Teaching Kids To Pray – Simple Strategies & Tips

Teaching kids to pray can seem like a daunting task to a lot of parents. After all, it isn’t always easy to introduce something as complex as religion to children. But for Christian parents, teaching children how to pray is a pivotal moment, as it will hopefully set them on a path to become closer with God.

So today, I put together a little guide that you can use to help you with this journey. It includes tips and tricks for teaching your child to pray, regardless of age. Meaning that you don’t have to worry if your child is old enough.

Step 1 – Lead By Example

One of the best ways to ensure your child will pick up on a behavior is to model it in front of them. So in order to get your children familiar with the act of praying, simply do it “for them” for a while. I used to do this at mealtimes and at bedtime with my girls.

And you can get them involved as well, especially as time goes on. You could ask them if they have something specific they’d like you to pray for, ask them to repeat after you, etc.

Try to keep things as simple as you can here, because you don’t want your kids to think that prayers have to sound a certain way. Plus, if they do ask for you to pray for something specific, try not to redirect their request to a more “worthy” thing. For instance, my oldest daughter used to pray for tv show characters when she was really young (a toddler). And I let her do that, since attempting to redirect could have made her clam up.

Step 2 – Start Prompting Them To Pray

The next step in teaching kids to pray is beginning to prompt them to pray themselves. It’s ok if they’re hesitant, or if they simply say no at first! In fact, in those situations, you can revert back to praying in front of them instead. Just be sure to ask if there are things they want included. So that they get a sense that God is hearing from them, even if it isn’t directly.

When, where, and how you prompt them to pray is up to you…

• You could bring it up when they’re feeling strong emotions. Such as when they’re upset about something, asking “Do you want to ask God for help with ‘x’?” Or perhaps when they’re really excited about something, saying “Do you want to tell God all about it?”
• Designate specific times or occurrences where everyone prays together. Such as at meals, before bed, before heading off to school, or at special events like birthdays.
• Or reverse the process and make a request for something you’d like them to pray about. Like “Hey kids, could we pray that your older sister passes her test today?”

Step 3 – Pay Attention To Potential Blockages

Lastly, you’re going to want to pay close attention to anything that may be bothering your child in regards to praying. Sometimes they may just come right out and ask you questions that allow you to work through issues with them. But other times, you might have to put your detective hat on.

For example, many kids struggle with the idea of not having the “right” things to say to God. And in this case, you could explain that God likes to hear from us no matter what. As well as provide more sample prayers for your children to practice with.

And some children might even be a little scared to pray. I have personal experience with this, because my oldest daughter has OCD. And although she could pray just fine when she was very small, it later became very difficult for her when her OCD started intensifying. She was afraid she’d somehow offend God, and then she started having compulsions revolving around prayer. Like having to repeat certain phrases in her prayers to “keep something bad from happening”.

That’s a very specific issue that obviously won’t be the case for everyone. But I think it’s a good example as to why you should monitor your child’s reactions to praying! (By the way, I’ll be posting more articles revolving around raising kids with OCD, ADHD, and epilepsy in future. Since I have personal experience with those conditions.)

Bonus Tips

Now for some extra tips and tricks that I think can make the process of teaching kids to pray even smoother…

• Write Letters To God – Verbal communication isn’t the only form of communication, so you can take advantage of other types to get your child used to conversing with God if they’re having issues speaking aloud to him. One cute way to do this is to encourage them to write a letter to God, or if they’re very little, draw a picture for God.
• Make It Casual – Ideally, you want your child to think of prayer as something they could do anytime, at any place, for any reason. So when you’re modelling the behavior of prayer, try to do it in a variety of situations. And make it clear to them that it doesn’t have to be a big ordeal to pray.
• Positively Reinforce The Behavior – Don’t take this the wrong way, you probably shouldn’t get your child into the habit of expecting some tangible reward every time they pray. But be sure to tell them you’re proud of them for building a relationship with God, and bring their attention to any positive emotions they feel because of their prayer. As this will help them build positive associations with praying.

Final Thoughts

I hope you found some value within this guide. And if you’d like to read more about parenting, running a home, managing finances, or staying healthy as a mom… Please check out some of my other content. Such as this post, on how to teach kids colors.