daily family Bible reading time in the same way—one phrase at a time.

  1. As the child grows older and makes mistakes, the concept of forgiveness can be first taught in everyday life by the parents’ treatment of each other and the child. Then, forgiveness can be added to the prayers of the child.
  2. As the child matures, the example that Jesus gave is an excellent way to teach the important elements of prayer:

Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Here are the four things Jesus stressed in His prayer that can be taught to your child:

  1. Praise of God.
  2. Recognition that God’s Will will be done in all matters.
  3. Ask for forgiveness of sins.
  4. Ask for guidance away from temptations.

Passages that can be cited and read to the child during the daily Bible reading time: Philippians 4:6-7; 1 John 5:14; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; 3 John 2 (Each family is encouraged to have a daily Bible reading or story time.)

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