Daniel
Prayer Labryrinth
Summary of Lesson Activities:
We have a large prayer labyrinth at our church. You could easily have one made for the kids, or let the kids help you make it. Daniel was all about prayer!
At Rotation.org we have a design forum with discussion and ideas about creating labyrinths and conducting a Prayer or Spirituality Workshop. Look for those great ideas here.
Prayer is a "discipline"... which to the kids will mostly translate as "staying focused" and not being distracted. Walking the labyrinth path teaches that concept. Along the path are "stations" (things to think about). Feel free to adapt and add.
Scripture Reference:
Daniel 6
Goals of the rotation:
- To learn about Lions and other large wild cats.
- To learn the story and find it in the bible.
- To learn about faith in God.
- To learn about prayer.
Materials needed:
- Labyrinth taped or painted on a canvas floor cloth. A Labyrinth is a path to the center that only has one entrance/exit, you must come back the way you went in.
- Lap boards, blank paper and a colored pencil each
- Prayer books for each child
- Examples of ACTS prayers on papers, one per child of each so they can make prayer books while they wait their turn at the Labyrinth.
- Wall paper cut the same size as prayer papers
- Stapler
- Labels so they can write their title or name and put on book.
- Finger labyrinths gotten from above website cut same size as prayer papers.
- CD of some meditative music.
Room Set up:
- Children will gather in the Chapel and the Labyrinth will be set up in Mt. Ararat. Have a tape/CD player for the music in the Labyrinth room and lap boards and all other materials in the Chapel.
Shepherd box:
- Journal Page/Coloring page for the preschoolers
- Crayons/markers
Presentation:
Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction:
Introduce yourself
Children should have picked up their name tags from bulletin board, Shepherd can get them or make them one.
Explain that this is the Episcopal Traditions workshop and today they will learn about prayer in our church.
Hand out lap boards, a blank piece of paper, a colored pencil to each child.
Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Telling the story: Explain that the children are to put their pencil on the paper and make a doodle drawing, [demonstrate for them,] and not lift their pencil. They should continue to draw through the telling of the story. Read them the following poem version of Daniel.
GOOGLE then READ the poem: The Lions Weren't Hungry Last Night
They are the lyrics to a song from Bullfrogs and Butterflies.
Responding to the story:
Tell them to stop when you finish reading and put their paper beside them, we will talk about it later.
Hold up a prayer book and ask if they know what it is? Hopefully most should know that it is a prayer book. Ask if they know when we use it? Hopefully some will know we use it in church during the service? Ask if they know why we use it? Hopefully some will know that we use it so we know the words to pray together.
For the preschoolers this may be as far as you go with this discussion or you can try some of the older class discussion.
For the K-2, explain that we find the words for all of the services the church does in this book, daily services, Sunday services, baptisms, funerals and ordaining priests and bishops just to name a few. Focus them on where in the prayer book they can find prayers they can use. Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families p. 137, Prayers and Thanksgivings p. 810
For the 3-5, have them look at the table of contents to discover what all the book contains also focus them on the Daily Devotions and Prayers and Thanksgivings. Ask them to find specific services.
For all children, Ask when they pray and what prayers they say. Many children say dinner prayers and bedtime prayers. Explain that there are 4 types of prayers and we can remember them with the word ACTS. Have the following on a flip chart.
A - Adoration (telling God how wonderful He is!)
C – confession (telling God we’re sorry for the things we do wrong)
T – thanksgiving (telling God thank you for things)
S – supplication or "send help" (asking God for help for someone else or yourself)
Explain that Daniel prayed to God. God always answers prayers but he doesn’t always answer the way we want. His answer may be yes, no, maybe or I have a better way. What do you think Daniel prayed for? I wonder what you would have prayed if you were Daniel? To get out of the Lion’s Den? For God to Kill the Lions? Did God answer Daniel’s prayer, how?
Today we are going to experience a way to pray. In small groups we will go next door and walk in a Labyrinth. Has anyone ever walked in a Labyrinth before? Look at your drawings, if you didn’t lift your paper you sort of drew a Labyrinth, in a Labyrinth there in only one door and the path leads to the center and then you walk back over your path to get out again.
Rules of walking the Labyrinth:
You should walk in silence, you might find it helpful to think to yourself a phrase such as “God is good” or “Lord hear my prayer” and say it over and over in your head as you walk to help you keep your mind on God.
You should stay on the path, don’t cut across.
You should walk slowly, our Labyrinth is small compared to most so it won’t take long to walk but you are praying to God through your movements so you shouldn’t run.
If you come up on someone, you should quietly pass them, don’t tailgate.
When you get to the center you may stop quietly and listen for God and when you are ready turn around and go back the way you came.
When you are out, quietly walk to the Chapel and pick someone else to come.
I will play some quiet meditative music and we will go over in small groups, while you are waiting your turn or after you have finished you may make yourself an ACTS prayer book to take home and at the back will be a finger labyrinth that you may do at home.
This week’s Journal question is :
How does prayer fit in your life? When do you pray? Write or draw about this.
· Shepherds will pass out journal papers and colored pencils for today these should be collected and put in their journal files.
Take Home Message: Today we learned about prayer in the church. In order to hear God, we need to be quiet and listen.
Closing Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for bringing us all together today to learn about prayer in our church and for bringing us closer to you through praying the labyrinth. Watch over us this week and keep us safe.
A lesson posted by rotation.org member SheilaB
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
