One of my favorite things to do with young children is to introduce PRAYER PROPS. You can use prayer props when praying on a shower curtain map, prayer poster, or even while looking in a mirror and praying for yourselves. You can even use them for 1-year-olds and up to early school-age children.
Here are some of my favorite PRAYER PROPS and the prayers we use with them.
- A FLASHLIGHT
You can use a FLASHLIGHT to pray SHINE YOUR LIGHT. Children can shine the flashlight on the country or person they want to pray for.
2. A toy or inflatable HAMMER
You can use a PLAY HAMMER or an INFLATABLE HAMMER (good for very young children) to pray BREAK IN!
Jeremiah 23:29 says that God’s Word is like a hammer. I tell children God’s Word is like the strongest hammer ever than could break a big rock. Nothing is too hard for Him and He can break in and bring change to any situation.
3. A PITCHER
You can put a blue scarf, fabric, tissue paper, pieces of construction paper, etc. into a plastic pitcher and pray POUR OUT YOUR SPIRIT while dumping the pitcher out on whatever country or person you are praying for.
4. A PILLOW
You can use a PILLOW to pray GIVE THEM PEACE.
I tell children that when we are worried, we are afraid that God is not going to be good to us, but when we have peace we can get nice and comfy, knowing that He is taking care of us. You can put the pillow on the country or picture of whom you’re praying for.
5. A CAPE
Children can wear a cape to pray GIVE THEM COURAGE. When using a shower curtain map, I have children run and jump on the country they want to pray for and then agree with the prayer by saying, “Yes God! Give the church in China courage.”
6. A BALLOON
You can use a balloon to pray FILL THEM WITH HOPE. I explain hope as “believing that God is good and that He’s going to do good things.”
You can have children say the prayer while you blow the balloon up, and can have fun tossing or batting the balloon back and forth while praying for people you know (i.e. “Fill Daddy with hope”, “Fill Grandma with hope”, etc.)
7. A SMILEY FACE BALL
Small stress balls with smiley faces on them are relatively easy to find. You can use one to pray FILL THEM WITH JOY. Let children throw the ball onto the country they are praying for or at the picture of the person they are praying for while praying this prayer.
8. A HEART
I found small heart pillows to use with this prayer, but you can use anything that is in a heart shape (foam hearts, heart keychains, etc.) I have children throw the heart pillows on the country or picture of who they are praying for and say “Show Your Love!”
9. SCARVES
Different colored SCARVES can be used to pray for different things. We use a combination of orange, yellow, and red scarves to pray SEND YOUR FIRE.
10. PAPER CHAINS
If you’re working with a smaller number of children, PAPER CHAINS are fun to use in praying BREAK THEIR CHAINS or BRING FREEDOM. Children can put one end of a small chain on each wrist and then stretch their arms to break the paper chain while praying the prayer.
11. PLAY FRUIT
You can use PLAY FRUIT to pray LET THEM BE FRUITFUL (or “Let them be fruitful in every good work” if they are a bit older with better speech capabilities.)
12. SHOES
Use a pair of old SHOES to pray LET THEM WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD. I encourage the children to make the shoes walk to the area they are praying for on the map or to the picture of the person they are praying for.
PRAYER PROPS are a hands-on way to introduce children to enjoyable prayer!
Check out this video I did about PRAYER PROPS.
