Prayer is an integral part of our faith walk as Christians, but it’s one of those things that’s easy to forget—especially when it comes to making it a regular part of our family’s daily routine. Once school starts back, everyone hits the ground running as soon as the alarm clocks go off, breakfast is rushed, we throw our kids in the car, down our coffee on the way to school drop-off, and start work as soon as we get home. Half the day has gone by, and we realize we haven’t stopped to talk to God yet. There is no shame in this widely shared struggle—there’s only an opportunity to think of some simple ways we can make prayer a rhythm in our day.

What works for each family will be different, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

Come up with a simple breakfast prayer that you pray every morning

Having a prayer that is repeated every day may sound funny to some, but what is repeated is what is retained over time. Little, growing brains will begin to remember the words said to God each morning, teaching their hearts biblical truths simply by repetition.

We suggest your prayer include a foundational doctrine, gratitude, and a request. Here is an example:

Father, thank You for a new day and that Your mercies are new every morning. We need You and invite You into our day. Would You lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit? Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for us. Help us to live for You today. Bless this food, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Write a 1–3 sentence prayer on a sticky note and put it in your children’s lunchbox

This is a small way to help them take ownership and make prayer a part of their day even when you’re not with them. As they grow, cultivating their own relationship with Jesus through prayer will impact them for years to come and make talking to God a familiar practice.

Here’s an example:

Father, thank You for this food and my friends. Give me strength for the rest of my day, and help me to love those around me the way You love me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

On the way home from school or at the dinner table, ask your kids if there is anyone from their day that you can pray for together as a family

This is a simple and quick way to remind yourself and your kids to think of others and be aware of the needs around you. We can get so caught up in our own needs and our world that we forget to pay attention and ask others how we can pray for them. You can encourage your kids to pay attention if they see a classmate at school who seems sad or upset. Checking on them and asking if they need prayer is a great way to show Jesus’ love and be a light in their school.

At bedtime, pray for something going on in the world

Sometimes we all need to be reminded that the world is a lot bigger than us and that there are many people out there who need prayer. This is a great opportunity to pray for the Bibleless—those who do not yet have Scripture in their heart language. We encourage you to have real and honest conversations with your children about why millions of people still do not have a single passage of Scripture in their own language and how impactful it would be if these people could read or hear God’s Word.

We have created some fun and practical resources for you to teach your kids how to pray for Bible translation. Download them here.

Here is a simple prayer you can use to pray for the Bibleless:

Jesus, speed up and empower the Bible translation movement. Rescue the nations out of darkness with the light of Your Word.

Concluding thoughts

However you choose to integrate prayer into your family’s daily routine, be assured that it will be fruitful. No prayer is small or insignificant. James 5:16 teaches us that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Let us cultivate rhythms of prayer for our families to thrive in as we contend for God’s Kingdom to advance in our lives and in the world.