 My mother, who helped with Faith Formation at her church many years ago, loves to tell the story of the day she talked about prayer with her class of first graders. She explained that we can talk to God anytime and anywhere, not just in church. One little boy raised his hand with a look of serious concern. “No, that’s not true,” he said firmly. “I definitely can’t pray while I’m riding my bike.” “Of course you can,” my mom replied gently. “Nope. Not possible,” he insisted. “Why not?” she asked. “Because,” he said matter-of-factly, “if I let go of the handlebars to put my hands together, I’ll fall off and hurt myself!” Sometimes we carry very specific ideas about what prayer is supposed to look like. But beyond folded hands, formal words, or traditional postures, there are countless ways to connect with God. That’s something it’s taken me well into adulthood to understand, and something I hope our children can discover early: that prayer is a way of being with God, not just words we recite. What Is Prayer? The Book of Common Prayer (p. 856) tells us that prayer is "responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words." This means that children can pray not only by speaking or listening, but also through art, music, movement, silence, and acts of love. Episcopal teaching identifies several principal kinds of prayer:
In our Faith Formation classes on Sunday, we might light a candle together in quiet reflection, draw pictures in response to a Bible story, walk a labyrinth, or sit peacefully in a prayer corner. Children sometimes journal their thoughts, arrange flowers for our prayer table, or simply rest in silence with God. At home, families can nurture this kind of prayer through nature walks, creating a small sacred space, listening to calming music, using prayer beads, keeping a gratitude journal, or taking a few moments of stillness together. Recently, I’ve discovered that even baking can be a form of prayer (a delicious addition to my spiritual practice!). These gentle, open-ended practices invite children and grown-ups to experience God’s love in everyday life. The Role of Formal Prayer Around the age of seven, many children are ready to begin memorizing prayers like the Lord’s Prayer. These formal, memorized prayers become touchstones of comfort and connection, grounding children in the rhythms of our shared worship and giving them words to lean on when their own may be hard to find (Stewart, 2024). Praying Compline with your children, even just a few lines at bedtime, can become a cherished ritual, offering a peaceful close to the day and gently rooting them in the beauty and tradition of the Church’s prayer life (Lifelong Formation, Praying compline with your children 2023) . Encouraging Prayer at Home Parents and guardians are a child’s first and most enduring spiritual guides. Prayer at home can be simple and joyful:
Resources for Family Prayer
As Gianna Gobbi writes in Listening to God with Children, “Prayer is, first of all, listening to God… it is a key which belongs to God, but which God gives to all. Our role is to gently guide, not instruct, and to model lives that are open to prayer." How beautiful it is that prayer can take so many forms—spoken or silent, sung or drawn, whispered in nature or felt in motion, even during something as simple as riding a bike.  Works Cited Gobbi, G., & Rojcewicz, R. (2000). Listening to God with children: The Montessori method applied to the catechesis of children. Treehaus Communications.
Formation, L. (2023, August 2). Praying compline with your children. The Episcopal Church. https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lifelongformation/praying-compline-with-your-children/ Stewart, M. (2024, March 9). A pitch for memorization. The Living Church. https://livingchurch.org/covenant/a-pitch-for-memorization/ The online Book of Common Prayer. (n.d.). The Online Book of Common Prayer. https://www.bcponline.org/
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