Why my kids love to pray (and how yours can too)

I love to pray. Prayer is my way to talk to Jesus, and I can feel an obvious difference in a day where I devote time to prayer, compared to a day when I don’t.

Prayer is also a really big part of my relationship with my two young daughters. Even before my three-year-old could talk, I would pray with her as we drove to and from work and day school. I wanted my girls to see their mom’s relationship with Jesus in action, at various times during the day, and in lots of different environments and situations. I didn’t want them to think that Jesus is someone we talk to only at night, when we’re scared, or when we need something.

I wanted them to fall in love with God through prayer just like I have.

If you’re not exactly sure of how to go about praying with your kids, you are not alone. If you grew up with the idea that praying is for scripted mealtime quips or bedtime rituals, that’s something you can change today. It’s not too late to really impress upon your kids that prayer is a huge part of how we know God and how we allow him to know us.

Here are three ways to amp up your prayer game with your kids:

Change it up.

Show your kids that praying is a way of life. Talking to God is something we can do at any time of day, in any place. We can pray by ourselves, with a huge group of people, or even silently in our own mind.

I am really intentional about showing my girls that I pray out loud while driving my car, quietly in a somber moment, and lying down in their beds at night. God wants to talk to your kids in elevators, on highways, in classrooms, and at sleepovers. If my daughter is having a fragile moment or she’s nervous, I quietly whisper a prayer with her for God to give her strength and comfort.

Changing up your prayer places and times will teach your kids that they have access to God at all times from wherever they may be.

Ask your kids to take the lead.

This one might be hard if your children aren’t verbal yet, but I love to give my three-year-old the opportunity to lead our prayers. In the beginning, you may hear a lot of prayers for belly buttons and fire trucks, and that’s ok. You’re teaching your kids that nothing is too small or silly for God to care about, and that is an incredibly important lesson to learn as a young child.

One day, you’ll hear your child leading the conversation with God, and you’ll realize they’ve grown into this leadership role and are praying for people they love (and also the ones they have a hard time loving).

Encourage creativity.

Talking to God doesn’t have to be impersonal or dry. You don’t have to straighten up or hold your hands just right. Praying is personal. You’re teaching your kids that they are talking to their best friend in the whole world, so why would you need to not be yourself?

If my girls and I are praying for someone who is struggling, I ask them where they can see that person or what they see that person doing. I help them build on those visuals and imagine how God can comfort that person. Being creative while praying with your kids can open their minds and show them that God is bigger and bolder than anything we could ever imagine.

Our God is a creative God, and he loves to see that creativity come out in his conversations with our kids.

I’m thankful to belong to a church that truly wants to partner with parents in raising up the next generation. One of the many ways HPUMC encourages families to foster a love of prayer, is by praying the Lord’s Prayer together every night before bed.

Not sure where to begin? The Five Fingers of Prayer can help you break down the big ideas in the Lord’s Prayer to teach them to your children.