This page is for parents, grandparents and teachers who want to pray for a child, a daughter or a son, and for children themselves. The words can be very simple: God listens with tenderness. Read these prayers aloud, at bedtime or in the morning, and let the child add their own words.
Prayers
A Child's Simple Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for my family, my friends and everything you have given me. Today, help me to be kind, to tell the truth and to obey my parents. When I am afraid, remind me that you are with me. When I do something wrong, forgive me and help me start again. Protect my family and the people I love. Bless my teachers and my classmates. Please give me a good night of sleep too. I want to know you better every day. Thank you for listening to me. Amen.
Matthew 19:14
Entrusting My Son or Daughter to God
Father, I entrust my child to you. You formed them and you know them better than I do. Keep them in their comings and goings, at school, with their friends and in everything they live. Protect their body, their heart and their mind. When I am not there, be there. Give them friends who pull them toward what is good and a heart that opens to you. Forgive me when worry takes over, and teach me to trust you rather than give in to fear. I place their life in your hands. In Jesus' name, amen.
Psalm 121:7-8
Thank You for the Gift of a Child
Lord, thank you for the gift of entrusting this child to me. Thank you for their smile, their questions, their progress and even their tantrums that teach me patience. Help me show them your love by my actions as much as by my words. May our home be a place of peace and joy. Let them grow in wisdom and stature and in favor, as Jesus did. I praise you for your faithfulness to our family. In Jesus' name, amen.
Psalm 127:3
A prayer for my child before school or an exam
Lord, today my child goes back to school, and may be carrying worries I cannot see. I entrust them to you before they step through the door. Give them a calm mind, focus, and memory of what they have learned. Help them remember that their worth does not depend on their grades. Give them courage in the face of difficulties and kindness toward their classmates. Protect them from teasing and bad influences, and place good, sincere friends beside them. Father, make me attentive to their emotions when they come home in the evening, too. I know you walk with them even when I am not there. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Joshua 1:9
A prayer for a teenager who is drifting away
Father, my teenager is drifting away from me, and maybe from you too. I feel worry, helplessness, and sometimes guilt. I give them back to you, because they belong to you before they belong to me. Keep them from the dangers I cannot watch over. Give me the patience to listen without always reacting, and the wisdom to say the right words at the right time. May our home remain a place where they feel welcome, whatever happens. Lord, you know what they are going through deep inside. Raise up people around them who will speak to them about you with respect. Like the father who waited for his son, teach me to keep the door open and my heart tender. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Luke 15:20
A parent's prayer for wisdom
Lord, raising a child is a beautiful privilege, but I often feel overwhelmed. I do not always know when to be firm and when to be gentle, when to say no and when to say yes. Give me the wisdom I need, because you offer it to those who ask. Help me to be an example more than a lecturer, to admit my mistakes in front of my children and to ask their forgiveness when I am wrong. Keep me from quick anger and from words that discourage. Teach me to love each of my children as you have, with their gifts and their personality. Father, I am not a perfect parent, but I rely on your grace. In the name of Jesus, amen.
James 1:5
The kingdom of God is for me
« Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. »
Mark 10:14
I proclaim that the kingdom of God belongs to me, for Jesus said to let the little children come to him.
I am wonderfully made
« I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. »
Psalm 139:14
I declare that I am a wonderful work of God. He formed me with care and his works are marvelous.
I honor my parents
« Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. »
Ephesians 6:1
I proclaim that I obey my parents in the Lord, for this is right, and I receive the blessing attached to this obedience.
I grow in wisdom
« And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. »
Luke 2:52
I declare that I grow in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and with people, just as Jesus did.
God watches over my steps
« The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear him, and delivers them. »
Psalm 34:7
I proclaim that the angel of the Lord encamps around me and delivers me, for God watches over me with love.