Christmas Blessing

May the joy of the angels,
the eagerness of the shepherds,
the perseverance of the wise men,
and the peace of the Christ child
be yours this Christmas;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen

Simplified Lord's Prayer

Simplified Lord’s Prayer

The children may stand and face the front and then join in the words and actions-

When I touch my head, I think of you, Father God.
When I put my hand over my heart, I remember to show you my love.
When I put my hands together, I ask you to come and make everything right.
When I touch my mouth, I ask you to give us the food we need.
When I bow my head, I say sorry for the wrong things I’ve done.
When I lift my head, I know you forgive me.
When I open my arms, I ask you to help me be friends with everyone.

When we say this prayer, we are asking God for things we need and he is pleased

Tree Prayers

Tree Prayers

Attach a tree cutout to a wall easily accessible to the congregation. Put one name on a leaf for every child in your children’s ministry. Encourage adults to take a leaf with a child’s name on it and use as a prayer reminder in their devotion times. Every time they see the tree or leaves it is a reminder to pray for that child. Some adults may take it a step further by sending encouragement notes, calls or gifts to the children they have chosen.

Echo Prayer

• Echo Prayer

  Sit in a circle with our children or small group. Explain that your will say a very short prayer. Each person around the circle quickly repeats it in turn until it comes back to you, and then you’ll pray a different short prayer for them to echo. Start with simply “Thanks for giving us promises!” Other prayers might include- “We’re glad you sent Jesus” Thanks for your wonderful creation.”  and “You’re the best, Lord!”.
  This kind of prayer works well with reluctant prayers.

Brothers & Sisters Rhyme

• Brothers & Sisters 

  I just wrote this rhyme  for a session I did with our preschool M.O.P.S. children on “brothers & sisters”.
  This is my brother (hold up right fist)
  See how he grew. ( slowly raise right pointer finger- leave finger standing.)
  This is my sister (hold up left fist)
  She’s special too. (slowly raise left pointer finger -leave standing.)
  This is my God (move the two pointer fingers together to form a roof shape)
  He looks after me.
  Together we live ( clasp both hands together)
  In one family.
  (c) Don Stott, http://eliab.com, 2007
  MOPS Australia link

Hot Potato Game

You will need: One potato, mystery box, Bible questions on strips of paper.

How to play :

1. The children form a circle.

2. One child is “It.”

3. “It” says, ” Pass the potato”

4. The player who has the potato must pass it to his left.

5. “It” calls out, “Hot potato!”

6. Whoever is caught with the potato is “It.”

Share Prayer Ideas

• Share Prayer Ideas

  • Share teaspoon prayers… Give everyone a teaspoon and explain that a short way (abbreviation) of teaspoon is TSP.
  TSP prayers include Thanks God , Sorry God , Please God
  • Hand of prayer…
  Pointer finger- reminds us that our lives should point to God to thank and praise Him.
  Tall man (finger ) -The biggest finger reminds us to pray for people
  who are leaders …ministers, Sunday school teachers, teachers, Prime Minister/President…
  Ring finger – reminds us to pray for people you know who need prayer…parents, family, friends, missionaries, sick people.
  Little finger- reminds us to pray for ourselves, to ask God to be with us , to help us and to give us what we need to love and obey Him.
  • Silent hands confession
  With short silences and closed eyes move through this three-part confession.
  Fists should be clenched to help bring to mind wrong things we hold on tightly to .
  Turn fists downwards and open hands as a sign of letting go the things we are sorry for and repent of.
  Turn hands upward, with palms open, as a mark of receiving God’s forgiveness.
  • Arrow Prayers ( You will need cardboard arrow-shapes; pens)
  Sometimes when you’re in a difficult situation, feeling frightened or nervous, there’s no time to kneel and pray or to wait for a quiet time at the end of the day; you simply have to shoot an arrow prayer to God right away. Try to give your group some examples of when they might want to pray instant on-the-spot prayers. For example: whe you’re facing a fierce dog, when you’re nervous about reading something out loud. Talk about Nehemiah’s short prayer in Nehemiah 2:4-5 before he spoke to the king. Give all the children a cardboard arrow shape and encourage them to write the words of Psalm 31:22 along the shaft as a take home reminder that God hears even the shortest prayers.

Balloon Prayers

First give each child a deflated balloon. Each time the leader pauses in the following prayer invite the children to blow gently into their balloons. Get them to hold them carefully but not tie them.

Now say this prayer ( or use your own), pausing at the end of each line.

" Thank you, God, that you are with us always.

Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who gives us power to live our lives for you.

Help us to follow you this week and to do the things you want us to do at home, at school, and with our friends."

Finally invite the children to call out "Thank you God!" and let their balloons go. You may like to give them another balloon to blow up and take home. Write on it in 'texta' pen, 'God is with me."( As a reminder of God's presence and power for them this week).

One way to pray with children

Here's a simple way to encourage children to pray which has been around for some years but it's easy for a child to learn. It's called the five-finger prayer pattern.

Have your child place his hand on the table or bed, and illustrate the following to him or her.

1. Your thumb is close to you so it will represent (remind us of) those who are close to you. It reminds you to pray fro your family members, relatives, and friends. Let's think of some now...

2. Next comes your pointer finger. This finger reminds you to pray for people you want to follow Jesus (become a friend of Jesus). Hold up your pointer finger. Let's think of some of these people now.

3. Your third finger ("tall man") represents those who are in authority. It is the biggest finger and the strongest one.It stands for leaders, pastors, missionaries, teachers, and "big" people who you want to pray for.

4. The fourth finger (ring finger) is your weakest finger. It reminds you of people who are weak, sick, or going through a hard time. Can you think of any people like this that you'd like to pray for?

5. The smallest finger reminds you to pray for yourself. What would you like to tell God about how your feeling or what's been happening at school, with friends, or with family?

"Pray continually;give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Nearness prayers

Give each child a pencil or crayon and a sheet of paper. Invite eveyone to close their eyes and think of a time when they have felt God very near to them. Suggest that each child ask God to help them to remember one of these times. The leader should not give any specific suggestions of when anyone may have felt near to God.

Now, on your piece of paper, see if you can draw or write something to illustrate or describe that special time.

When everyone is finished, invite those who would like to share what they have written or drawn, or talk about their time of feeling near to God. You will find that once one child has shared, it becomes easier for others.

Finish by praying together thanking God for being close and asking Him to be with them during this coming week.

Read Psalm 139:1-12