Prayer and Kidz

Today I was able to share the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den with the Summit Kidz. The more I thought about and read this story in preparation, I really felt that I needed to talk to the kids about prayer in their lives. That they can pray anytime, anywhere, and saying anything to God. That He desires us to talk to Him. Today we made prayer journals and I explained to this kids that they can write or draw anything they wanted to share with God in there. Here are some really great words on prayer and kids that I found in reseaching.

How Do You Teach Children to Pray? by Wayne Stocks

Four truths of prayer come to mind about how we teach kids to pray:

Children must be taught why we pray. They must be taught that God commands us to pray and that the reason for praying is for our benefit not for God’s.
Children must be taught when to pray. Prayer is not just for night time or meal time. The Bible says “pray without ceasing.” We must explain to kids that prayer is about acknowledging God and his presence at all times in our lives.
Children must be taught the types of prayer. Praying to God can take many forms: Talking out loud, In our heads, Writing them out, Singing, Drawing pictures, Dancing, Meditating on his Word, Short prayers, Long prayers.
Children must be taught the elements of prayer. There are four basic elements of prayer that should be taught to kids. The Lord’s Prayer is a great tool for accomplishing this. The elements of prayer can be remember by the acronym ACTS:

Adoration: Praising God for who is and what he has done!
Confession: Telling God about the wrong things we have done and asking for his forgiveness.
Thanksgiving: Thanking God for all he has done for us.
Supplication: Asking for things for ourselves and others.
So, those are four truths about prayer, but what is the best way to convey those to kids? They must be taught by example. The following are some practical tips:

Model prayer for them. Show them how you pray.
Pray with them frequently.
Make prayer part of your lesson.
Let kids see you praying.
Pray as a Ministry Team
Talk about prayers God has answered or you
Encourage them to write their prayers down and keep track of those God has answered.