Ways to Pray With Our Kids

Is there anything better than hearing one of your children singing a song to God, or them showing you a picture they drew of themselves and Jesus, or listening to their sweet and powerful prayer intentions?

As parents (or grandparents or godparents) who care deeply about our children coming to know, love, and serve God, these moments of seeing their interior lives and love of God are such gifts.

I have four children, ages 10, 8, 6, and 2, and just as I observe their unique personalities and physical characteristics, I am beginning to see similarities and differences in their spiritual lives.

When we already have a lot on our plates, how can we attend to the varied spiritual lives of our children and also create a unified family culture of discipleship? Here are a few ideas and I would love to hear your insights and experiences in the comments!

On weekday mornings we don’t go to Mass, we start our homeschool day with “Morning Time.” During part of this time, we read from Scripture together. Though I was skeptical of it at first (I’m not quite sure why…maybe because Jesus has blond hair in some of the illustrations), my children love The Golden Children’s Bible. Though I can be critical, they love the illustrations and the way the stories are told.

Sometimes, I will read and have my children draw what they hear as I am reading. This keeps their hands busy, forms attentive ears, and cultivates the Christian imagination.

Since I homeschool our children, we have the ability to go to Mass together during the week. Though this will be different for every family and season of life, I have found that two daily Masses per week provides a lovely rhythm and keeps us grounded in the sacraments in a beautiful way.

Going to Mass during the week has also helped my children understand “this is something we do together” and I need to leave the pew less and less as they learn to settle in (and, yes, a box of raisins or granola bar certainly does help my two-year-old!).

One of my daughters does not always love going to daily Mass—I think perhaps because she has a short attention span and cannot receive the Eucharist yet. At the same time, her heart is so tender and full of love for God.

While playing worship music at home one day, I looked up and saw her twirling with arms outstretched and face lifted toward the heavens while she sang. “Wow,” I thought, “this is how Lucy prays.”

So, I am intentional with playing worship music at some point during the day. We love Ellie Holcomb’s album for kids called Sing: Remembering Songs and Matt Maher’s album called The Stories I Tell Myself. There are so many styles of worship music, and these folky and soulful styles fit our family. You can find what fits yours!

As a family, we love being outside and in nature. Our eldest is particularly drawn to the outdoors and has a contemplative spirit. Seeking nature and praising God for his incredible creation is a source of joy and life for our family.

One simple way I pray with my children is at the beginning of any car ride. We buckle in, get driving, and then pray together. Sometimes we pray a decade of the rosary. Sometimes we offer a spontaneous prayer and our intentions. Our car prayers are not long or complicated. They are simply a way to ground and unite our family in our relationship with God and shared discipleship.

God is creative and abundant in the ways he invites us into a relationship with him. We have God’s word in Scripture, presence in the sacraments, and life-giving beauty in art and creation.

As we strive to help our children walk with God, let’s keep our hearts and minds open to perceive God as he comes to us and give thanks for his goodness.

Pick up a copy of my book, The Restless Grain, which ends with Jesus at the Last Supper! There’s an unleavened bread recipe at the back of the book to bring the Last Supper to life in a hands-on way.