Introducing the concept of prayer to kindergarteners can be a challenge. Getting past the fact that you can talk to God even though you can’t see Him can take time and patience for children to understand. As you navigate through this topic, here are 5 creative prayer activities for kindergarteners that will inspire young hearts.
Creative Prayer Game: Doodle Dash
Just like we talk to our friends to get to know them, we can talk to God to get to know Him. As we grow in our relationship with God, there are so many amazing things about God’s character we can learn. Getting to know God will help us to understand ourselves better and to understand the world around us better. Use this fun and exciting activity to help kids learn what prayer is!
How to Play
Ask kids to pair up with a partner. Give kids a question to ask their partner. After each kid has asked that question, they can run as fast as they can to the board and draw a picture of the answer to the question. Be sure there is plenty of chalk/markers so that everyone can draw at the same time! When their drawings are complete, the kids can run as fast as they can back to their spots and have a seat. Whichever pair makes it to the carpet first wins that round. (Both kids from the pair have to be sitting to win the round.)
Ask the winners to raise their hands and share what they drew. As you erase the board, give the kids another question to ask each other. Play several rounds. Remind kids to each ask and answer the question before they run to the board.
Here are questions you can ask:
- What is your favorite food?
- What do you like to play?
- Where is your favorite vacation?
- Who do you like to play games with?
Discussion and Application
After the game is over, ask the kids, “How did you get to know each other? You talked and asked questions!” Explain how the best way to get to know someone is by talking to them. When we pray, we talk to God and get to know Him, too. We can tell him what's going on, ask Him questions, and even ask for His help. We can get to know God just like we get to know one another!
After the game, lead the kids in a prayer:
Dear God, thank you for creating us and loving us. Help us to talk to you and get to know you through prayer. Help us to have the courage to ask you questions and to learn that we can trust you. Help us to always go to you when we need help because you promise to be there for us in times of trouble. Help us not to forget to talk to you every day and to build a strong relationship with you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Creative Prayer Object Lesson: In Spirit
How can we talk to someone if we can’t see them? We can teach children that God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere. The Holy Spirit is with us, and even though we can’t see Him, we know He is there. This activity will help kids to learn that you don’t have to see it to believe it!
Tools
- Water
- A clear drinking glass
- A dime or penny
- Plain white paper
Steps
- Place your dime on your paper in the center. Set the glass on top of the dime. Make sure the children can still see the coin at the bottom of the glass.
- Fill the glass with the water. As the water rises, the dime will "disappear" from view.
- Have the kids come closer to the glass. Note how the dime disappears and reappears based on how close you are to the glass, as well as how it seems to appear larger than before. You might even point out how the coin's reflection appears in the glass.
Application
Once kids have witnessed that you can’t always see things even though they are there, you can compare it to how Jesus left his Holy Spirit here on earth to be our helper. Explain to the kids God is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere! We can pray and talk to God, and He is with us in Spirit, even though we can’t see Him. So anytime you need to talk to Him, He is there!
Bible Example of Prayer: David
Psalm 19:13-14 is an amazing prayer by David. Sharing David’s story is a great way for kids to see that God loves them and that we can go to him for the things that we need.
David's Story
In the Bible, there is a man named David. David was a king, but he was also just a man who made mistakes like you and me. We make mistakes all of the time. Sometimes we are unkind to other people. Sometimes we are selfish. Sometimes we lie.
You know that feeling you get when you do something wrong? It is not a nice feeling. This is God’s Spirit telling us that we sinned and that we need forgiveness. But when we ask for forgiveness, Jesus wipes away our sins and we are forgiven!
David prayed this prayer to God:
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
David asked God to help Him to resist his sins and to do the right thing. He asked God to keep him away from temptation. We can pray anytime we need help! God is there and He wants to help us. And when we do sin, we can ask God to forgive us and to give us strength not to do it again.
The next time you need help or you are struggling with sin, pray to God and ask Him for help! He loves you and He will help you.
Creative Prayer Craft: Paper Airplane Prayers
We can give kids a hands-on experience and help them “craft a prayer”. Give each kid a piece of colored paper and a marker. Ask them to write a prayer to God. It can be a thank you prayer, a prayer request, or a question to God.
After kids write down their prayer, give them instructions on how to make a paper airplane.
After kids create their paper airplanes, give them time to fly them. Remind kids that prayer is a way to talk to God, get to know Him, and learn to depend on Him and ask for help! Tell them that when they pray to God, it's just like sending a letter to a friend, calling your grandma on the phone, or sending a paper airplane with a message to a friend! Send your message to God! He knows what you are going to pray before you even pray it. So, He will get your message!
Creative Prayer Activity: Listening Activity
We have talked a lot about praying to God, but conversations are a two-way street. We can talk to God, but how can we teach children to listen to His voice? After all, not many people in history have gotten to physically hear God the way that Moses did. We can teach young kids how to listen to the Holy Spirit as part of learning how to pray.
Give each kid a soft pillow, blanket, rug, or comfy bean bag to sit on. Explain that prayer is talking to God but it is also listening for His response. Since we can’t normally physically hear God speaking, we can hear Him in other ways:
- We can hear God’s answer to our prayers by reading the Bible and seeing what He has said to us.
- We can hear God’s answer to our prayers by sitting quietly and feeling the Holy Spirit nudge our hearts and give us the answer that we need. (This is much like the feeling we get when we know the right thing to do.)
- Other times we can pray and ask God for help and He will speak to us through another Christian who will share God’s word with us.
No matter how God chooses to speak, we might miss what He is saying if we aren’t listening to Him!”
Encourage kids to take 3-5 minutes and sit quietly, pray, and listen to the Holy Spirit and what God is telling them. After the activity is over give kids one example of an answer, encouragement, or comfort that He gave you when you listened for Him. Explain to the kids that God promises that in returning to Him and resting, being still, and quiet, and listening to Him, we will get the strength that we need!
Creative Prayer Activities Help Build a Foundation for Prayer
These five creative prayer activities provide kindergarteners with engaging ways to understand and experience prayer. They can help transform your kids' understanding of prayer from a challenging concept into a relatable, joyful practice. Through playful exercises and tangible lessons, children can learn that prayer builds a relationship with God. And they can trust that He is always listening.
Overall, these activities nurture a foundational connection to God, fostering spiritual growth and understanding in young hearts.
