Five ways to encourage prayer in our children
Almost everyone in Ireland knows that May is a month dedicated to our Lady - culturally we ‘get’ it in Ireland! We probably all have memories of collecting flowers as children or learning a new hymn for Our Lady in school. If we've been thinking of ways to try and build in some times of prayer with our children then May is a brilliant time to start. Children absolutely love any opportunity to pick something from the garden for a May altar; it might not be the most elegant offering but it’s definitely done with a lot of love!
This time of year is also the season of sacraments, especially First Penance and First Holy Communion, so we might want to capitalise on all the preparation we’ve been doing with our children and continue to build on what we've started. So here are some tips and tricks to try and encourage a love of prayer in our children.
Just start!
Every family will be at different stages depending on the number of children and their ages and even their level of faith. We could be tempted to think that we need to wait for a ‘perfect’ time in order to start encouraging prayer time in our families, like when the toddler gets a bit older or work isn’t as busy, or when we have ‘more time’ but we all know that life rarely works out perfectly and there will never be a ‘perfect’ time so just start! It could be with something as simple as grace before meals, or a morning offering in the car on the way to school, childminders, work or a decade of the rosary after dinner, or call in to say hello to Jesus in the tabernacle when you’re out and about. Whatever you can do, just start. And don’t worry if it seems small, every little thing you can do to encourage your children to pray is a wonderful thing.
Lower your expectations
Along with waiting for a perfect time, we also could be tempted to look for perfection in the times of prayer that we do set aside. However, it’s important to remember that we’re not looking for perfection here - if your children do behave impeccably, fantastic! But also remember that it’s perfectly normal and fine, if your children fidget, lose their patience and interrupt with completely unrelated questions. Or have a complete meltdown when they don’t get the rosary beads they want! What we’re looking for isn’t perfection but the building of a habit.
Use the opportunities
Throughout the Church year, there are loads of opportunities to incorporate times of prayer into our family life. The most obvious ones might be Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter but the Catholic faith is rich in feast days beyond these times and we can also use these other times of the year to build up our prayer lives in our families and homes. Why not have a special family dinner or a special treat to celebrate the feast day of a Saint that your family has a particular devotion to or the Saint’s day of one of your children’s names? It’s one way of building a really positive association between family life and a life of prayer.
Encourage a love of beauty - use good materials!
As parents it’s so important that we are discerning about the media, the television and the books that our children have access to and this is even more important when it comes to matters of the faith. Unfortunately some books that are available to children portray Jesus as little more than a cartoon figure and neglect to portray the beauty of the Catholic faith. Children deserve to look at beautiful artwork and well written materials that show them how rich the Catholic faith really is. It’s also really important that they are faithful to Church teaching so look for an imprimatur or if in doubt, ask someone whose opinion you can trust. It’s also a great idea to read through books yourself before you offer them to your children.
Be a model yourself
I once heard someone say that children become readers in the laps of the parents, meaning that example is hard to beat. If we want to encourage a love of prayer in our children then we need to try to model that ourselves. When our children see our own efforts to set aside time to pray, or to attend Mass more regularly or read a little of the Bible then it really does offer a great example. We might think our efforts are small and won’t have much of an effect but every little really does help. And what’s even more powerful is when our children see us try, fail but then struggle to begin again in Confession. If we have that desire ourselves to develop a relationship with Jesus through prayer then it’s one of the best ways we can encourage it in our family.
Have you anything to add to the list? What things have you found helpful in your family? Let us know in the comments below.