Children and prayer

Teaching children to pray should become a natural extension of them watching you in prayer. Modeling prayer for children is one of the greatest ways to do it. They see you turn to the Lord with every praise and concern, and just genuinely want to be in His presence. This has a profound impact on them. Let's face it, kids are literal creatures. They want to know who you're talking to and where they are. Why can't they hear Him answer? What helps them accept what they can't see is your devotion to God and prayer. You are their first and best teacher. If they come to you with a problem tell them that we should ask God for guidance first and then we will talk it through. They need to start understanding that God is the power source and prayer is like plugging into the power first. You can't run a computer to get an answer if you don't first access a power source. Teaching them when they are real young to pray using a memorized prayer is okay to get a habit formed, but it is imperative early on that they talk to God about how they feel and questions they have. They need to say thank you when they have good things happen so they understand that God is intimately involved in all things. Share some of the traditions in teaching prayer to your kids that you have used. They can be funny moments in prayer with your children or just a meaningful experience. You may have hit some obstacles that you need to work through with the great parents on this blog.