How to pray for your kids, one part of their life at a time

Most parents pray for their children. Fewer of us know what to say after “please keep them safe”. That prayer is good and right, but children are whole people, and it can help to pray for them one part of their life at a time.

Here is a simple pattern you can use on the school run, at bedtime or while you wait at the school gate. Pick one area a day, pray for each child by name, and you will have covered their whole life in a week.

Before you start: pray by name

Use their name. It sounds obvious, but praying “for the kids” can slip into a blur. Saying “Lily” or “Josh” out loud, or in your head, keeps the prayer personal and keeps you paying attention to who they actually are this week.

If you have more than one child, you don’t need to give each one equal time every day. Notice who needs it most today.

Monday: their faith

Pray that they would know God for themselves, not just as their parents’ faith.

Lord, let [name] know that you love them. Not because we told them, but because they have met you. Grow a faith in them that is their own.

Tuesday: their friendships

Friendships shape children more than almost anything. Pray for good friends, for kindness, and for the courage to be a good friend too.

Give [name] at least one true friend this week. Make them kind to the child no one sits with. Protect them from friendships that pull them away from who they are.

Wednesday: their mind

Pray for school, for learning, and for the quieter things: worries they may not mention, and the thoughts they have at night.

Luke tells us that the young Jesus “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” (Luke 2:52). That is a good prayer for any child.

Help [name] to learn well and to love learning. Quiet the worries they carry. Give them peace when they lie awake.

Thursday: their body

Pray for health, sleep and safety, and also for how they see their own body as they grow.

Keep [name] well and safe today. Give them good sleep. Help them to see their body as a gift and not a problem to fix.

Friday: their character

Pray for honesty, patience, generosity and the ability to say sorry. Then, if you’re brave, pray the same for yourself.

Make [name] honest when it’s hard and kind when no one is watching. And make me the parent who shows them how.

Saturday: their future

Pray for the people they will meet, the choices they will make and the places they will go, without needing to know what any of it will be.

You know the whole of [name]’s life. Lead them to good work, good people and, in time, a good home. Let them never be far from you.

Sunday: give thanks

End the week by thanking God for each child, specifically. What made you laugh this week? What did they do that surprised you?

The apostle John wrote, “I have no greater joy than this: to hear about my children walking in truth” (3 John 4). Thanksgiving trains us to notice the good, not just the worries.

Make it stick

• Tie it to something you already do, like the walk to school or putting on the kettle after drop-off.
• Tell them sometimes. “I prayed for your maths test this morning” can mean a lot to a nervous ten-year-old, and even more to a teenager who pretends it doesn’t.
• Pray with another parent. Agree to pray for each other’s children once a week. You will both remember better.

In Prayershake you can add each child as their own request and share it with your partner, or a grandparent who prays for them too. Each of you will see when the other has prayed, so your children are carried by more than one person.