Teach your child to pray

We teach our children to do just about everything they learn to do before heading to kindergarten.  The most important thing we teach our children is about the love of God but do we ever teach them to pray?  I think my husband and I modeled prayer at the kitchen table before meals and assumed our children would pick up on it but did we ever teach them how to earnestly pray for a need or listen to God for His answers?  I'm afraid not.

Max and Denalyn Lucado have given parents a head start on teaching your child to pray.  Lucado Treasury of Bedtime Prayers  opens with a section directed toward parents which includes the importance of teaching our children to pray whether it be to ask forgiveness for a wrong they have done, facilitate hope, or to teach that God listens to us.  They encourage parents to make prayer a priority in their own lives, model prayer for their children, and then teaching your children the power of reading and memorizing the prayers of others to instill a vocabulary of faith in their hearts to shield them throughout their lives--sort of like memorizing scripture.

The prayers are broken down into "chapters" based on the theme or time of day you might use them.  Some of those "chapters" include morning prayers, mealtime prayers, asking God for protection, for wisdom, and prayers of thankfulness. Each section is beautifully illustrated by Lisa Alderson in much the same way as the cover.  Prayers include scriptures as well as short (sometimes adapted) prayers but unknown and well-known sources.

I love the variety. Many of us grew up with the "Now I lay me down to sleep....." prayer. This volume offers such a nice selection of prayers for your little one that they can choose their favorite to use on a regular basis or you can use them all so they don't become a rote repetition without meaning.   The final prayer in the volume is the one we are taught to model our prayers by, The Lord's Prayer.

Originally, I ordered this book because I have loved everything I have ever heard or read of Max Lucado.  I must admit I have never been a fan of written down prayers or using another's words to pray but I can definitely see the value of having a collection such as this to lay the all important foundation for your children.  Were I to still have little ones at home, this volume would lay right next to their bed for daily use.

I did receive this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to write a positive one.