Help your primary children learn the structure of prayer with this Did You Think to Pray Language of Prayers singing time lesson plan! This spiritual connections activity is a great way to teach children about prayer as you review Did You Think to Pray in primary this month!
See all of my Did You Think to Pray Singing Time Ideas here!
Did You Think to Pray Language of Prayers
I’m so excited to share this sweet lesson plan with you. Prayer is something that even the youngest of your primary children can learn and practice in their homes. For this lesson, I drew information from many different church resources.
All the information shared in this post comes directly from church resources and the words of prophets. I really enjoyed reading through this How to Pray message on the Church website.
I also learned quite a bit from Elder Dallin H. Oaks’ talk entitled “The Language of Prayer.” There are many other talks you may want to explore while preparing for this lesson.
In preparation for this lesson, I created printable posters that teach each step of the structure of prayer. These printables are a great resource to put on the board as you use this activity in primary.
Begin the lesson by singing the first verse and chorus of Did You Think to Pray lyrics. Ask the children to think about why prayer is important.
Then, ask the children to share what they know about prayer. Here are some guiding questions that might help: Why do we pray? How do we pray? Who are we talking to when we pray?
Explain to the children that Heavenly Father has taught us how to converse with him through prayer. He teaches us through our prophets and apostles.
Put the first poster on the board. Ask the children if they know how we should address Heavenly Father when we pray. Have a child read the description on the left-hand side of the poster. This might include scriptures, quotes from talks, or direction provided on the Church website.
Then, share the second poster and talk about the importance of expressing gratitude in our prayers. Sing through the song again at this point.
Share the last two posters one at a time and explain that we can ask Heavenly Father for things that we need. When we ask, we should be prepared to act upon whatever answer He gives us!
Teach the children why we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Help the children understand the Jesus is our mediator and speaks on our behalf to Heavenly Father.
Share a little bit about using “formal” language in our prayers. Finish with your testimony of prayer.
Structure of Prayers:
I’ll outline below each of the steps in the structure of prayer as outlined in the printable later in this post. Again, the information included in these posters comes from the church website and church leaders. I hope you find this helpful!
1. ADDRESS
It can be challenging to know how to begin a prayer. Find a quiet place to pray to Heavenly Father. You may be praying alone, or with others. Start by addressing Heavenly Father.
Some Examples:
- “Dear Heavenly Father”
- “Our Father”
- “Dear Father in Heaven”
2. THANK
We can thank Heavenly Father for our many blessings when we pray. President Thomas S. Monson taught us to express gratitude for our teachers, our friends, our family members, our country, and for Jesus Christ and His gospel.
President Monson 1992 Conference Talk: “An Attitude of Gratitude”
3. ASK
We can ask Heavenly Father to help us with things that are hard. We can ask for His help to forgive or be forgiven. We can ask for healing and for courage. “Whatever is on your mind, bring it to him.”
4. CLOSE
3 Nephi 18:19–20: “Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name; And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.”
Extension Activities:
- Play the ‘Language of Prayer Word Wall’ game. Write out the words “Thee, Thine, Thou, Thy” on the board. Write the words “You, Yours, Your” as well. Make sure the words are mixed up a little bit! While you sing, have the children come up and circle the words that we use in prayer. You can find this word wall in the printable at the end of this post!
- Have each class be in charge of one step of the prayer structure. On the back of the poster, write a few lines of the song. Have that class come up and teach the class about their step, then have them sing their line from the song. Sing the whole song, and have each class sing their assigned part.
- Have the missionaries come and teach a lesson about prayer!
For another spiritual connections lesson, try this I Will Follow God’s Plan of Salvation singing time activity.
Did You Think to Pray Language of Prayers Printable Posters
Use these printable prayer posters to help you teach the structure of prayer with this lesson! Each of these posters includes one step of prayer, as well as a short description. The descriptions include brief explanations from the church website, quotes from prophets, and scripture references!
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Learn about the different functions of prayer throughout the world with this Did You Think to Pray Prayers Around the World activity!
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