By Diana Dworin
Pass the faith
At its core, prayer is the act of giving our attention to God. It can take different forms, such as artwork, creative play, music and other expressions. Parents can help their children add more of these prayerful moments to the day when they: • Look for natural prompts. Although morning and evening prayers have been part of the Lutheran tradition for centuries, looking for “prayer prompts” that aren’t tied to the clock are good ways to encourage children to pray. Walking or driving to school, for example, might offer opportunities to say prayers for the community’s teachers and students. Warming up during sports practice may be a prompt for thanking God for the gift of our bodies. Help your children become more aware of the different prompts for prayer in the natural rhythms of their days. Then encourage them to use those opportunities to turn their attention to God. • Become prayer “role models.” One of the most pow- erful things in the faith formation of children is seeing examples of adults who practice their faith. The best way to help encourage your child to pray is to let them see you do it.
SHUTTERSTOCK
Prompts for prayer C
Parents can help children find daily rhythms for prayers
ertain points in the day seem natural for prayer. In some families, bedtimes serve as soothing opportu- nities to end each evening with petitions to God. In other homes, meals mark the moments when families join together to give thanks for their food and blessings. Praying at set times can help family members establish lifelong habits of prayer, which adds richness to our lives as children of God. But when prayerfulness in families expands beyond bedtimes and mealtimes, it can help build even stronger foundations for faith formation, said Joy Alsop, a pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Belvidere, Ill.
“God is in the midst of everything, in all parts of our lives,” said Alsop, a mother of a 16-month-old son. “Stop- ping for prayer and pausing at different times in the day helps remind us of that. It helps us feel a connection with God that’s already there for us—and it lets us know that we have a source in our lives to turn to in all of the phases that come along.”
SHUTTERSTOCK
Tried & true The Lord’s Prayer
When children are baptized in ELCA churches, par-
ents and sponsors promise, among other things, to teach them the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples, and ever since it’s been widely used in various forms across Christian faith traditions. One of the most enriching ways for parents to teach
the Lord’s Prayer is to let their children hear it said regularly as part of the family’s daily routine. Most tod- dlers and young children are surprisingly quick when it comes to memorization. If your child can read or write, have them print or
decorate a copy of the prayer as a way to learn it by heart. You can refer to it at bedtime or find a place in the house, such as a kitchen wall, to dis- play it.
Lutheran mom
Dworin, 42, is a mother of three and a former parenting magazine editor. Contact her at diana@
passthefaith.org.
June 2012 41
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