Praying with Kids is an Important Part of Christian Parenting!
“God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. Amen.”
“Now I lay me down to sleep…”
Though many well-meaning parents use these traditional prayers to encourage their kids to pray, I think there could be a better way…
I personally don’t lead my kids through prayers.
I want every child to learn to develop a personal, vibrant prayer life with God.
One that isn’t dependent on traditional prayers…
One that is reflective of a close relationship.
That’s where this secret prayer club comes in.
Secret Prayer Club Helps Parents Teach Their Kids to Pray
Several months ago I had a yearning to see my kids grow in their walk with God.
But, helping them grow closer to God is not as easy as teaching them how to ride a bike.
I don’t want my children to view reading their Bibles and praying as a chore they check off their “to-do” lists.
Instead, I want them to cherish their time with God. I want them to make it a priority.
But, just how can a parent do this?
How Can I Teach My Kids to Pray?
We can’t reach into their hearts and souls and click a button.
Nope — children are individuals with their own minds and wills.
However, as their mom, I can lead them.
I can encourage them to enjoy those precious moments alone with God — and that is exactly why I came up with our very own secret prayer club.
Now, obviously, it’s not a secret anymore.
My kids have enjoyed it so much that they thought it would be good to share our fun idea with other moms.
Our secret prayer club ignited a desire in my kids to spend more time in prayer — every day.
They were seeing God answer specific prayer requests, and it was encouraging them to pray more.
Why Give Kids a Secret Prayer Club?
Kids think mysteries and secrets are fun.
I do emphasize to my kids that they shouldn’t keep secrets from mom and dad, unless they are happy surprise secrets — like birthday parties, gifts, etc.
Other than that, no secrets are allowed in this house.
But, we all believed this was a good secret.
A secret that would help all of us grow closer to God as well as positively affect the lives of others around us.
Here’s How the Kids Prayer Club Started
One night, I sat all my kids down and whispered to them that we had a BIG secret to keep.
Everyone zoned in and listened ever-so-intently.
I leaned in and continued to whisper.
“We are going to have secret meetings, and even our own secret handshakes!”
Excited giggles began.
Then, I told them our big secret was that we were going to pray for seven things for an entire week.
We were going to pray for seven things because there were seven people in our club.
Find Creative Ways to Teach Kids to Pray
I told each person to think about something we should pray about for one minute, then each person would give one special request for us to pray about that week.
Each person would pray for those seven things every day, and at night we would have a secret prayer meeting altogether.
It was very touching to hear my kids name family members who weren’t saved, friends who were expecting babies, friends who had lost a child recently and for our church to grow.
When we began to pray specifically I saw a big change in my kids.
No longer were their prayers rituals, but they were thoughtful, intentional and fervent.
We Must Teach Kids to be Fervent in Their Prayer Lives
What was super exciting is when we would see God answer those prayer requests.
Many times I would hug an older kid and say “You see what God did because you prayed?”
They would normally grin and be ready with a fresh new request at our club meeting that night.
Kids Get to See God Work When They Learn How to Pray
Why don’t you start a secret prayer club with your kids?
I am sure you want your kids to walk closer to God.
Most of us do.
God isn’t a faraway God who doesn’t have time to hear our thoughts and desires.
He is close and wants to walk with us daily, and He wants to walk with our children too.
Let’s encourage our kid’s hearts while they are young to seek God every day.
Starting a prayer club is just ONE way you can do that. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
How to Teach Kids to Pray: Start a Secret Prayer Club
Pick a daily, prayer club meeting time.
It needs to be convenient for everyone’s schedule and before the kids are too sleepy! :)
Send secret prayer club invitations to your kids.
This can be simple, hand-written notes!
Create a Secret Password or Handshake for Entrance into the Prayer Club.
My kids love the secret handshake option best!
Encourage Kids to Pray for Specific People, Issues or Desires.
Go beyond, “bless Grandmother”.
Ask them how they want that family member to be blessed.
Choose One Prayer Request Per Club Member
Keeping it simple works best!
Our club has seven people, so we have seven specific prayer requests every week.
Review the Prayer Requests at Each Meeting
This keeps the prayer requests fresh on everyone’s minds.
Use Code Words Throughout the Day to Remind Kids to Pray
Ask kids if they did their “secret duty” during the day.
Always Make the Kids Prayer Club Prayer Meeting Seem Secret and Fun
I do believe prayer is a serious thing. But I’m using a secret prayer club to stir interest in prayer. When kids see that prayer isn’t just repeating a series of words and phrases, they’ll desire to spend time in prayer on a daily basis…without parents continually reminding them to pray.
Don’t Laugh at a Child’s Prayer Request
No matter how silly or small, don’t make fun of a child’s request. Sometimes what seems silly to us is HUGE to them.
Do you have a secret club with your kids?
Shhhh!!! Don’t tell me! :)
How do Your Pray WIth Your Kids?
We can chat about it in our All Things Mommy group!
