Teaching children to pray is one of the things that Jesus has given us a specific example to follow. Using the Lord’s prayer for kids to model and learn from is like writing down the examples from the math book! Christian parents can take Jesus’ guide to praying and help their children understand the different parts of the prayer and then make their own as they grow.
Prayer doesn’t have to be a formula, but in the “Lord’s prayer,” Jesus gives his disciples an example of how to pray. He adds in the elements of reverence, gratitude, petition, asking for forgiveness, and praising God. When you teach your children to use these elements in their prayers, their prayers will take on new meaning and not simply be recited or memorized prayers that become mindless over time.
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Not only is the Lord’s prayer a guide or template we can use when praying, it is also directly from Jesus’ mouth. The word of God is powerful in everyday life and can be a great way to help younger children begin to learn about the kingdom of God through simple Bible lessons and memory verses. As children grow and learn, praying God’s word can become more meaningful as they learn to connect God’s words to their own daily life by using this familiar prayer in their own prayer life.
Understanding The Lord’s Prayer for Kids
When Jesus shared this prayer, his disciples had asked him to teach them how to pray. The prayers they heard in the temple and in the synagogues were often memorized scriptures that were recited. Jesus wanted them to understand that they could pray in their own words and God would hear their prayers. This was one of the great Bible lessons Jesus taught to his disciples and then to each of us over the centuries.
The Lord’s prayer is recorded in Matthew 6:9-13. Each phrase is meaningful when you remember that Jesus was using this as an example to teach his disciples how to pray. Understanding the different parts of the Lord’s prayer for kids will help you as you model and teach your children.
- Our Father in heaven,
Jesus wanted his disciples to realize that they could have a relationship with God, their heavenly father, just like they did with him – even though they hadn’t met God or seen God, they already knew God through Jesus. Knowing that God listens to our prayers just as much as Jesus listened to his disciples directs us the powerful Father!
- may your name be kept holy.
Remembering and recognizing that God’s name is holy, is a reminder to be respectful and reverent when using God’s name. When talking about God, as well as the language we use, we want to be careful with the use God’s name with reverence and not in slang or swearing.
- May your Kingdom come soon.
Jesus used so many examples of what the kingdom of heaven is like in his parables. Each of these examples provided real world opportunities for the people to understand how God loves people and interacts with them. When praying that God’s kingdom come soon, this can be a request for God to live in your heart to change you to be like him as well as praying for his peace and love to be present in this life and beyond.
- May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
When praying for specific requests, it is important that we always pray according to God’s will. Sometimes we may pray for something that we really, really want, but may not really be the best thing for us. Praying for specific things and then asking God to answer according to his will helps us remember that there is a bigger picture in our lives that we are not able to see, but God can and does.
- Give us today the food we need, (our daily bread)
Asking God to provide for all of our needs each day is a reminder that everything comes from God. He can take care of the birds of the air and lilies of the field and He can certainly provide for our needs as well. Not only the food we eat, but everything we need, comes from God. When we recognize this, we will also realize how much we have to be thankful for!
- and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
Just a few verses after the Lord’s prayer, Jesus tells his disciples that if they forgive others, God will also forgive them. Forgiving someone else for something they did to hurt you or wrong you is hard. Sometimes they won’t even know if you’ve forgiven them or not, but you will know.
When someone hurts you or does something wrong to you, asking God to help you forgive them will help you heal and move on from the hurt. Forgiveness changes the way we look at people. It doesn’t mean that we keep forgiving someone for the same thing and then allowing it to happen again, but, Jesus encourages us to forgive as often and as much as God forgives us.
- And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one
There are temptations and evil influences all around us all the time. Satan wants to disconnect us from God and take us down a path of evil. Praying to ask God to protect your steps and help you to stay away from temptation is a powerful way to recommit to following God each day. God can and will help you make good choices when you ask him to.
- For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
This last part of the prayer (in some versions of the Bible) is a reminder to praise God for who he is. Remembering the good things God has done for you as well as who he is, helps us to focus on his power to take care of us, his ability to forgive our sins, and his eternal interest in our salvation.
Using the Lord’s Prayer with Kids
Anytime you pray, you can use the Lord’s Prayer with your kids. Helping them to understand the different parts of the prayer, can help them take those elements into their own unique prayers. Asking God to forgive their sins, thanking Him for the daily needs that He provides, praising Him because He is holy can be very personal and doesn’t have to be a memorized prayer.
Model these elements in your own prayers. It can be easy to let prayer become a memorized or rote part of your meals or bedtime routine. But when you really think about what you want to say to God, it can bring new meaning into the process of praying each day. Using the Lord’s prayer for kids to understand the practice of prayer can guide them to learn to talk to God as a friend.
Simple ways to teach the Lord’s Prayer for kids
Take time to explain the Lord’s prayer for kids and what it means to your children. Take each line or phrase and talk about what it means. You can watch a beautiful picture of Jesus teaching his disciples to pray in The Chosen (Teach us to Pray episode 2.6) If your children are old enough to understand that this is someone’s idea of what it might have looked like and been like, then this might add some additional understanding.
Practice the Lord’s prayer for kids by connecting it to your everyday prayers. You don’t have to pray with a specific formula or a memorized prayer, but thinking about the different parts of this prayer can help you make your prayers meaningful and not just a recitation of all the things you need and want.
Memorize it together. You can close your family worship prayers by saying the Lord’s prayer together. As your children hear it, they will learn it and be able to join in as well. This Lord’s Prayer craft is a great tool to help kids memorize scripture.
Color the Lord’s prayer for kids together with printable coloring pages about the Jesus’ prayer. Taking time to color Bible verses can help the verses stick in your head as you spend time physically interacting with the words. Sing it together. Find a version of the Lord’s Prayer that is set to music that you can learn and sing together. Here are three ideas to get you started.
The Lord’s Prayer for Kids Printables
Make scripture memorization simple when you add the words and pictures together. Children can easily associate pictures with words or word phrases as you practice memorizing different Bible verses.
You may also like these Biblical parenting links…
- Tips for Sitting in Church with Kids
- Bedtime Prayers – Creating an Evening Routine
- 52 Memory Verses for Kids to Memorize
- Family Worship Ideas with Kids
- Morning Prayers for Families
- Teaching Kids to Pray
- 9 Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter
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