We often smile at the innocent prayers of children, some of them quite non-religious. But that’s the way we want them to pray—to do what they do naturally. We want them to grow up with a simple approach to prayer, having natural conversations with God.

 It’s not nearly so important to teach children the mechanics of prayer as it is to help them get to know the person to whom they are praying. The more children understand who God is, the more intimately and confidently they can pray. 

3. Teach Children to Pray God’s Word

Many children (and adults, for that matter) never mature in their prayer lives because they lack a prayer vocabulary. However, when we use Scripture to help us formulate our prayers, a whole new way of talking to God opens up to us—new words, new concepts, and new things to pray about.

4. Train Their Ears to Hear God’s Voice

Children need to know that God wants to talk to them. We must help children learn to listen to God, to become comfortable with silence in prayer. Jesus says, “I am the good Shepherd, and my sheep know my voice” (John 10:27).

5. Share that God Responds to Simple Faith

One of the best ways to instill faith in children is to share with them the faithfulness of God. When parents, teachers, and church workers tell children their most memorable faith stories, it is usually not long before the children start having faith stories of their own.

6. Teach Children to Handle Disappointment in Prayer

This may seem contrary to my previous point: Sometimes God doesn’t respond to our prayers in the time or way we feel He should. It is important for children to develop a relationship with God that goes beyond expecting to receive everything requested in prayer.

7. Help Children Receive and Give the Prayer of Salvation

Hopefully one of the first prayers a child will learn is the one he or she can pray to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior. The child must have a real encounter with the living God so that his or her life will be spiritually transformed. Praying in original words or being led in a prayer by someone else, the child must believe in his heart and confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord.

Later it is important that the child learns the importance of praying for others to come to Christ, including how to lead someone else in the prayer of salvation.

--Adapted from Prayer Saturated Kids (NavPress 2007) by Cheryl Sacks and Arlyn Lawrence.