Ideas for Family Prayer
~ You may like to choose one night a week to focus on family prayer, if you find this more achievable.
~ Print and laminate songs and prayer cards, so children can choose what songs are prayers are used.
~ Use the sign of the cross to begin and end.
~ Say thankyou prayers.
~ Use the ‘Our Father’ or other prayers.
~ Trinity Prayer (awesome prayer to pray yourself, with your spouse and your kids).
~ Act out bible stories.
~ Write down prayer intentions on a board or book and record how God answers them.
Blessings
~ Pray a daily blessing over your child. There are so many beautiful blessings but the most special would be one that you make up yourself. You might bless them before bed each night or in the morning, as the day is beginning.
Marking the Liturgical Year
~ Each liturgical season has a colour, so get the kids to change the colour of the cloth, candles and objects on the prayer table at the beginning of each season.
~ Using an Advent wreath on the dinner table can be a good way of making this season special. Go the Advent Page for more ideas.
~ If you can’t make it to a Holy Thursday Mass, why not do your own ceremony at home, eat dinner at a low table on cushions, and complete it with washing each other’s feet.
Music and Movement
You've heard the words of St Augustine, "When you sing, you pray twice"? Well children tend to love songs and these are a great way to involve them in prayer. Find songs that your children like singing. You might be surprised by how well they know some of the songs we sing regularly at Mass. What about trying out some Mass parts with them? If you or others are able to play a musical instrument then you have a great gift to bring to your family prayer, even if it's clapping sticks!
Movement is also a wonderful way to help our kids pray. Clapping and dancing are just more ways to talk to Jesus and be expressive in our praise and worship. Creating actions to songs helps us enter more deeply into the prayer and also helps us to remember the words!
The Word
The Word of God nourishes us just as much (or more) than our meals do. Doing both at the same time says this to our kids. Why not read the daily Gospel or other scripture at a meal time (breakky or dinner?) and chat about it?
Praying the Rosary
Praying the Rosary together is a very big part of many Catholic families. But how do you do it when the kids are small? Start small! Start with giving them a rosary each to hold, and say one of each prayer to start. As they learn the prayers you can add more. Or just start with one decade at a time. You could also take your time and journey through a set of mysteries over a week or two. See what works for your family. Catholic Icing has some great ideas for rosary activites, and here is a guide to praying the rosary.
If you like there is a paper chain Rosary that you can make with you family here.
~ You may like to choose one night a week to focus on family prayer, if you find this more achievable.
~ Print and laminate songs and prayer cards, so children can choose what songs are prayers are used.
~ Use the sign of the cross to begin and end.
~ Say thankyou prayers.
~ Use the ‘Our Father’ or other prayers.
~ Trinity Prayer (awesome prayer to pray yourself, with your spouse and your kids).
~ Act out bible stories.
~ Write down prayer intentions on a board or book and record how God answers them.
Blessings
~ Pray a daily blessing over your child. There are so many beautiful blessings but the most special would be one that you make up yourself. You might bless them before bed each night or in the morning, as the day is beginning.
Marking the Liturgical Year
~ Each liturgical season has a colour, so get the kids to change the colour of the cloth, candles and objects on the prayer table at the beginning of each season.
~ Using an Advent wreath on the dinner table can be a good way of making this season special. Go the Advent Page for more ideas.
~ If you can’t make it to a Holy Thursday Mass, why not do your own ceremony at home, eat dinner at a low table on cushions, and complete it with washing each other’s feet.
Music and Movement
You've heard the words of St Augustine, "When you sing, you pray twice"? Well children tend to love songs and these are a great way to involve them in prayer. Find songs that your children like singing. You might be surprised by how well they know some of the songs we sing regularly at Mass. What about trying out some Mass parts with them? If you or others are able to play a musical instrument then you have a great gift to bring to your family prayer, even if it's clapping sticks!
Movement is also a wonderful way to help our kids pray. Clapping and dancing are just more ways to talk to Jesus and be expressive in our praise and worship. Creating actions to songs helps us enter more deeply into the prayer and also helps us to remember the words!
The Word
The Word of God nourishes us just as much (or more) than our meals do. Doing both at the same time says this to our kids. Why not read the daily Gospel or other scripture at a meal time (breakky or dinner?) and chat about it?
Praying the Rosary
Praying the Rosary together is a very big part of many Catholic families. But how do you do it when the kids are small? Start small! Start with giving them a rosary each to hold, and say one of each prayer to start. As they learn the prayers you can add more. Or just start with one decade at a time. You could also take your time and journey through a set of mysteries over a week or two. See what works for your family. Catholic Icing has some great ideas for rosary activites, and here is a guide to praying the rosary.
If you like there is a paper chain Rosary that you can make with you family here.
paper_chain_rosary_instructions.pdf | |
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rosary_page_1.pdf | |
File Size: | 121 kb |
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rosary_page_2.pdf | |
File Size: | 175 kb |
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