Bubbles blessing

This is a a great way to pray with people of all ages, including very young children. Get out the bubbles and say that they represent the blessings of God, that is, all the good things in our lives, as the Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17). I … Read more

Play Through the Bible

2023 Update: This book appears to now be out of print for new copies. Used copies are available on Amazon and AbeBooks. Eden.co.uk and Waterstones have these books on their sites and ask that if you are looking for a copy to inform them so they know there is a demand. I’m always on the … Read more

Cushion Prayer (or Silent Prayers)

Teaching Children to Pray This may not immediately seem like an idea for children, but more and more research and experience show how little space we all have in our lives and how some quiet and silence can help us connect with God. This activity is inspired by Rachel Turner’s Parenting for a life of … Read more

Candle prayers

As the nights get darker, and we get closer to eating our evening meal in the dark, it’s the perfect time to try out a candle prayer. You could use– a large, chunky, church candle which will last a long time– a long, thin candle in a candle stick which will raise the flame away … Read more

Satsuma prayers

One of the things I love about late  Autumn and Winter are satsumas. I eat loads of them so I thought it would be a good idea to have a way to pray while I indulge. So here’s a prayer idea using satsumas 🙂 It’s so simple: Pray for a different person as you eat each segment. … Read more

Dice Prayer

Take it in turns to throw the dice and say specific thanks prayers. For example, If you roll a 1 – pray for your church. Below is a suggested list. your church your family your village/town/city your nursery/school/work your country your world You could also make up your own code, perhaps using situations you know … Read more

Prayer stars

This activity comes from Josh stays in hospital, about how Josh has to spend quite a while in hospital but discovers that God is with him and will help him. It’s part of the Held in Hope series produced with the Paediatric Chaplaincy Network. Draw faces on prayer stars to represent one sad prayer and … Read more

5 Ways to Pray with Playdough

Here are five, simple ideas to pray using playdough. This works well with under 5s, but plenty of children, teens and adults would also appreciate this very kinesthetic prayer. These ideas are those used at the mini-make session at the Hand in Hand conference in January. The dough I like to use is the 4-minute dough … Read more

Advent wreath prayers

Advent is the four weeks running up to Christmas.  It is a time of expectant waiting and preparation and many Christian traditions light candles during this time. How to make a wreath: To do this you will need four or five candles, and perhaps some spares in case the early ones burn right down. Try … Read more

Trampoline prayers

Bounce on a trampoline, taking it in turns to be in the middle. All the people around the edge should bounce and shout words of prayer for the person, for example, things they want God to bring in their life: e.g. health, good friends, help with school, joy, peace. Alternatively, you could play ‘Crack the … Read more

Lantern launched

Last weekend I went camping with my family and some friends with four children. As the evening got dark and we were eating (a very late) dinner, we lit a sky lantern. Before we lit it, we chatted about the lantern floating far away being a picture of us letting go of regrets, things we’d … Read more