Seven Tips To Help You Involve Your Children in Prayer
This blog was written by Amy Lowe, Director of WinShape Camps for Girls. WinShape Camps is one of the five ministries of the WinShape Foundation. They create next-level camps that turn summers into meaningful experiences for campers and families.
Were you and your spouse raised in a home where faith was central? Maybe, you’re the first person in your family to have a personal relationship with Jesus. On the other hand, you may have grown up attending church “whenever the doors were open.” Regardless of your faith background and experience, it’s one thing to prioritize taking your children to church on Sunday morning and another to involve your faith in your family’s everyday interactions.
At WinShape Camps and WinShape Marriage we get asked questions like, “How do we explain God to our child?”; “How do we disciple our family?”; and “How do we involve our kids in prayer?”
What a beautiful goal to work toward in your family—acknowledging the presence of God in the everyday moments your family experiences together and involving your kids in prayer beyond Sunday church services and before dinner. Here are a few simple ways to incorporate praying into the regular rhythm of your home.
1. Make Prayer a Habit
Consider a time in your family’s schedule where praying can be a natural habit. This could be during bedtime where you spend a few moments with your children reading their Bible, reflecting on their day, offering gratitude to God, and lifting any concerns to Him before they close their eyes to sleep. Or do you or your spouse take your kids to school every morning? Use your commute as a family prayer time—set your hearts on the Lord before the day takes off. Whatever time you choose, the important part is you’ve made praying something you do regularly and consistently.
2. Incorporate Prayer Into as Many Moments as Possible
There’s a beautiful consistency to making prayer a habit, having your kids know their mom and dad will pray with them in the morning or before bed. But don’t relegate praying to only the habitual parts of your day. “Every Moment Holy,” is an amazing resource because it features new prayers and liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life. “These prayers are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose even when, especially when, we are too busy or too caught up in our busyness to notice.” As a family, utilize a liturgy “for the welcoming of a new pet,” “for the marking of birthdays,” and “before playing a board game,” for example.
3. Pray When a Need Arises
Whenever your family learns of something that needs prayer, even if your whole family isn’t present, circle up right then and pray. Have everyone take a turn. Your kids will learn from listening to you and your spouse pray and from having the opportunity to pray in a safe place themselves. You don’t have to “wait” until the designated time of day from tip number one—you can stop and pray in the moment as a family, too.
4. Pray for Forgiveness
When you, your spouse, or one of your kids “messes up,” use it as an opportunity to pray for forgiveness. Prayer can be a teaching moment. When there’s a sin that needs to be addressed, from the children or parents, lying, being disrespectful, being selfish, etc., talk about the sin. Look at what the Bible has to say about the sin. Then, pray for forgiveness. Parents—this can be an example of humbling yourselves before your children, too.
5. Adopt a Praying Posture
How does your family pray? Maybe you can practice praying on bended knees. Consider your body’s posture when praying and how that impacts your heart’s posture.
6. Keep a Prayer List Visible
Keeping a displayed list of prayer needs visible where everyone can see it is a beautiful way to exemplify to your children that prayer is a staple rhythm in your home. Keep a dry-erase board in your kitchen, for example, and write down prayer requests as they arise throughout the week, revisiting the board every Sunday evening. Make a note when prayers are answered—giving your kids a visual reference that bolsters their faith—and thank God aloud when they’re answered, another prayer.
7. Pray Scripture
Lastly, a great thing to do with your family is to find prayers in the Bible and pray them back to God. Doing this emphasizes the promises of God and how His faithfulness is evident in Scripture. Searching in the Bible for these prayers is also fun because it helps your children realize just how much the people in the Bible are like them.
How kind our Heavenly Father is that He gives us a way to talk to Him and be in a personal relationship with Him. He desires to hear our prayers as He is a caring, compassionate God. Remembering this truth encourages us to continue pressing on and praying more fervently. What an honor you have the privilege to model this to your children.
