To help encourage prayer, guide children in writing names or prayer needs on individual pieces of paper or thick card. Children can then shuffle through the cards and be prompted in praying for the person or situation on the card. You can use these to pray for people in class or have the children take the cards home as reminders for their prayer time at home.
Supplies
- 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 just let the children do it during class.
What to Do:
- Guide the children in cutting paper or provide them with the pre-cut cards if you have prepared them before class.
- 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.
- One at a time children take turns praying for the name or need that is listed on their card.
Adaptations
- Use this as a weekly acgivity in your classrom. 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.
- In a reversal have the children write their own name on the card and then mix the cards up and send the cards home so 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