Teach Us To Pray
Helping Kids Talk With God Like Family
PARENT INTRODUCTION
Who taught you to pray? Do you remember? Or did you just start doing it? Did you model it after a pastor you heard pray? Do you even feel confident that you know how to pray?
If we want our children to grow up with confidence that they can speak to their Father at any time, about anything, and learn to listen to Him as well, we need to consider teaching them how to pray, rather than hoping they just “pick it up along the way.”
This hit me recently as I invited one of my children to pray after a morning devotion instead of just going into autopilot and praying over them. I know my kids pray because each of them has told me at some point about how they have prayed for someone or something. But in that moment, it was as if I had asked them to perform open-heart surgery.
The moment of realization was, “Oh no, I’ve never actually taught you how to do this, and you’re afraid you’re going to get it wrong in front of me.” There’s a lot to unpack about that moment.
Jesus had a moment like that with his closest followers.
Luke records a specific moment in his Gospel where the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
They knew the Scriptures. They had prayed their whole lives. But when they listened to Jesus talk to His Father, they sensed something different. There was an intimacy and freedom they had not experienced before.
Your kids may already pray. They may whisper prayers at night. They may pray silently at school. But praying out loud in front of you and their siblings can feel vulnerable. It can feel like performing.
This tool isn’t about teaching your kids to sound spiritual. It’s about helping them discover that prayer is a conversation with their Father.
You don’t need to have perfect words or long prayers. You don’t need to fix awkward silences. You just need to show up and make space.
Start Here: Prayer Is Talking — and Listening
Before you teach structure, help your kids breathe. You might say something like: “Prayer isn’t about saying the right thing. It’s about talking to God like He’s actually here.”
Ask some helpful questions to get a conversation started like:
What do you think prayer is?
When do you usually pray?
Have you ever felt nervous praying out loud?
There are no wrong answers. Let them shape the conversation.
You can remind them, “When we pray, we’re talking to our Father. And we’re also listening. Just like in any other conversation you would have with me or a friend.”
Using the Lord’s Prayer as a Guide
In Matthew 6 and Luke 11, Jesus gives His disciples a pattern for prayer. Let them know that we can use the same pattern. You can walk through it slowly. You don’t have to finish it in one sitting. Here’s a simple framework to help us remember what Jesus is doing with this pattern.
First, let’s hear the prayer Jeus gave them:
Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
That’s not a very difficult prayer. You might even notice that with your children. Jesus didn’t give us a very long and complicated prayer to memorize. That’s good news. What he does give us is a pattern that we can expand on.
Let’s look at the word FAMILY, together.
F.A.M.I.L.Y.
F — Father (Our Father in heaven…)
We get to start with who God is. You might ask:
What do you love about God?
What do you think God feels when He looks at you?
Let them answer in their own words. This is not about big theology. It’s about a relationship.
A — Awe (Hallowed be your name…)
This is simply remembering that God is bigger than we are. Ask:
What is something about God that feels amazing to you?
What is something He made that makes you stop and look?
Let them sit in wonder for a moment.
M — Mission (Your Kingdom come, your will be done…)
This is where we begin to look outward. Ask:
Is there someone who needs help this week?
Is there something in our world that feels broken?
You might pray for:
A friend at school.
A neighbor.
Someone who feels lonely.
Let your kids see that prayer connects us to what God is doing.
I — Inside Stuff (Give us today our daily bread…)
This is where we ask for the things we need. Ask:
What are you worried about?
Is there anything that feels heavy?
Is there something you need help with?
Let them name fear, sadness, excitement, and frustration. Don’t correct it. Just receive it. If it’s a need to them, Jesus cares about it.
L — Let It Go (Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us…)
This part requires gentleness. You might ask:
Is there anything you wish you could do over?
Is there someone you need to forgive?
Remind them: We can tell God the truth. He already knows. And He’s full of grace.
Y — You Lead (Lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.)
This is about tomorrow. You can ask:
What do you need help with this week?
Is there a choice coming up where you need wisdom?
Help them see that prayer isn’t just about this moment, right now. It’s about following Jesus into what’s next as well.
When we teach new concepts, it’s often helpful to teach a framework so we understand what we’re doing. It can also be helpful to practice it in bite-sized pieces.
You might consider sharing the F.A.M.I.L.Y. acrostic in one sitting, but then revisit each piece over a few days or a few weeks. As you revisit each letter, spend a few moments practicing prayers. Have your kids say things out loud. It might be helpful for them to write a few sentences before you ask them to say anything in front of you.
Consistently remind them that prayer isn’t about perfection. In the same way that we don’t judge our friends because they don’t know how to have a perfect conversation, our God doesn’t judge us based on our ability to have a perfect prayer.
Don’t Forget the Listening
For many of us, listening prayer was not a part of the training, and we certainly couldn’t have picked it up, because it wasn’t even modeled for us.
As we teach our children to pray, and we teach them that prayer is a conversation with Jesus, we also need to teach them what to do for the other half of the conversation…the listening piece.
You might ask your kids, “Can you imagine if you had a friend who always talked and never gave you a chance to speak? How would you feel? What would that be like?”
You can share with them that Jesus wants to speak to them, too. He always wants to hear us bring our concerns and desires to him, but He is equally delighted when we sit and listen to His heart.
Invite them to try this with you. You might say: “Let’s be quiet for just a minute. Ask Jesus if there’s anything He wants to remind you of.” Thirty seconds may feel long. That’s okay.
Afterward, you can ask:
Did anything come to mind?
Did you think of someone?
Did you feel anything?
You’re teaching them that prayer is not a speech. It’s a relationship. You might invite them to write down what they heard in a journal. You might create a time where you consistently sit in silence together and share for a few moments what each of you are hearing.
Making It Safer to Pray Out Loud
If your kids feel nervous to pray out loud in front of you, lower the pressure. Try sentence prayers for a season.
Each person can pray one sentence.
“Jesus, thank you for…”
“Spirit, help me with…”
Make sure you model this for them so they know it’s okay. That is, don’t ask them to do a sentence prayer and then go on for several minutes. Make it invitational.
You might even say: “I’ve practiced praying for a lot of years. You don’t have to sound like me. I just want to hear your voice.”
A Simple Family Rhythm
You don’t need something complicated. You might try:
One night a week, everyone shares one gratitude and one need.
One night a week, pray for someone outside your family.
One night a week, spend one minute of quiet listening together. Consider slowly increasing this over time.
Keep it simple. Keep it repeatable. Formation happens in small, consistent moments.
A Final Word for Parents
You may feel like you should have started this sooner. You haven’t missed it. There’s still time. Prayer isn’t about creating impressive kids; it’s about forming children who know they have a Father they can go to at any time.
You don’t need to rush this or master it. Just keep inviting their hearts into the conversation. That’s where transformation begins.
