5 Ways to Pray With Your Kids ~ Raising Godly Children

Praying with your children is vital in order to instill faith and trust in God. There is nothing more influential and effective to a child than to see their parents praying and there is nothing more powerful than letting your children pray. Many children might feel that prayer is for grown ups and only grown ups are heard. On the contrary, our children most know that their prayers are just as important. Pray activates faith and allows a child to feel that they too can speak with this “grown up” God.

Our family practices family prayers, meal time prayers, individual prayers and spontaneous prayers as events call for. It will not be odd to be driving and hear a siren and one of us start praying for the individual, or pass an accident scene and began to lift up the victims. I can’t help but believe that we have secretly affected the outcome of numerous events. God requires and desires us to intercede in behalf of our fellow man. Its when we step put in selfless and humble faith that heaven is moved. The Bible says “if my people who are called by my name.....pray”, and it further instructs us to pray without ceasing. Prayer, especially for others lets your child know the importance of charity and love, but also benefit from its reward.


Here are 5 Ways to Pray With Your Kids by Raisinggodlychildren.org

1. Include children in praying over family decisions.  As a parent, you have the final say in all family issues, but it is important to be intentional about asking your children to pray about family matters.  Allow them a day or two to listen to God (in their hearts) and seek His answer.  Then, come together to seek Gods final answer.

2. Pray spontaneously.  As you become aware of needs or as you hear of people who need prayer, stop immediately and pray with your children.  Many people are notoriously bad about saying, “I’ll pray for you” and never getting around to that time of prayer.  Therefore, to demonstrate that prayer really is important to your family, find time to stop and pray spontaneously as God prompts.

3. Pray before meals and before bed.  I know this sounds simplistic, but it works!  Give your children the opportunity to thank God for the provisions and a blessed day. Bedtime prayers allow for peaceful sleep and motivation for a new day.

4. Thank God for moments of laughter. Our children need to understand that praying and serving God is not a depressing and always somber time. That God loves His children and is a God who seeks relationship with us. God is not a dictator, or some mystical being as portrayed by fairy tales, but rather a God that smiles, laughs and enjoys the moments we come to Him, just for Him.

5. Pray honestly.  Children are extremely observant.  They know when we are hurting or sad.  They feel it when their parents are struggling.  So, pray honestly with your children.  Granted, children don’t need to know details.  But, they do need to see us praying with authenticity and transparency. Nothing is more profound than to see you father or mother on their knees crying out to God and than seeing God raise that parent up with peace and joy.

Prayer is easy and effective, yet too often neglected. Prayer is just another arrow in our arsenal that allows us to exercise faith and lets God be God. Praying as a family strengthens bonds. As you pray with your children in each of these ways, you help them to become more than “good kids.”  Praying with your children will encourage them to become spiritually healthy disciples.