Monday 26 May 2014

Coloured bubble prayer paintings

This is a lovely, peaceful yet colourful way to encourage children to be reflective and to pray for others.

You will need: bubble mix containers and bubble wands, paper plates, food colouring (gel works fine for this!).  DO NOT try adding paint instead- the bubble mix ceases to work!

Mix food colouring with the bubble mix- a different colour in each pot.  Experiment to find a level of colour that works for you.  The colours I have used are quite delicate, but you could go much bolder!



Give each child a paper plate and ask children to think of the people they would like to pray for and ask God to bless them.  
Spend a moment in silence thinking about them, then encourage the children to blow a set of bubbles onto their plate for each person they are praying for.  Wait for the bubbles to burst while you are praying for that person, then continue.  

When the burst bubbles dry, the paper plate is a piece of prayer art work that the children can keep!

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Boxes Prayer Game

Children love this game, so here's a twist that adds prayer to the mix...

You will need: A piece of paper, pens or pencils (each player should have a different colour)

Draw some dots in lines and columns on the paper (see below).  I used 10 rows of 7 dots.

Each player takes it in turns to draw a line between two of the dots.  Eventually, you will be able to close up boxes.  Whoever draws the line that closes the box can write or draw inside the box...
  • Someone's name- ask God to bless them and help them
  • Something that you want to thank God for
  • Something you would like to ask God for
Take time to say the prayer out loud or in your head, then carry on!


The winner is the player who has filled the most boxes by the end of the game.

Friday 16 May 2014

Psalm 139: Fearfully and wonderfully made craft and prayer activity

Here is a craft and prayer activity to help children to explore the unique person that God has made them. It works well with looking at Psalm 139:14, but also works with the creation story or any situation when we are thanking God for who He has made us to be.

Craft Activity: You will need: Paper circles, scissors, pens/pencils
 Give each child a circle of paper.  Fold it in half and in half again.  Use the scissors to cut patterns, as in making paper snowflakes.
Open the circles out and talk about how each snowflake the children have made is beautiful and unique.  No two will be the same.  Now get children to write and draw on the snowflake the things they like about themselves and their favourite things.  Encourage children to look at each other's snowflakes.  Have you learned something new about any of your friends?  Talk to children about how God has made them all unique and special and that he knows all about them and loves them for who they are.
Prayer activity: Hang the snowflakes on a washing line to display the unique people in the room.  As each child hangs their snowflake, thank God for them and pray that they will come to know even more about the special person God has made them.

Monday 12 May 2014

Play Dough Storytelling

We're on a bit of a roll with the play dough at the moment, so here's another idea for using it!

When you have told a Bible story, get the children to use play dough to make a scene from the story or to make something that illustrates the main idea they have taken away with them from what they have heard.  Let them be creative and it's amazing what they will come up with!

Alternatively, take it in turns to use the play dough to model a scene from the Bible and guess which story is being shown.  

Here are some examples...

 The Garden of Eden: This is Eve, holding an apple with an apple tree and a snake next to her.
 The last supper:  Here there are two disciples and '+ 10' written to show that there were 10 more disciples at the table!
The Crucifxion


This is a great way to find out what the children have learned and also what has spoken to them individually from what they have heard!

Thursday 8 May 2014

Creative Play Dough Intercessions

This is an interactive idea for use in a family or with a small group of children led by an adult or a child, helping them to focus on praying for others.  Below are some ideas for praying in each section, but encourage the children to add their own prayers too!  Thanks to Kate who used a variation of this with a group of us this morning.




Give each child a piece of play dough.

Make the play dough into a ball.

Pray for the World.  Thank God for creation.  Pray for places where there is war and famine.  Pray for people who care for the world. 

Make the play dough into a cross

Pray for the church.  Pray for Christians who are persecuted.  Pray for people who lead the church.  Pray for your own church.  Pray that people who don't know who Jesus is will come to know Him.

Make the Play dough into a heart.

Pray for people.  Pray for families and friends.  Pray for people who are ill and lonely.  Pray that God will help you to bless people.

Make the play dough into your name's initial letter

Pray for yourself.  Ask God to bless you and to help you with the hard things.  Thank God for the good things he has given you.

Friday 2 May 2014

Ascension Spiral Prayers

I found this great idea at Carrots are Orange and thought how useful it might be for an Ascension prayer activity.  

Talk about Jesus' ascension in Acts 1.  Even though he has ascended to heaven and we can not see him, he is still with us, hears us and helps us.

Draw round a CD and then draw a spiral inside it.  Think about things you would like to pray to Jesus about- help, thanks, blessings for others etc and write or draw them inside the spiral.

Cut the spiral out and thread a piece of string through the top so that you can hold the thread and the spiral will dangle down (see picture below).  

The spiral will spin slightly just by virtue of being held,  but when held over a bulb or source of heat, the spiral will spin much more because of the rising of hot air.  Even though we can't see the hot air, it is still there, rising up.  The movement of the spiral gives a 'rising' or 'ascending' visual for the written or drawn prayers and a reminder that, even though we can't see him, Jesus is always with us.