Raising A Child Who PraysНамуна

Sing a Prayer

Prayer has to become a real part of your life—every aspect of your life. In other words, you cannot be a praying parent simply for your kids’ sake, just as you cannot decide to become born-again for their sake. Certainly your children will benefit from your decision to serve Christ. But the decision to serve Christ must first come from the acknowledgment that you need Him.

Try today’s prayer exercise with your child:

Sing a Prayer

Singing is a great way to teach your child how to pray. Choose one of the psalms and sing a few verses together. For example, Psalm 145:1–2 (niv) provides us with language that little kids love to hear.

It says:

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Add gestures and movement to match key words and you’ll have your little one jumping around as they sing their prayers to God. For example, some words that can easily have fun gestures are as follows:

• Exalt (Verse 1): This word means to raise above everything else. Your child needs to exalt God above everything else in his life. Have him tell you something that he really values; perhaps this is a toy or an activity. Then say, “God wants to be more important (exalted) than this toy (or activity).” Have your child raise his or her hands every time the word exalt is sung.
• Every day (Verse 2): These words capture the ongoing praise your child should have towards God’s blessings. Your child needs to praise God every day for something. Ask her: “What are you thankful for?” The answer should be inserted into the prayer song. If her answer is, “I’m thankful for my mommy and daddy,” then the prayer song should go something like this: “Lord, every day I will praise You for Mommy and Daddy.” Have her jump up and down every time she sings the words every day.