Prayer @ Home |
Children's Guided Prayer - Catholic Kids Media
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbg4F9JBVbPc0oB9QIrYn4_7ldienJvO1
Dozens of short videos of guided prayer and reflection.
Catholic Prayers - The Religion Teacher
YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist
More than 20 videos that explore the meaning, history, and purpose of the many Catholic prayers and devotions Christians pray today.
Building Faith
buildfaith.org
Building Faith, a service of Virginia Theological Seminary, provides hundreds of articles and activities for faith formation with all ages. Use the "Articles by Topics" category to find prayer activities and resources.
Catechist.com
www.catechist.com/category/lessons-and-activities/prayer/
Prayers, prayer services, prayer activities, lesson plans, articles, and video suggestions for praying and teaching prayer at home and at church.
Catechist’s Journey - Spirituality and Prayer Resources
catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/?s=prayer
catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/category/spiritual-growth/
Prayers, prayer services, prayer activities, lesson plans, articles, and video suggestions for praying and teaching prayer at home and at church.
ChildrensMinistry.com Prayer Resources
childrensministry.com/?s=prayer
ChildrensMinistry.com from Group Publishing has a library of resources for children and prayer: lesson plans, activities, prayers, prayer services, and more.
Christian Practices: Prayer
www.lifelongfaith.com/practices.html
Lifelong Faith's Christian Practices project has produced faith forming activities - for age groups and for families - with a teaching plan for ten Christian Practices. All activities are included on separate MS Word document so that you can create handouts for sessions, a booklet, online playlists and activities, social media posts, etc. Each Activity can be done in 20 minutes (approximately). There are 26 reproducible prayer activities.
Kids Corner
kidscorner.net
Kid's Corner is an online resource center designed for children (and their parents) to discover their place in God’s big story and learn how God is calling us to live out the Christian faith every day!
Loyola Press Prayer Resources
www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/prayer
A resource center with prayers and activities for personal prayer, Ignatian prayer, contemporary prayers, traditional Catholic prayers, and more.
Ministry Spark (David C. Cook Publishers)
ministryspark.com/?s=prayer
Ministry Spark has free children and family activities and programs on prayer.
The Religion Teacher
www.thereligionteacher.com/?s=prayer
www.thereligionteacher.com/class-prayer/
The Religion Teacher provides a collection of Catholic prayers, activities, and lesson plans.
Sadlier Publishing
https://www.sadlier.com/religion/blog/topic/rel-topic-prayer
Sadlier Religion Publishers makes available free activities and resources on prayer for children and families.
Saint Mary's Press Resource Center
www.smp.org/resourcecenter
The Saint Mary's Press Resource Center has resources for download including maps, activities, lesson plans, prayers, articles, worksheets, and videos on many topics in Catholic faith formation. Follow the Prayer link to access resources.
Vibrant Faith at Home Activities
www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/families-with-children.html
www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/just-for-kids.html
Hundreds of activities for home and church, created by Vibrant Faith, are available to download as PDFs. Children's activities are organized in six categories: Bible Stories, Conversations, Learning about Faith, Prayer, Ritual & Tradition, and Serving Others.
Visual Faith Activities
www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/visual-faith-activities.html
Vibrant Faith has created 32 Visual Faith Experiences that connect a Bible passage to visual images that you can download as PDFs and use as thematic lessons at home or church throughout the year! There is also a guide for using the experiences on online platforms.
Wesleyan Resource Center - Children
resources.wesleyan.org/?fwp_categories=kids
The Wesleyan Resource Center curates theologically Wesleyan and holistic resources motivated to move people from making decisions to trust Christ to actively following Jesus in close discipleship communities. All of the resources are free. The children's section includes children's lesson plans on a variety of faith themes, seasonal programs, and videos.
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbg4F9JBVbPc0oB9QIrYn4_7ldienJvO1
Dozens of short videos of guided prayer and reflection.
Catholic Prayers - The Religion Teacher
YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist
More than 20 videos that explore the meaning, history, and purpose of the many Catholic prayers and devotions Christians pray today.
Building Faith
buildfaith.org
Building Faith, a service of Virginia Theological Seminary, provides hundreds of articles and activities for faith formation with all ages. Use the "Articles by Topics" category to find prayer activities and resources.
Catechist.com
www.catechist.com/category/lessons-and-activities/prayer/
Prayers, prayer services, prayer activities, lesson plans, articles, and video suggestions for praying and teaching prayer at home and at church.
Catechist’s Journey - Spirituality and Prayer Resources
catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/?s=prayer
catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/category/spiritual-growth/
Prayers, prayer services, prayer activities, lesson plans, articles, and video suggestions for praying and teaching prayer at home and at church.
ChildrensMinistry.com Prayer Resources
childrensministry.com/?s=prayer
ChildrensMinistry.com from Group Publishing has a library of resources for children and prayer: lesson plans, activities, prayers, prayer services, and more.
Christian Practices: Prayer
www.lifelongfaith.com/practices.html
Lifelong Faith's Christian Practices project has produced faith forming activities - for age groups and for families - with a teaching plan for ten Christian Practices. All activities are included on separate MS Word document so that you can create handouts for sessions, a booklet, online playlists and activities, social media posts, etc. Each Activity can be done in 20 minutes (approximately). There are 26 reproducible prayer activities.
Kids Corner
kidscorner.net
Kid's Corner is an online resource center designed for children (and their parents) to discover their place in God’s big story and learn how God is calling us to live out the Christian faith every day!
- Kids Corner Devotionals includes a weekly Bible message, readings and prayer.
- Do It Yourself Activities like crafts, activity books, coloring pages, puzzles, songs, and ebooks.
Loyola Press Prayer Resources
www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/prayer
A resource center with prayers and activities for personal prayer, Ignatian prayer, contemporary prayers, traditional Catholic prayers, and more.
Ministry Spark (David C. Cook Publishers)
ministryspark.com/?s=prayer
Ministry Spark has free children and family activities and programs on prayer.
The Religion Teacher
www.thereligionteacher.com/?s=prayer
www.thereligionteacher.com/class-prayer/
The Religion Teacher provides a collection of Catholic prayers, activities, and lesson plans.
Sadlier Publishing
https://www.sadlier.com/religion/blog/topic/rel-topic-prayer
Sadlier Religion Publishers makes available free activities and resources on prayer for children and families.
Saint Mary's Press Resource Center
www.smp.org/resourcecenter
The Saint Mary's Press Resource Center has resources for download including maps, activities, lesson plans, prayers, articles, worksheets, and videos on many topics in Catholic faith formation. Follow the Prayer link to access resources.
Vibrant Faith at Home Activities
www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/families-with-children.html
www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/just-for-kids.html
Hundreds of activities for home and church, created by Vibrant Faith, are available to download as PDFs. Children's activities are organized in six categories: Bible Stories, Conversations, Learning about Faith, Prayer, Ritual & Tradition, and Serving Others.
Visual Faith Activities
www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/visual-faith-activities.html
Vibrant Faith has created 32 Visual Faith Experiences that connect a Bible passage to visual images that you can download as PDFs and use as thematic lessons at home or church throughout the year! There is also a guide for using the experiences on online platforms.
Wesleyan Resource Center - Children
resources.wesleyan.org/?fwp_categories=kids
The Wesleyan Resource Center curates theologically Wesleyan and holistic resources motivated to move people from making decisions to trust Christ to actively following Jesus in close discipleship communities. All of the resources are free. The children's section includes children's lesson plans on a variety of faith themes, seasonal programs, and videos.
Meal Prayers for All Occasions
Evelyn Bence (from BuildFaith.org)
Many families say grace before a shared meal, usually dinner. But what about the other times that we nourish our bodies? I decided to write several new prayers – often built around a classic line – to capture the spirit of a new time. I've also includes a few old standards. Below are prayers and blessings over food for many different occasions and meals.
At Breakfast
God, with this food, you give us strength. Thank you. Give us a vision for the hours ahead and help us to use this day to glorify you.
At Home Alone
Good Shepherd, be the guest at my table today. May this food refresh my body as you restore my soul. Lead me in the paths of gratitude, today and always.
At Home with Others
1. O God, thank you for this food. Help us to be good stewards of your bounty, for your glory and the blessing of others.
2. Bless our home. Bless this food. Feed our spirits with the bread of life, and help us to know your peace at this table, then as we work and play and sleep.
At a Picnic
God, thank you for the opportunity to gather outdoors, to celebrate the joys of your creation: the fresh air, the colorful trees, the tasty food, our sociable companions. Bless this meal and our time together. Teach us again, this day, to accept your gifts with grateful hearts.
At a Sickbed
God, thank you for this food and its nourishment. Transform it to healing strength and energy, for your glory.
At a Community Gathering
At this abundant table, we thank you, the giver of all good gifts. We also thank the farmers, the cooks, and the servers for their time and attention. Bless them and all of us gathered here, and teach us more about gratitude—for conversation and community, for taste and smell, for life and laughter.
Grace after Meals
(If the entrée is over before you’ve remembered to say grace, you can claim the ancient Jewish custom of praying after the meal – see Deuteronomy 8:10.)
God, we thank you for all the good we have received, especially the satisfaction and nutrition of this food. As it restores our energy, revive our spirits, so we can serve and glorify you today.
A Rhyming Classic
Heavenly Father, great and good,
We thank you for this daily food.
Bless us even as we pray;
Guide and keep us through this day.
Revived by Godspell (M. Claudius; trans. J. M. Campbell; public domain)
All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all his love.
From Psalm 92
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name.
We declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.
At Breakfast
God, with this food, you give us strength. Thank you. Give us a vision for the hours ahead and help us to use this day to glorify you.
At Home Alone
Good Shepherd, be the guest at my table today. May this food refresh my body as you restore my soul. Lead me in the paths of gratitude, today and always.
At Home with Others
1. O God, thank you for this food. Help us to be good stewards of your bounty, for your glory and the blessing of others.
2. Bless our home. Bless this food. Feed our spirits with the bread of life, and help us to know your peace at this table, then as we work and play and sleep.
At a Picnic
God, thank you for the opportunity to gather outdoors, to celebrate the joys of your creation: the fresh air, the colorful trees, the tasty food, our sociable companions. Bless this meal and our time together. Teach us again, this day, to accept your gifts with grateful hearts.
At a Sickbed
God, thank you for this food and its nourishment. Transform it to healing strength and energy, for your glory.
At a Community Gathering
At this abundant table, we thank you, the giver of all good gifts. We also thank the farmers, the cooks, and the servers for their time and attention. Bless them and all of us gathered here, and teach us more about gratitude—for conversation and community, for taste and smell, for life and laughter.
Grace after Meals
(If the entrée is over before you’ve remembered to say grace, you can claim the ancient Jewish custom of praying after the meal – see Deuteronomy 8:10.)
God, we thank you for all the good we have received, especially the satisfaction and nutrition of this food. As it restores our energy, revive our spirits, so we can serve and glorify you today.
A Rhyming Classic
Heavenly Father, great and good,
We thank you for this daily food.
Bless us even as we pray;
Guide and keep us through this day.
Revived by Godspell (M. Claudius; trans. J. M. Campbell; public domain)
All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all his love.
From Psalm 92
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name.
We declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.
Parent Reflection Time
The Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God's presence and to discern his direction for us. Take a few minutes to reflect on your day with these five questions.
- Become aware of God’s presence. Find a comfortable place where you can secure ten or fifteen quiet minutes. Close your eyes and relax your body.
- Review the events and experiences of the day with gratitude to understand how God is acting in your life. Move through the day as if you were watching it on video.
- Pay attention to the feelings that your experiences evoke. Ask what God is saying through these feelings.
- Choose one feature of the day, reflect upon it, and pray from it. How are you discovering God in the midst of your daily life? Are you drawing closer to God or further away?
- Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges.
Children Reflection Time
Take a few minutes before bedtime to guide children in reflecting on their day using these questions. Begin by quieting the children before bedtime.
- Ask them what made them happy over the past day.
- Ask them what made them sad over the past day.
- Ask them what they look forward to tomorrow.
- Remind them to thank God for what made them happy, ask for God’s help when they are sad, and pray for God’s presence in the coming day.
Discover the Sacred Every Day: The FAITH5
FAITH5™ (Faith Acts In The Home) is a simple, easy-to-implement faith practice, perfect for incorporating into your daily routine for five to fifteen minutes a night. When done over time, the FAITH5™ carries the power to enrich communication, deepen understanding, and promote mental, physical and spiritual health. The five steps are:
- SHARE your highs and lows
- READ a Bible verse or story
- TALK about how the Bible reading might relate to your highs and lows
- PRAY for one another's highs and lows
- BLESS one another