Teaching Children To Pray: Body Prayer

I truly believe prayer is central to a healthy, strong spiritual life. However, I also admit that prayer is an area of my own spiritual life that could use some improvement. As I continue to grow in this area, I am learning that prayer can take many different forms. It doesn't always have to be an eloquently scripted Psalm, but it also shouldn't always just be a "Help me!" shouted in desperation. Although both of those methods are perfectly acceptable, there are a lot of other styles that fall somewhere in between.

Like many skills, I think the earlier we start teaching children to pray, the more natural it will be for them as they grow in spirituality. However, we have to teach them in ways they can grasp and absorb in their youthfulness. Since young children often struggle to sit still, why not give them a prayer that lets them move their bodies??

This is a whole body prayer that I use in preschool chapel with 3-5 year olds. We started it at our first chapel sessions this school year when the lesson was about Hannah praying. I said it (along with the motions) and they repeated after me. They really liked it, so I decided to keep doing it. We have closed every chapel with it this year and, now, the children know it by heart. In fact, they frequently jump up and start reciting it with motions as soon as I say, "Let's do our body prayer!". I even used it in a Sunday children's message and got the whole congregation to participate from a sitting position! 

Like most things in life, what works for some might not work for others. Using this body prayer might not be a great fit for everyone, but it is a great way to show children that prayer comes in many different forms. Give it a try with your little ones! 

We were doing this body prayer in this photo! 

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Delivering an Effective Children's Message

I was born and raised a Presbyterian which is the basis for my theological acumen. However, my professional knowledge is in the area of child development. 

As a Christian educator, one of my jobs is to frequently offer the children's message during worship services and it's one of my favorite things to do. Not "tooting my own horn," but recognizing gifts, I often get compliments from the adults in in the congregation saying they enjoy my children's sermons. I guess that means I'm pretty okay at it and, unlike some people, I am extremely comfortable sitting on the chancel steps surrounded by little ones.  

In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me.” I believe that offering a children’s message during worship services provides an opportunity for the church to fulfill part of our baptismal promises and embrace children the way Jesus us said we should. It is great opportunity to share a biblical message with littles ones, but also a time when the smallest disciples take center stage in worship sending the message that the church values their presence. Since these moments are usually quite brief, it is important for the message to be inviting and engaging – for the little children that come to the steps and for the big children of all ages still sitting in the pews. When I am crafting a message, this is the strategy I use. Remember your vowels:

Attention Grabber

Engaging

Interactive

On Kid-level

Understandable

(Personal)

First, you need an attention grabber. This might be an object, a picture, a sound, or even a joke! It is simply something that gets the kids interested right away and makes them want to listen to find out more.

Next, your message needs to be engaging. We've all heard speakers who spoke in a monotone voice looking down at their notes the entire time rather than looking at the audience. Don't be that kind of speaker!! Remember, kids are used to watching brightly colored cartoons and tween shows where the middle-school aged actors are extremely over dramatic. They love it because it's not boring - it's engaging! You don't have to be Oscar-worthy, but you can't be too humdrum either. 

You should also make your message interactive. Young children retain so much more information when they are able to actively engage with it. Find a way to get the children involved in your message by adding some movements for them, teaching them a related song, giving them a phrase to repeat. It can even be as simple as asking them questions. The point is to involve them in it in some way.

Next on the list is offering a message on kid-level and I mean this literally. You have to get down on their level. If they are sitting on the floor, you should be on the floor with them - or, at least in a small chair  - so that you are not towering over them which can feel intimidating. This allows you to look them in the eye when you or they are speaking and conveys the message that you are truly talking WITH them rather than AT them. 

Almost last, but most definitely not least, is that your message has to be understandable. Young children do not have the experience or the maturity to comprehend abstract concepts. Instead they think in very concrete terms. If they have never experienced something and cannot touch it, taste it, smell it, or see it, they will most likely have a very difficult time grasping the concept. Therefore, use concepts and language they can follow.  

Finally, it's not absolutely necessary, but it is helpful if you can find a way to make the story personal. This can be done by either telling a story about yourself (i.e. "When I was a kid like you, this happened and made me feel really sad) or it can be done by making a correlation to something personal to the kids (i.e. Have you ever lost something that was really important to you and felt very sad because you no longer had it?) Making the stories personal lays the foundation for children to see how the scriptures apply to their current lives - something even big kids and grown ups can struggle with.  

I'd like to tell you this is a foolproof method and that, if you follow the steps, every message you offer will "knock it out of the park." Unfortunately, that's not true. I believe these tips will go a very long way in helping to create a great message, but talking to children is not without challenges. 

"What do I do if the children ask me a question?" There are three ways to approach this situation:

• Answer it! Make sure your answer is short, simple, and understandable. Then, answer it and move on.
• Save it for later. If it is a question too complicated for a simple answer or one you are not comfortable answering in front of the crowd, you can suggest a future conversation. Say something like, "That's a really good question and I would like to talk to you about that, but we don't have a lot of time right now, so let's talk later." IMPORTANT: If you take this approach, follow up. The kid might forget the question two seconds after they ask it, but you shouldn't. Email their parents, find the child after the service - whatever works, but do follow up.
• Ignore - You are teaching the story of Palm Sunday and little Johnny blurts out, "Why is the sky blue?" or little Suzy says, "Did you know I hurt my finger yesterday?" These questions are completely unrelated to the matter at hand. You could, of course, save it for later, but another option is to just ignore it and keep going with your message. This is an especially good strategy when the questions start coming like dominoes! 

"What if the children are misbehaving?" There are also a couple different ways to handle this:

• Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. The best solution is to not encourage their behavior by paying it any extra attention. Hopefully, if it is extremely disruptive, parents will come address it. Since a children's message time is usually very brief, this is often the best approach (in my opinion) as long as safety is not a concern.
• Redirection is another strategy. Ask a question directed at the child who is acting up or invite him/her to help you if you can. Find a way to distract the child from the misbehavior and re-focus their attention on the message.
• Predict, preempt, and/or readjust as much as possible. Not long ago, we rearranged one of our worship spaces a bit. As part of this process, a large flower arrangement was placed near the rug where we do the children's sermon. It turned out to be a huge distraction for the children and a bit of a safety concern if they pulled on it too hard. The solution? We moved it. Realizing the problem it caused, we proactively addressed the situation in order to prevent the distraction in the future. 

Delivering a children's message is unpredictable because children are unpredictable! There is no 100% guaranteed strategy for planning a perfect one. However, if you follow these guidelines and just relax, more often than not, your message will be meaningful and engaging. Most importantly, the children will learn the information as well as feel welcomed and embraced.