Teaching Children Prayer And Other Principles
Children can be taught to pray by incorporating other principals such as love and patience. As parents we have a responsibility to bring our children up in righteousness. Here are some ideas to help you.
Praying is best done aloud. When teaching a child to pray you may consider replacing the word “pray” with the word “talk.” This will help your child understand better and they will want to do it out loud.
While you are teaching your child to pray, discuss the importance of love and patience. These two virtues keep our hearts soft and like Samuel we are able to hear the still small voice of the Lord.
Our children will want to pray when they learn that they can ask for things they want and need. Teach them that the Lord is full of love for them just as you are as their parent. This will help them feel positive about their future.
Love is synonymous with God. Your children will understand what love is when you share with them your feeling for them. Why you do all that you do for them. God does all this for you as well because he loves you and your child.
We all have learned patience when we pray because as we have grown older we have accepted that God does not immediately answer our prayers. A child, however, has not yet learned this. Therefore, we need to teach them patience.
One of the best ways to teach patience is to share with your child times when you feel impatient and how you cope with that emotion. When you are driving, for example, you want to get to your destination quickly. Consider telling your children that you are going to be patient so you do not put lives in danger. Show that there are natural rewards.
When we teach our children to pray we also need to teach them about love and patience. God is love and will always answer our prayers. We must be patient though and be willing to wait for him to answer us.
