Beginning Children’s Sunday School with Prayer

The reasons for beginning with a prayer are probably obvious to most Christians, but here are some reasons anyways.

First of all, beginning with a prayer will help you as the teacher.  Starting with prayer redirects your focus back on God and why you are here.  It refreshes you and renews you.  It reminds you that God is sovereign and He can use anyone (including you) to do His will, and that it doesn't matter if your lesson is not perfect.  He can still use it for His glory.  It humbles you and prepares you to teach His Word.

Starting with prayer also helps all of the children that observe you praying, even if they aren't paying attention.  It shows them that you believe talking with God is important.  It models for them how they can talk to God.

Each week, try to be intentional about modeling to the kids in your class a different aspect of prayer instead of saying the same thing week after week. This helps kids understand that prayer is not a rote task we do simply because God wants us to, but that it is a continuous conversation with God that helps change us and our perspective.

Also, make an effort to be genuine and transparent in your prayers.  If you are nervous or frustrated, ask God to calm you and give you peace.  If you are happy, thank God for his blessings.  If you are sad about something in your life, share that and ask God to comfort you.  If you are unsure or unprepared about the upcoming lesson, ask God to fill you with His Spirit and to help you only say what is true and godly.

Unless parents are very intentional at home about praying with their children, the only prayers children hear are prayers before eating dinner or during church.  Use this time to show kids how prayer is talking to your Father.  

Throughout the year, try to include these different things as you model prayer to your students:

• praise Him
• thank Him
• confess sin
• ask for help
• ask God to help the kids in your class be able to listen and understand
• pray Scripture (perhaps a memory verse you are all studying together)
• pray for each of the kids by name
• pray for God to be glorified
• pray for salvation for lost people
• tell God about your worries/frustration and ask Him to help you see things through His eyes
• ask for God to fill you with His Spirit
• ask God to help you grow in love (or joy, or peace, or other fruit of the Spirit)
• pray for kids in the class who have missed a few weeks
• ask the kids to share some of their worries or struggles and pray for those
• pray for the leaders of your church
• pray for the leaders of your country

You can also have different kids pray before the lesson.  This gives them an opportunity to get comfortable with talking to God.  However, do not overuse this.  Make sure kids get an opportunity to hear you, a more spiritually mature Christian, pray so that they can grow in their own prayer life.