5 Innovative Prayer Ideas for Your Children’s Ministry

Trying to find ways to incorporate more prayer in your children’s ministry? Look no further! Here are five unique ideas to get you started.

1. Prayer Walk

Take a walk around your church grounds or neighborhood with the kids. Stop every 50 steps and invite the children to look around for

• something to praise God for creating,
• someone who has a need, and
• something that reminds them of a blessing God has given them.

Allow 30 seconds for children to look around and 30 seconds to pray silently before resuming your walk. When you return to your meeting area, discuss the most surprising thing that each child found to pray about as they walked.

2. Bearing Burdens

Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil. Have them write in the center of their paper a prayer concern they’d like to tell others. Then gather the children in a circle (or several circles if you have a large group), and have children hold their sheets of paper. Have the first child share the concern they wrote, then pass the paper to the person to the left. That person will say a short intercession for the child and rip off a piece of the paper. Continue around the circle until each child has asked God for help with that need and torn off a piece of the paper. Then have the second child share their need, and so on until all the children are prayed for.

Afterward ask, “What happened to the papers?” Explain that in the same way that our papers became smaller, so our burdens seem smaller when others pray for us.

3. FaithWorks

Write the word “faith” on a large piece of butcher paper. Have each child write on a strip of masking tape a prayer that God has answered. The prayer can be their own, someone else’s, or a situation from the Bible. Use the children’s tape strips to attach the butcher paper to the wall.

Discuss with children that it’s important to share answered prayers because they encourage people’s faith. Seeing how God has answered in the past gives us faith for the future.

For kids who have prayer requests, have them write their requests on the faith poster as an expression of their belief that God will hear and answer their prayers. Each week highlight requests that God has answered.

4. Scatter-gory Prayers

Write the following categories on separate cards made from half-sheets of poster board: family members, favorite places, things about school, things about church, my talents, who God is, and what God has done.

Form groups of three. Give each group a pencil and a sheet of paper. Have each group choose a “Counter.” Tell the kids that you’re going to have a praise-fest. You’ll flash a card, and all the groups will say as many things as they can think of to praise God for in the category shown. Each group’s Counter will tally the spoken responses as they’re given.

When you’re out of cards, ask each group to count their tally marks. Combine all the groups’ numbers. Then pray in closing, “Lord, thank you for the things we praised you for. Help us never stop looking for ways to praise you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

5. Pick a Prayer

Have each child write one prayer request on a paper strip. Roll up each request, and insert the slip into the mouth of a balloon or resealable bag. Blow up and tie off the balloons, or inflate and seal the resealable bags.

At prayer time, form pairs. Toss the balloons or bags in the air as you play music. Stop the music and have each person grab one. Let the pairs pop their balloons or open their bags, then pray for the requests.

For even more ideas on prayer, check out Friends With God: Discover How to Pray. This fun book shows kids just how easy it is to talk with God—anytime, anywhere, and in so many ways. Still want more? Check out these posts!