During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, prepare a basket or bucket with the different types of objects: edges of grass, leaves, small gravels, larger stones, and sticks. You must have enough total objects for each child and you to have 1 object.
At all times, pray by the power of the Spirit. Pray all kinds of prayers.
Be watchful, so that you can pray.
Always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:18
While it can be good to set aside a quiet time to pray, this verse tells us that we can pray by the power of the Spirit at all times: at home, at work, or while at the market. We can pray many kinds of prayers: prayers of thanksgiving, praising, confessing, listening, and asking. This verse reminds us to look around at all of the needs of the people around us and to pray for others.
The important part of prayer is that you spend time with God. There is not one correct way to pray or set number of times you should pray each day. But, it is good to pray when the Holy Spirit leads you. Take a moment to think about the people in your family, church community, and the community you live in. What might their needs be? Pray to God and ask Him for guidance, wisdom, and love for these people. Then add other prayer needs, things you are thankful for, and praises for a conversation with God.
Encourage the families to look for opportunities to pray. Ask them to practice talking and listening to God as they pray for different things: what they are thankful for, what they need, and praises they have.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
As the children come in, welcome them and ask them to choose 1 object from the prayer basket and sit in a circle. Choose an object for yourself. Before you begin, put the prayer basket in the centre of the circle.
Let’s begin our lesson by singing the prayer we learned the last time we met. Join me as we sing:
I will start class with a voice prayer today. Fold your hands together, close your eyes and listen as I pray out loud, so you can all hear me talk to God. Everyone close your eyes, and I will pray out loud.
God, thank You for today. I thank You for each child here. I am thankful for Your love. You are a good God. You are an awesome God, and I praise You. Jesus, please help us learn how to pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Prayer is spending time with God. You can talk to God anytime and anywhere. You can talk to God with voice prayers or thought prayers. You can sing your prayer. You can talk to God when you are standing, sitting, kneeling, walking, or even running! When you talk to God, He hears you (point up to the sky).
You each have an object, but they are not all the same. We can pray about many different things. As you hold your object, think of something you want to talk to God about. You can talk to God about anything. Just as you are holding different objects, your prayers will be different.
Let’s all take a minute to talk to God in our thoughts. After you say a silent prayer, come and put your object in the prayer basket. Let us pray.
Allow the children to pray for about a minute. If the children do not remember to put the objects in the basket, put yours in the basket to remind them that it is okay for them to place their objects when they have finished praying. When all the children have placed their objects in the basket, continue with the lesson.
Remember, when you come to God in prayer, He hears you (point up). Today we will explore different things we can pray about.
As you teach your children about different types of prayer during this lesson, please model these actions.
There are many types of prayers. Today when we talk about different types of prayers, we will do a motion to help you remember each type.
The last time we met, you learned that prayer is talking to God. When you talk to God, you can tell Him about your life, you can thank Him for the good things in your life, and you can ask for His help. Here are some specific ways you can talk to God.
When you talk to God, you can ask Him for something. When I say “ask” or “asking,” bow your head. Then hold your hands together with palms touching like you would when you say a prayer. Try it with me.
Do the motion for ask: bow your head and hold your hands together with palms touching.
When you ask (motion) for things, you ask (motion) God for something that He might want for you or others. When you pray, it is important to remember that God wants what is best for you. If you do not get what you ask (motion) for, it might be that God is giving you other things He knows you need. Our memory verse says:
Read this verse directly from your Bible.
Here is what we can be sure of when we come to God in prayer. If we ask anything in keeping with what he wants, he hears us.
1 John 5:14
You can ask (motion) God to help you, or you can ask (motion) Him to help others. Listen to what the Bible says about praying for others.
First, I want you to pray for all people. Ask God to help and bless them. Give thanks for them.
1 Timothy 2:1
God says to pray for all people. You can ask (motion) God to help other people.
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
You can ask (motion) God to help you and others. You can ask (motion) God to help you make right choices. You can ask (motion) God to help you in school. I will start a prayer of asking (motion). When I pause, ask (motion) God to help you or someone you know.
Lord, we know You hear us when we pray. We ask You to help us and those around us. I ask that You please (pause for 15 seconds). In Jesus’ name, amen.
You can also ask God to forgive you as you tell Him about the things you did that were wrong. When I say “tell” or “telling,” look up. Then put your hands together with your palms touching. Try it with me.
Do the motion for tell: Look up to the sky. Then hold your hands together with palms touching.
When you tell (motion) God something, you ask for His forgiveness. Do you remember when we talked about forgiveness?
When you ask God for forgiveness, you tell (motion) Him you know something you did was wrong. When you do something that goes against what God wants, this is called a sin. When you tell (motion) God about your sins and ask Him to forgive you, He will forgive you if you truly believe what you did was wrong.
When you talk to God, you can tell (motion) Him what you have done wrong and how this makes you feel. This Bible verse says to tell (motion) God about everything.
If possible, read this verse directly from your Bible.
Don’t worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him.
Philippians 4:6
God does not want you to worry. God wants you to tell (motion) Him everything. This includes telling (motion) Him about your sins. No matter what happens, you can tell (motion) God about it. This is how you build a relationship with Him. Let’s pray for forgiveness. I will pause and give you a moment to think about what you want to tell (motion) God what you want Him to forgive you for.
Jesus, we thank You for dying for our sins so that we can be forgiven. We know we can tell You anything. Please forgive us for our sins. Please forgive us for (pause for 15 seconds). In Your name we pray, amen.
When you pray, you also listen to God. When I say “listen” or “listening,” cup your hands and place them by your ears. Try it with me.
Pause and do the motion for listen: cup your hands and place them by your ears.
When you listen (motion) to God, you are quiet and still. You usually do not listen (motion) to God with your ears, but you feel Him with your heart. When you listen (motion) to God you have peace in your heart and you know He is real. Remember that anything God speaks to you will always agree with what He says in the Bible. Let’s sit in silence for a moment to listen (motion) to God. You may close your eyes if it helps you to focus on Him.
Pause for about 30 seconds. Children may choose to sit with their eyes open or closed.
When we pray, we can also thank God. We can give thanks to God for many things. When I say the words “thank” or “thankful,” place both palms of your hands on your heart. Try it with me.
Pause and do the motion for thank: place both palms over your heart.
Okay, now use this motion every time you hear the word “thank.” We can thank (motion) God for many things.
Allow 3–4 children to respond.
You can thank (motion) God for anything: friends, family, the food you eat, or for listening to your prayers. Even when you are going through a difficult time or suffering, there is always something to thank (motion) God for! You can thank (motion) Him for help, for good medicine, for the comfort of friends, or other things. Take a moment to think of something you are thankful (motion) for. As we pray, I will pause to allow you to thank (motion) God for something good in your life.
Thank You, Lord, for this day. Thank You for (pause for 15 seconds). We thank You for this time to talk to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Similar to thanking God is praising God. Praise is a type of prayer. When I say “praise” or “praising,” lift both hands up to heaven and wave them. Try it with me.
Pause and do the motion for praise: lift both hands toward heaven.
Let’s talk about what praise (motion) means. When you praise (motion) God, you honour Him and thank Him for who He is. Praise (motion) can be that simple. Listen to what the Bible says about how we can praise (motion) God.
Praise him for his powerful acts. Praise him because he is greater than anything else.
Psalm 150:2
You can praise (motion) God for what He does and who He is! This brings honour to God! Let’s say a prayer of praise (motion). When I pause, praise (motion) God for who He is.
We praise You, God, for everything You have done and (pause for children to name something). We praise You for Your love and Your strength. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let’s review the types of prayer we learned about today. I will call on 1 child to name each type. As the child names a type of prayer, the whole class will do the motion with me.
Allow children to name each type of prayer. If any types are not named, remind the children what they are and their motions. The types of prayer are:
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, now is a good time to cut out the prayer starters.
In a moment, you will practice praying one of the types of prayer we talked about today. Come pick 1 item from our prayer basket. Listen for your object as we review the types of prayer.
If you used different objects for the types of prayer, make sure to assign these to each type of prayer.
Show me which type of prayer your object represents by doing the motion for that type of prayer. Great! I will give you 1 minute to say a prayer of this type.
Allow the children to pray their prayers silently or out loud. Before continuing, give the children about 1 minute, or wait until most of them are done praying.
There are many different types of prayers. When you pray to God, it is important to talk to Him about what you are thinking and feeling. It is also important to thank and praise Him for all of the good things He has done and the good things He has given you. Keep your object to remind you of the many ways you can pray to God.
You can talk to God about anything! Our memory verse reminds us of this.
Here is what we can be sure of when we come to God in prayer.
If we ask anything in keeping with what he wants, he hears us.
1 John 5:14
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Clap your hands in rhythm as you read the verse. Then repeat the rhythm as you read the verse with the children 3 times.
End class by saying this blessing, based on Philippians 4:6, over the children.
Blessing: May you pray about all that happens in your life. May you come to God with your concerns and difficulties. May you remember to give thanks to God for good things.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
