To help encourage prayer, guide children in writing names or prayer needs on individual pieces of paper or thick cards. Children can then shuffle through the cards and pray for the person or situation on the card. You can use these to pray for people in class, or have the children take them home to use during the week.
Materials:
- Paper. Thick card or coloured paper is nice. (Alternatively, you could use index cards)
- Scissors
- Pens or markers
Preparation:
- Talk about the importance of prayer.
- Allow the children to brainstorm people and situations they can pray about.
- Cut the paper into cards before class or let the children do it during class.
Instructions:
- Children write names or prayer needs on the cards. Younger children could draw pictures instead of writing words.
- Pile the cards together and then pass them out again to the children.
- Children take turns praying for the name or need that is listed on their card.
Adaptations:
- Use this as a weekly activity in your classroom. The cards can be kept in a special box and brought out each week at prayer time. Add or take away cards as prayers are answered or situations change.
- Allow the children to choose cards to take home as “prayer homework” each time you have class. They can pray for the person or situation on the card and report back to the group about the experience.
- Glue on photographs of people and/or situations instead of writing on the cards.
- Laminate cards if you use them over and over
- Instead of writing others names, have the children write their own name on the card. Mix the cards up and send them home so the children can pray for the other children in the group.
For more about helping children learn to pray, please follow the link: Prayer in Bible Class