Looking for prayers for the new year? These new year prayers are more than just words addressed to God. They are fun, creative, and interactive ways to reflect on where you need God’s guidance or God’s light to shine in your life, reminders of God’s blessings, prayers for new beginnings and more!
These fun new year prayers are perfect for all ages. These can be used in Sunday School, Messy Church, at women’s retreats or prayer retreats, for homeschool, or anywhere else where you would like to inject a little bit of creativity into your prayer life.
15 Fun and Creative New Year Prayers
These 15 creative prayer practices are perfect for the new year – or any time of year when you want to focus on God’s guidance and new beginnings. These also make excellent prayer practices for Christmas or Epiphany, since so many of them involve stars. Talk about the wise men following a star to Jesus, and pray for God’s guidance and light to shine in your own life!
Choose your favourite prayers and activities from the list below, or find a prayer that matches a Bible verse or Bible story that you want to teach, and set up a fun and interactive prayer station.
Follow the Star Path
This prayer practice mirrors the Magi’s journey, emphasizing curiosity, movement, and discovery.
Materials: Paper stars, markers, tape
Scripture tie-in: the story of the wise men following a star to Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)
How it works:
- Place paper stars around a room, hallway, or sanctuary—each with a simple prompt.
- Participants “follow the star path,” pausing at each star to pray.
- Prompts might include:
- “Where do you need God’s guidance this year?”
- “Who helps you see God’s light?”
- “What new thing might God be leading you toward?”
- “Have you ever ‘followed a star’ before?”
- End at a large star or a constellation of stars (without anything written on them) where participants can write a prayer or hope for the year.
Star Lantern Prayers
Materials: Paper bags or jars, battery tea lights, star stickers
How it works:
- Everyone decorates a lantern with stars.
- Inside, they place a small slip of paper naming a place in their life where they need God’s light.
- Lights are turned on together, creating a constellation of lanterns.
- Close with a prayer asking God to shine in those places throughout the year.
Creator God, you determine the number of the stars and call them each by name. Remind us, through these constellations that we have created, that – just as you know and care for all of creation – you know and care for us. Shine your light in our lives, and guide us on the right paths. Amen.
Blessing Under the Stars (Indoor or Outdoor)
This is a great prayer practice for any time of the year! And it is perfect for all ages, as it taps into awe—something children feel naturally and adults often forget.
Materials: None (or glow‑in‑the‑dark stars if indoors)
How it works:
- Gather outside at night or under a ceiling of glow stars.
- Invite everyone to look up and silently name one thing they’re grateful for from the past year.
- Then ask them to choose one star and imagine God placing a blessing for the new year there.
- End with a spoken blessing over the group.
May you walk faithfully with God at your side. May you encounter moments of awe that remind you of the bigger story of which you are a part. May you know God’s love this day and always.
New Beginnings Bowl
Materials: Two bowls, small stones or paper, water
Scripture tie-in: Revelation 21
How it works:
- One bowl is labeled “Old Things,” the other “New Things.”
- Participants write or draw something they want to release from the past year and place it in the “Old Things” bowl.
- Then they take a stone or paper and write a hope, prayer, or new beginning for the coming year, placing it in the “New Things” bowl.
- Pour water over the “Old Things” bowl as a symbol of God washing things away and making space for the new.
- Close with a prayer that God would guide you in all new things to come.
Father God, we know that you are working to make all things new. Today, we pray for the wisdom and the courage to be able to surrender our lives to you. Help us to lay down the “old things” that are weighing on our hearts. And guide our steps in all the new things that we hope for, and the new directions that you are leading us into. Amen.
“God Is Making All Things New” Art Wall
Materials: Large paper roll or poster board, markers, crayons
Scripture tie-in: Revelation 21
How it works:
- Write Revelation 21:5 at the top: “See, I am making all things new.”
- Invite people to draw or write ways they hope to see God’s newness in their lives, community, or world.
- Encourage kids to draw pictures; adults can write words or symbols.
- The wall becomes a communal prayer for the year.
New Creation Breath Prayer
A breath prayer is a short and simple prayer that you can pray with your breath. It is a simple prayer practice that can be done anywhere, with no materials required. This is a great way to help settle your heart and focus on renewal in the new year.
Materials: None
Scripture tie-in: Revelation 21
How it works:
- Take a few deep breaths.
- On the inhale: “God, make me new.”
- On the exhale: “Make all things new.”
- Invite participants to think of one area of life where they long for renewal.
- Practice the breath prayer together for a minute or two.
- Encourage participants to take this practice with them, and to pray this throughout the day.
“New Things” Star Prayers
This prayer practice blends the theme of Epiphany’s guiding star and Revelation’s promise of renewal.
Materials: Star‑shaped paper or wooden stars, markers
Scripture tie-in: the story of the wise men following a star to Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)
How it works:
- Give each person a star.
- Invite them to write or draw the “new thing” they sense God might be doing in them this year.
- Place the stars on a board or hang them from a tree/branch.
- Pray over the “constellation” of new beginnings.
Loving and Sovereign God, we pray that you would walk with us in this constellation of new beginnings. Guide our steps as we aim to follow you. Help us to walk with grace and with love, trusting you in all the things that we do. Amen.
Samuel’s Call: “Speak, Lord, I’m Listening”
This is a fun and quiet prayer that encourages stillness and listening for God’s voice. By writing a short prayer for God’s guidance in your life, and sealing it in an envelope, you can then revisit this prayer at the end of the year and reflect on the path that God has led you down. This becomes a tangible reminder of God working in your life, and encourages you to pay attention to how God is working and speaking.
Materials: Small envelopes, paper, pens/markers/etc.
Scripture tie in: 1 Samuel 3
How it works:
- Invite everyone to sit quietly for a moment
- You can read the text of 1 Samuel 3, and encourage participants to imagine Samuel hearing God’s voice in the night.
- Ask them to write a short prayer: “God, help me listen for you this year in…”
- Seal the prayer in an envelope and place it somewhere they’ll see often.
- End with a communal “Speak, Lord, your servants are listening.”
The Beatitudes: “Blessed Are…” for the New Year
This prayer practice helps to reframe the new year ahead in terms of Jesus’ upside down kingdom that we see in his beatitudes.
Materials: Sticky notes
Scripture tie in: The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12)
How it works:
- Read Jesus’ Beatitudes together. If you want to explore different translations, try the NIV, the KJV, and The Message translation, or other translations that are quite different from each other.
- Invite people to write a blessing they want to carry into the new year (“Blessed are the peacemakers,” “Blessed are the hopeful,” “Blessed are the brave”). This could be something from the Beatitudes, or it could be something that God is placing on their hearts. (Ask participants to think about who God calls blessed, and what other character traits, virtues, or situations might fit into that category.)
- Stick them on a wall to create a “Blessings for the Year” mural.
- Pray over the gathered blessings.
Epiphany Star Blessing Cards
Materials: Star‑shaped cards with words like “Hope,” “Courage,” “Joy,” “Wisdom,” “Patience,” “Wonder,” etc.
Scripture tie-in: the story of the wise men following a star to Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)
How it works:
- Spread the stars face‑down.
- Each person draws one at random.
- Invite them to pray about how that word might guide them in the new year.
- Encourage families to take their stars home and place them somewhere visible.
*Make your own stars out of construction paper or cardstock, or download and print these stars below (just click on the image to print).
“Light in My Hands” Clay Candle Holder
Theme: Where you want to see God’s light this year
Scripture tie‑in: John 1:5 — “The light shines in the darkness…”
How it works:
- Provide clay and small tea lights (battery or real).
- Invite participants to form a simple candle holder — it can be rough, imperfect, or beautifully shaped.
- As they work, ask them to reflect on:
- Where do you need God’s light this year
- What part of your life feels dim or confusing
- Where do you hope God will guide you
- When finished, place the candle in the holder and light it together as a group.
- Pray: “God, shine your light in the places we need it most.”
“Clay Stars of Hope”
Theme: Following God’s light into the new year
Scripture tie‑in: Matthew 2 — the star guiding the Magi
How it works:
- Provide clay and star‑shaped cookie cutters (or let people shape stars by hand).
- Invite participants to create a star and press a word or symbol into it that represents a hope for the new year — “peace,” “courage,” “friendship,” “joy,” “trust,” etc.
- These can be dried and taken home as Epiphany‑themed reminders of God’s guiding light. (If you want to hang these clay stars up, then just press the end of a straw into the top to create a hole before it dries. After it dries, you can run a string through the hole and you have your own star of hope ornament to hang!)
“Growing Something New” Seed‑Planting Prayer
This prayer practice focuses on staying connected to the Jesus as the vine so new growth can happen.
Materials: small pots, soil, and seeds
Scripture tie in: the vine and the branches (John 15)
How it works:
- Give each person a small pot, some soil, and a seed (beans, herbs, or wildflowers work well).
- Invite them to hold the seed and reflect on one thing they hope God will grow in them this year — patience, courage, kindness, trust, joy.
- As they plant the seed, they pray: “God, help this grow in me as I stay connected to you.”
- Encourage them to water it regularly as a living reminder of their prayer.
“Branches of My Life” Watercolor Prayer
This prayer practice encourages seeing where God is already growing fruit and where new growth is needed
Materials: Watercolor paints and paper
Scripture tie in: the vine and the branches (John 15)
How it works:
- Provide watercolor paper and paints.
- Invite participants to paint a simple vine with branches.
- On the branches, they add words or symbols representing parts of their life: family, work, friendships, faith, rest, creativity, service, etc.
- Then they add small leaves or fruit to the areas where they see God already at work.
- Finally, they paint buds or blossoms on branches where they hope for new growth this year.
“Abide in My Love” Candle Prayer
This prayer practice encourages resting in God’s love as the source of growth. It centers the heart and reminds participants that growth comes from God’s love, not striving.
Materials: Candle or LED tea light
Scripture tie-in: the vine and the branches (John 15) or 1 John 4:16: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”.
How it works:
- Dim the lights and give each person a candle.
- Invite them to sit quietly, breathing slowly, imagining themselves as a branch resting in the Vine.
- As they light the candle, they pray: “Jesus, help me abide in your love this year.”
- Encourage them to think of one way they will make space for that abiding — silence, prayer, Sabbath, community.
