77 Ways to Pray With Your Kids

by Jerry Windley-Daoust

If you have a nagging sense that you should be praying with your kids but don't know where to begin, this book is for you. 77 Ways to Pray with Your Kids offers short, practical explanations of the many ways Catholics pray. While not all the prayer styles will become a permanent part of your family's prayer life, trying different types of prayer is a great way to introduce your kids to the wealth of prayer practices available. Along the way, a handful of these might become part of your family's routine, enriching your life together and deepening your friendship with Christ. You'll

- Age-appropriate suggestions for young children, older kids, and teens

- Answers to questions kids have about prayer

- An appendix of Catholic prayers

A quick-find index that doubles as a checklist from mealtime prayers to keeping a prayer journal and praying a family Rosary, you re sure to find lots of ideas for conversing with God together!

Genres: Religion, Parenting, Prayer

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2015

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful little book to read. It really packs a lot of content into 126 pages. I love praying with and for my kids. This book begins with a Questions and Answers Section. The section highlights, some of the how and why to pray with your children. And this book gave me a bunch of new ideas to try. One of the best things about this book is that the last section in the book is a checklist so you can mark off the ways that you have tried, and work your way through the 77 methods offered in the book. The other great thing about the book is that is that it knows it cannot teach it all, often it gives links or suggestions to go further with different methods of prayer offered in the book.

The sections in this book are:
Q & A: How to Use This Book
Chapter One: How to Pray Together
Chapter Two: Times to Pray Together
Chapter Three: Ways of Praying Together
Chapter Four: Helps for Prayer
A Final Word: Pray for Your Children
A Handful of Catholic Prayers

But the list at the end of the book has some highlighted sections worth mentioning:
Advent Wreath
Answer the Questions Jesus Asks
Apps for Prayer
Ask for What You Need
Bedtime Prayers
Bite-sized Biblical Prayers
Bless One Another
Bless Your Home
Celebrate the Anointing of the Sick
Celebrate the Eucharist
Celebrate Reconciliation
Consecrate Your Family
Contemplative Prayer
Daily Examen
Dance Your Prayer
Discernment
Display Holy Images and Objects
Eucharistic Adoration
Evening Prayer
Examination of Conscience
Family Prayer Time
Go on a Pilgrimage
Gratitude or Thanksgiving Journal
Holy Water
Let Kids Lead
Smells and Bells
Write Your Prayer

These were the 27 that grabbed me most my first time through this book. These are the ones I have set as the list to try first with my children. For example my son, my middle child has started to be afraid to sleep in his room alone. So we got bottles for Holy Water, now before bed we bless ourselves with holy water and make the sign of the cross. I do it over the children and then let each of them do it for me. Now each child has a bottle of Holy Water. If they get frustrated, realize they are not being the best version of themselves, or for whatever reason they can go and bless themselves and take a moment to pray. This has become so popular we now have a bottle on each floor of the house.

Also at the end of the book is a collection of 41 Catholic Prayers. Some my children already have memorized many we have not prayed yet, and now some more we are using regularly. Each section of the book has between 1 and 4 icons at the beginning, e, 3+, 7+, 13+ the e stands for prayers that require no preparation or material, you can read the section and do it. The + are age levels for the prayers.

This was a wonderful book. I know that as my children grow I will keep referring back to it. I do not know if we will try all 77 methods highlighted in the book, but I would like to think that over the next number of years we will get there. And I am sure if you give it a read there will be a few dozen that jump out at you to try right away, and likely a few that will stretch your comfort zone. But for the spiritual health of your children and even your own personal growth give the book a try!

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.

(Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: A Year of Reading Intention - Catholic Reading!)

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many very good ideas in this book and many references to other resources. It isn’t something to sit and read through so much as a resource from which to draw ideas. Unfortunately some of the online and app resources are now out of date. One of the benefits of this book is that it provides very simple encouragement and ideas for various age groups and for people at any level of faith commitment.

[Candida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little book. It is full of bite size pieces of advice on how to pray with your kids of all ages. It even has a list of craft ideas, and prayers in the back.

[Sarah McClure Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this resource for my family. ❤️