Opening Prayer

Praise and Worship is an important part of every lesson. However, this can be quite a challenge with younger children because of their attention spans. The best time for praise and worship is towards the beginning of the class and after the opening activity. This helps the children know that it is time to be focused and to begin the lesson. If attempted towards the end of the class, the children have a tendency to be less focused and more interested in going to the next phase of their day. The Opening Prayer should always include the following: 1. Praise to God for the opportunity to meet and for the attendance of everyone present. 2. A request for guidance, especially for the teacher to share the Word of God in a meaningful way. 3. Ask for the children to be open to learning the Word of God and that the Holy Spirit is present in everyone's heart and in the classroom. Sharing prayer requests or praises: The opening prayer is also the best time to include prayer requests or praises. With a new class, the children may not be comfortable to do much sharing, but as they get to know each other, they will be more likely to offer praises and prayer requests. This can take a while, so it is important to make sure the kids stay focused on giving only praises or prayer requests and not to become sidetracked on other issues. If the class size is very large, you may want to consider dividing into smaller groups and have prayer led by more than one adult leader or helper. You may also want to limit each child to one prayer request and praise. When including prayer request and praises, always consider the following: 1. Ensure everyone has a chance to contribute. 2. Be prepared to jot down what is said rather than trusting your memory. 3. Be sure to touch on each child's prayer request or praise. It is important for them to know you care and that their prayer requests and praises are important. 4. Make sure special needs of your church or church members are also mentioned. 5. Keep the total amount of time dedicated to praise and worship to no more than about 10 minutes.

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