Published on: 22/07/2025
Proverbs 22:6
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
If it is present at all, prayer involving children may be quite passive or performative: children might read a prewritten prayer at the front of church and/or be expected to say ‘amen’ to a prayer which has been read to them. Both of these types of prayers have their place, but they’re not ideal.
Prayer shouldn’t be a performance. It’s an experience to be shared and a discipline to be passed on. It’s a time when hearts can be changed as well as circumstances (Deuteronomy 30:6). If we want to raise children who pray, we must teach them how and why to pray by involving them meaningfully and even nurturing them to lead.
Practical ideas for supporting children and young people in prayer
- Work with a school to support the children in writing their own prayers for an upcoming service in church.
- Use a prayer book for children to write or draw their prayers in. This could be shared with the adult congregation if they are separate from the family congregation. Alternatively, allow the children to write and draw in the main prayer book for your church!
- Include a dedicated prayer time during your family service. Develop this part of your service to be special and sacred, where encountering God is expected (this may look different for different traditions). You could achieve this through music, your use of the space, or repeating specific words or actions.
- Explore prayer using different sensory activities by setting up a prayer station. There are hundreds of ideas online such as Creative Children’s Ministry: Prayer Stations by Children. Adults may find these activities helpful too.
- Dedicate a whole family service to exploring the theme of prayer. Messy Prayer – Developing the prayer life of your Messy Church is a book which may help you explore the possibilities further.
Longer-term projects
- Start an intergenerational prayer group where children pray for adults and adults pray for children.
- Build up a prayer ministry within your children’s or young people’s small group or Sunday club.
- Set up a Prayer Space in your local school to provide an opportunity for children to experience prayer.
- The biggest influence on children will likely be their closest family. Engaging parents and carers, and supporting them to support their children is key. One way to do this is by using the Family Rhythm of Life resources.
Safeguarding
As with any work with young people, praying with young people requires appropriate safeguarding measures to be in place. It’s important to maintain good communication with young people, parents and/or the school – including being clear about your intentions and obtaining consent. Pray with young people in a group setting rather than one-to-one and ideally with additional adults present.
A final thought
It’s important to remember that it’s not all about what adults can teach children about prayer. What can the children in your parish teach you about prayer and about God? There’s only one way to find out.