In-Class Prayer Activity Ideas

Here are some ideas to help you get your students praying and thinking about the importance of prayer.

1. Have students keep a journal and every Sunday dictate or write on the board the sentence they will complete in their journals as that days' prayer.  Examples include:

a. This past week, thank you God for …

b This week I pray for these special people (this special person):_________because …

c. Lord, I need your help today to …

d. Thank you God. When I woke up today I saw/felt …

e. Lord, help us to make three things happen n the world: …

Ask for volunteers to share their prayers; or occasionally share your own with the class.

2. Have an index card with a picture (for younger children) or a word in front of each student (e.g. socks, trees, my family, the world, rain, pants).  Ask children to compose a one-line prayer thanking God for the item (words should range from simple or even silly  -- "socks" -- to more meaningful -- "rain" or "family").

3. Prepare a series of prayers that allow students to fill in blanks: "Lord, thank you for________.  Help me to be more __________this week.  There's someone I'm praying for: help _________ this week."

4. Go around the room for a group "thank you prayer."  It resembles a popular name game.  Someone starts with something they thank God for and why, let's say "flowers, because hey make people happy."  The next person must take the last letter of the word and come up with something else, let's say "salt, because it makes food taste good." And so on.

5. Play a group thank you game, adding on as follows: The first student says "Thank you God for trees." The second goes "thank you God for trees and families." And so on.

6. Bring in a newspaper or magazine picture.  Ask students to pass it around and compose a brief prayer inspired by it.  Get volunteers to bring in photos on other Sundays.

7. Provide students a topic.  Tell them: "Today, please write (on index cards/in their journals) a one or two line prayer on:" then provide a topic such as "school" or "my parents" or "the sunrise" or "church".  Just give them one topic; the above are just ideas.

Index cards are helpful, because they can be collected and read from by the teacher as the prayer of the whole class; this way no one is embarrassed by his/her own contribution. They also prompt children to participate since if they know their prayer line will be anonymous and will be collected, they will feel more comfortable about writing.