Getting into the habit of saying morning prayers with your kids is a great way to offer the first parts of your day up to God.
The earliest Christians were encouraged to pray continually, pray constantly, or pray without ceasing. This developed into the practice known as the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Daily Office, a way to structure the whole day around regular intervals of prayer. While most of us don’t structure our days in quite so formal a fashion, it is quite simple to ‘bookend’ your days with morning and evening prayer. This is a great way to offer up the very first, and the very last, parts of your day to God.
Below you’ll find some simple morning prayers that you can say with your kids: prayers of gratitude, prayers of petition, the Lord’s Prayer (2 versions!), and rhyming prayers.
Simple Morning Prayers for Kids
Here are some simple morning prayers to start your day off by focusing on God. These are great for teaching kids to pray, and for developing the habit of morning prayer.
Simple Morning Prayer
LORD, thank you for a new day.
Please go before me and clear the way.
Thank you for protecting me.
Thank you for guiding me.
Thank you for loving me.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Things I am Grateful for Prayer
Thank you God, for this new day.
Thank you for rest and for shelter, for health and for food.
Thank you for my friends and my family.
Thank you for challenges and for opportunities to learn.
May this day be filled with love.
And may I know that you are always near.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (contemporary)
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are your,
now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (Iona Community)
God in heaven,
your name is to be honoured.
May your new community of hope
be realized on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us today other essentials of life.
Release us from our wrongdoing
as we also release those
who wrong us.
Do not test us beyond our enduring;
save us from all that is evil.
For you embrace justice, love and peace,
now and to the end of time.
Amen.
The 5-Finger Prayer
Thumb: Pray for those closest to you: your family and friends.
Pointer finger: Pray for those who point you in the right direction: your teachers, and any other leaders in your life. Pray for wisdom and support.
Middle finger (tallest): Pray for those that lead us: those in government, in business, in church leadership. Pray for guidance and wisdom.
Ring finger (weakest): Pray for those who are poor, sick, in pain, in trouble: those most in need.
Pinkie finger (smallest): Pray for yourself and your own needs.
Bonus: Read more about the 5 Finger Prayer and get your free printable here.
Rhyming Morning Prayers
If your kids are the type who like rhyming prayers, try out one of these rhyming morning prayers to start your day. Rhyming prayers are great for saying our loud, for leading a group, and for sticking in your child’s memory.
A Morning Prayer for Children
For this new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends.
For everything Thy goodness sends,
We thank Thee, dearest Lord.
Amen.
— Author Unknown
Children’s Morning Prayer
Now, before I run to play,
Let me not forget to pray
To God who kept me through the night
And waked me with the morning light.
Help me, Lord, to love Thee more
Than I ever loved before,
In my work and in my play
Be thou with me through the day.
Amen.
— Author Unknown
Good Morning Jesus
Jesus, you are good and wise
I will praise you when I rise.
Jesus, hear this prayer I send
Bless my family and my friends.
Jesus, help my eyes to see
All the good you send to me.
Jesus, help my ears to hear
Calls for help from far and near.
Jesus, help my feet to go
In the way that You will show.
Jesus, help my hands to do
All things loving, kind, and true.
Jesus, guard me through this day
In all I do and all I say.
Amen.
— Author Unknown
Day by Day
Day by day, dear Lord,
These three things I pray:
To see you more clearly,
Love you more dearly,
Follow you more nearly,
Day by day.
— Adapted from Godspell Song, “Day by Day” by Stephen Schwartz
God, Be my Guide
God in heaven, hear my prayer.
Keep me in your loving care.
Be my guide in all I do.
Bless all those who love me too.
Amen.
Want this image as a PDF that you can print? You can download these three simple prayers as a PDF here.
Rebecca, this is awesome! Teaching the discipline of prayer to children can feel hard, but you’ve provided some great and practical options. I especially like the five finger prayer! I plan to share this post with our Mom’s group at church!
Thanks Maureen! Yes, teaching kids to pray can be hard work and can sometimes feel fruitless. I find that finding your kids ‘prayer style’ helps. Some kids love rhyming prayers. Some kids do better with more freeform prayers. I like that the five finger prayer is easy to remember and formulaic, but you can also make it you’re own so it’s not just rote recitation. 🙂
Rebecca, this is such a wonderful post and a great practice to start with children when they are young. I used to read little prayer books with children when they were in the high chair before eating and at other times.
I loved making prayer part of our routine!
Blessings to you,
Tammy
Thanks Tammy. I love prayer books too. We have this cute little prayer/Bible quote book that we read to our kids each night right now. Sometimes it prompts discussion, which is great!
The morning prayer give more strength and build the kids faith to toward their spiritual character which give love, trust and positive character.