There are so many ways to talk with God, and teaching them to children is a long game. It won't happen in one conversation (or year!) but is a habit built day over day.
👉🏻 Praying a Psalm together is one practice we do once or twice a week.
This is the Kids' Bible we use, and this is the Bible we often read a psalm from. I've found this version to be a helpful way to introduce scripture to kids in a way they can hear it (and though I don't recommend it as your only source for personal study, it's nice for me to hear the words in a fresh way, too!)
1. Pick a Psalm. You can work your way through them, open up randomly, start with a favorite of yours, or let you kids pick a number 1-150.
When in doubt: Psalm 19, 23, 34, 91 are some of my go-tos.
2. Read it together. Often times, we read just a few verses instead of the whole thing. Most Psalms are too long for kids under ten to focus on for long and that's okay!
3. Read it a second time, asking everyone to pay attention to something that sticks out to them- a word, phrase, main point, characteristic of God, etc.
I often ask for them to listen for repeated words, to summarize what the Psalmist was talking about, to note what the Psalm teaches about God, or to see how it describes people.
4. Share your answers with one another. Lead the way here. It's as good a practice for adults as it is for kids. And if the idea is new to you, too, that's okay. Be honest with your kids. Say "We're going to try something new today. Let's practice together!" What a beautifully humble example for your children.
5. Go around in a circle, praying that idea back to God.
👉🏻 "God, David praised you a lot. Help me do that, too!" (Psalm 34)
👉🏻 "Father, you are strong and faithful. I love that about you!" (Psalm 73)
👉🏻 "You are a Good Shepherd, God. Let me follow you." (Psalm 23)
✨ If I'm really on top of it, we do this practice over breakfast and challenge one another to think on their take-away all day long. I may say in a moment of impatience "God, I remember from our Psalm this morning that you promise to be with us. Be with me now and help me stay patience and compassionate." Then at night, we'll thank God for how our take-away was true today.
As I'm typing this out, I'm also realizing how sweet this would be in a small group or with a group of friends, so feel free to adapt it to your age-group! No matter what, may God draw near to us as we draw near to him. Amen!
Xx, Katie