What are you looking for?

So guess what I got in the mail this week?

It’s real, folks. After a long…long path here, Permanent Markers releases October 5. (Grab the first chapter free via the right-hand sidebar of my blog, if you’re game.)

To generate a little excitement, I’m spilling some of the bonus resources I’m developing for the book!

Nearly every life skill will have companion bonus resources on this website (and FamilyLife will have a free downloadable 7-day devotion of these skills in October! Hip, hip, hooray!).

So today I’ll share some prayer tools for families to help your kids learn the life skill of prayer.  Get ’em while they’re hot.

Prayer Tools for Families: The “Permanent Truth” on Prayer

These prayer tools build around some core understandings about prayer.

Talking with God shouldn’t be a periodic act but a constant conversation that’s

• intimate
• natural (not stilted)
• constant
• relational
• vital
• effective

Help your kids see how prayer changes us. It shapes our heart when we’re trying to forgive someone. It may lead to ideas of how to serve. As we see our prayers for ourselves and each other kick-start change in our own lives, we can say, “Hey, I love seeing you do that. We’ve been praying for that!”

Praying for each other is one ultimate form of love.

Want a few prayer tools to help?

The Prayer of Examen for Families

There have been times in the last few years–an emotional/spiritual(/life) slump for me–where sensing God’s presence has been marked by doubt and distance.  But God tells me he’s everywhere:

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
…Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

-Psalm 139, The Message

So part of my task is simply to see him. (Please don’t miss this post if you’re grappling with this, or with struggling to see him and see joy.)

Think about trying out the ancient prayer of Examen to help kids detect God’s presence in their days. Here’s my modern wording.

Print it here.

Breath Prayers

If you’re not familiar with breath prayers—as this poster mentions, these are prayers you can pray in a single breath, repeating if you like as you inhale and exhale. I love how this communicates to kids the ease and constancy of prayer. (You can even make your own!)

Print these breath prayers here.

5-Finger Prayer Method

I’m not in love with helping our kids rely on formulaic prayer–and most of these templates work against that grain.

But younger kids are learning the basics of what healthy prayer looks like. (Think of it like you would a relationship with a human: “Talk to your Mom about all these things for a healthy relationship.”

Each finger on their little hands can remind even kids about how Jesus taught us to pray (in Matthew 6:9-13).

Print the 5-Finger Prayer Method here.

Prayer Deck

Here’s your own deck of prayer prompts to pass out at dinner, after breakfast, or at bedtime; think of it as “prayer roulette.” Print this three-page FREE PRINTABLE PRAYER DECK (try paper that’s a bit jazzy on the other side) and laminate them for longer use.

Print the entire prayer deck here.

Loving these prayer tools? Consider sharing them with another parent who could use a hand up. (And if you want, shameless plug–the book’s on preorder right now, full of ideas like this.)

Keep pressing on for kids who love Him all the way.

Like this post of prayer tools? You might like

Spiritual Disciplines for Real Families: Fun Ways to Study God’s Word (with FREE printables)

Spiritual Disciplines for Real Families: Service

Spiritual Life Skills for Kids (and their Grownups): Lectio Divina (FREE Printable!)