Post 3 of the 7-day blog series

Post 3: Teaching kids to pray in real and relatable ways

Blog Series: Faith in the Everyday – Growing a Christ-Centered Home 

Prayer is one of the most beautiful gifts God has given us — it’s a direct line to Him, a conversation rooted in love, trust, and relationship. But for many parents, teaching children to pray can feel intimidating. We might worry that we won’t explain it “correctly,” or we may feel unsure of our own prayer life at times.

The good news is this: prayer doesn’t have to be complicated.

Children don’t need fancy words, memorized phrases, or perfectly quiet moments to talk to God. They simply need to know that God is always listening — and always near.

Just as children learn to speak by hearing language spoken around them, they learn to pray by experiencing prayer as a natural part of daily life. Your children seeing you turn to God throughout your day is one of the most powerful things you can model for them.

1. Let Prayer Be a Conversation

Children often assume prayer is something formal — something that needs to sound a certain way. But Scripture shows us that prayer is personal and relational. Psalm 62:8 tells us to “Pour out your hearts before Him.”

Encourage your children to talk to God like they talk to someone they trust.

You might model prayers such as:

• “God, today was hard. Can You help me try again tomorrow?”

• “Thank You for the sunshine today. It made me smile and I was so happy to go outside.”

• “Lord, I feel frustrated. Please help me to be patient.”

These are real. Honest. Understandable.

When kids see that prayer reflects how we really feel, they learn: God cares about their real feelings too.

2. Use Simple Prompts to Make Prayer Approachable

Kids thrive with frameworks that guide but don’t restrict. Here are three child-friendly prayer prompts:

• Thank You for ______.

• Help me with ______.

• Help others by ______.

Once they understand the basics, I recommend the ACTS method to children and adults which I have outlined in my prayer journal.

Make it gentle and conversational. Kids learn: prayer doesn’t have to be complicated or perfect.

3. Create Prayer Moments in Daily Rhythm

Prayer doesn’t need to be set apart from life — it can and should be woven into life.

Natural times to pray as a family:

• Morning hugs: “God, thank You for this new day.”

• Car rides: “Lord, please lead us and be with us today.” “Send your angels to encamp around us!” How powerful is it to think that God sends His angels to protect us? Kids will love picturing an angel following them around all day! This comes directly from Psalm 34:7.

• Before meals: “Thank You for this food and the hands that prepared it.”

• Bedtime: “Jesus, thank You for being with us all day.”

These are short, simple moments that form deep spiritual rhythms.

Kids learn: God is always here.

4. Help Children Bring Their Emotions to God

Children experience big feelings, sometimes without the language to express them. Our emotions work like a car’s service light. The light, or emotions, aren’t the problem but they do tell us what’s going on underneath. When we feel sad, angry, scared, or even super excited, those feelings are like little lights telling us, “Hey, something’s going on in your heart.” We don’t have to ignore them or pretend they’re not there. But we also don’t have to let them drive the car. Instead, we can bring every feeling to God in prayer. He cares about what we feel (1 Peter 5:7), and He promises to help us understand what’s going on and give us peace (Philippians 4:6–7). So the next time a “heart light” comes on, point your child to the One who knows how to fix what’s underneath.

You can model prayer through emotions:

• “Jesus, I’m feeling sad. Can You stay close to me?”

• “God, that made me angry. Help me calm down and respond kindly and not sinfully.”

• “Lord, I am so happy! Thank You for this joy!”

Kids learn: no feeling needs to be hidden from God.

5. Keep Prayer Light, Natural, and Pressure-Free

If your child:

• doesn’t want to pray out loud

• gets silly during prayer

• says the same prayer every night

• only offers one-word sentences

That’s okay. Truly. But don’t give up. Continue modeling for them.

Faith grows slowly and beautifully when it is nurtured. 

Keep prayer:

• gentle

• relational

• honest

• consistent

Not perfect.

You can try:

• Writing out prayer prompts together as a family and having them on display in your home or beside their bed where they pray. Include younger kids by letting them draw their prayer request instead of writing it! The cards absolutely do not have to be anything fancy, a plain notecard or piece of paper cut into little squares will do! But if you’re like me and want something that not only serves a purpose but is beautiful, grab the free blank printable cards in two different styles at the bottom of this blog. 

• Praying scripture. The Psalms are my favorite to pray. For kiddos who can’t read yet, read a line from one of the Psalms, by saying it as a prayer, and have them repeat it after you. 

• Example: Psalm 119:18 reads: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” This is a tricky one, especially for children to understand. But you can rephrase it in a kid friendly way while also teaching them a characteristic of our loving Father.

• Say, “LORD, open my eyes. Help me to see and understand that the rules you have for me are for my good, because you love me!”

• You can also discuss or add to your prayer something about God giving your children earthly parents who give them rules and discipline them out of love. 

• If you want to be really vulnerable, you can even tell your kids that while we give them rules and discipline them, we do it imperfectly because we are (all) sinful humans. This is a great way to show your kids:

• That you make mistakes (sin), too.

• That we are all in need of a Savior.

• How to ask God and those we sin against for forgiveness.

• That when we make mistakes, we get to try again because His mercies are new, and He sent us the Holy Spirit as our helper!

• You can also use this free printable two-sided prayer points graphic which has new verses monthly and also includes a place for your family to write their prayer requests and answered prayers.

One of my favorite parts of writing prayers down is seeing how God has answered our prayers. We are so quick to forget what we’ve prayed for because as soon as that problem is resolved, we move on to another one. Keeping a prayer journal or writing on prayer cards (and keeping them once answered!) reminds us of His faithfulness but also teaches our children: that He is a good God, He does hear our prayers, and He loves us!

A Final Encouragement

Your child’s understanding of prayer does not rest on your eloquence or lack thereof.
It rests on God’s love — and His love is steady, patient, and near.

Keep your why in mind. We want our children to have a relationship with God. 

Every short prayer…
Every whispered “help”…
Every bedtime blessing…
Every moment of quiet thankfulness…

These are seeds.
Seeds that will grow into a lifelong relationship with God.

You are doing Holy Kingdom work — one simple prayer at a time. 💛

Lord, teach our children to speak to You as a loving Father who listens.

Remove any pressure to “pray right,”

and replace it with confidence that You delight to hear their hearts.

Help us model honesty, simplicity, and nearness in prayer.

Make conversation with You feel natural and safe in our home.

Work through us to point our children to you, because we know

if we try to do this in our own strength, we will fall short.

Amen.

Next: Disciplining the Heart, Not Just the Behavior