Miscellaneous Ideas, Activities, and Resources for the Lord's Prayer

Post your Sunday School miscellaneous ideas, activities, and resources for the Lord's Prayer.

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Children's Fellowship Time

Posted by Neil MacQueen

The following lesson ideas come from my church's children's fellowship lesson time which is taking on the Lord's Prayer and prayer in general over a five-week period. Hopefully, you'll find many ideas in it adaptable for Rotation. <>< Neil

Goals for our Lesson Time:

1. To make sure each of our kids has a working memory of the Lord’s Prayer.
2. To teach them about the meaning of the Prayer.
3. To encourage their own prayer life.

In addition to this page, another page is provided to all team leaders, worship leaders and lesson helpers that briefly discusses the Lord’s Prayer, kid-friendly, age-appropriate definitions of concept and vocabulary, and suggested discussion questions for use during the following times.


Week 1: Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

• Fric & Frac “Reader’s Theater” introduction to the prayer by Neil and Robin MacQueen.
• Show the video clip of Jesus teaching the Prayer to his disciples (Matthew Video in “Visual Bible” Series).
• Discussion in small groups about what various words mean. “Basic vocabulary check.”

Posted by Chris Himes -

Memory and vocabulary: I wrote portions of the prayer on large index cards and then had the class put the prayer in order. We did this several times (they were having fun!) and then talked about different parts of the prayer and the meanings of words.

Week 2: Prayer Tree
Prayer is asking and working for God’s kingdom to come.

• Discussion in teams about praying for others. How prayer sensitizes us to act in his name.
• Creation of prayer concerns, both local, personal and global on ribbons which will be tied to a tree outside.
  
  

The hanging of prayer ribbons on trees is known in many cultures and has been adopted by many churches. The American tradition of hanging yellow or red/white/blue ribbons on trees is part of this cross-cultural phenomenon.

Posted by Neil MacQueen -

Our golden ribbons are still flying on the tree outside the sanctuary.  Look great.

Posted by Chris Himes -

We talked about the different kinds of prayers and then wrote prayers on plastic surveyor's tape and tied them outside to a tree.

Week 3: Prayer Rocks!

Prayer is making time for a personal relationship with God.

• People need to make time in their life for prayer. (Discussion in team groups. Notes to be provided).
• Making of “large pillow prayer rock” as a reminder to pray. (Will include names so that we can pray for each other). The Prayer rock is a large smooth flat-ish stone on which we can put stickers, draw symbols, and everyone can sign their name on one side. It goes on a child's pillow. I've been told there is a POEM that goes with it.

The poem is included in the Art Lesson by Carol Hulbert, FUMC using Prayer Rocks and includes a printable version, as well.

Week 4: Prayer Cookies
Prayer is “daily bread” to our souls. Prayer is a way God reminds us of our obligations to others and to ourselves.

• After team discussion, kids will create fortune cookie prayer slips, place in fortune cookie dough and bake. Finished fortune cookies will be separated into bags marked with dates when they are to be opened. One will be the date of Thanksgiving. Another will contain prayers for self, and another, prayers for others.
• It will be announced that after worship, students can meet with a prayer adult to work on memorizing the Lord’s Prayer before they leave that evening.
  
  
  

Week 5: Wrap-up Party on the Lord’s Prayer

Olympic Relays featuring GAMES that illustrate a phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. On this evening too, students can individually recite Lord’s Prayer to an adult prayer partner and receive a special token of appreciation for trying their best to remember the prayer.

During Kids Worship Time we'll conduct various styles of prayer both as an act of worship and demonstration. We'll also sing the Lord's Prayer and other prayer related songs.

Interactive Prayer Banner
Neil MacQueen 

We just did several weeks on the Lord's Prayer in our Wednesday Fellowship. Coming up with different words: What could you say other than "hallowed"? The kids really responded to this activity.

WISH we had followed it up with an idea I did in another church where we wrote their "new" words individually on construction paper (one phrase at a time) and made on a huge long wall display and then each kid used their own color of yarn to create their own personalized "yarn line" through the phrase choices. The large display and yarn allowed others to see which word combinations you chose. The yarn really helped them get into it.

Prayer Wall
Julie Burton

For each type of prayer ("ACTS") I had the definition and had a different color paper behind it. I also had sticky notes that were the same colors so people could post the prayers in the appropriate areas.

I also had meditations that I pulled together from various resources.

Prayer of Adoration: This is deep love and admiration for God which inspires us to express praise and worship. This means we joyfully accept God's love and love God back. (I used yellow paper-a bright, happy color!)

Prayer of Confession: Sin throws a roadblock in our relationship with God. Confession means acknowledging our sins and asking God's forgiveness. When we confess our sins, we can be confident of God's loving response. (blue)

Prayer of Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving is the discipline of recalling the good things God does for us and expressing our gratitude joyfully. As we grow in faith, we can learn to be thankful in good times as well as difficult times by seeing and acknowledging God's power at work. (green)

Prayer of Supplication: Supplication means asking God to meet our needs and the needs of others. God knows our needs before we ask but still wants us to ask. Why? Because when we ask, we acknowledge our dependence on God's provision. Asking places us in a humble relationship with our all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God. Supplication is seeking God's will. (pink)

By the end of Lent, there were many prayers on the wall, and I heard lots of compliments. I plan to do this again, plus other things that will enhance the congregation's spirituality.