When did you start praying with your children?

[ellam25]

I have a 20 month old daughter, and I am wondering when I should start praying with her, and help her understand what praying is. Right now she’s still really naughty in church and couldn’t care less about it, and I feel like if I tried to sit down and say the rosary with her she’d get bored fast. Any suggestions? Should I say some short prayers with her as a bedtime routine aND get the ball rolling?

 

[PaulfromIowa]

I don’t know that 20 months is old enough to expect much active participation, but she can and should certainly see you and her father praying every day.

 

[nodito]

My kids are 6, 3, and 19 months. The 19 month old gets a quick “God bless LO!” before bed, and will sometimes be in the room when I’m doing bedtime prayers for the older two. The older two do bedtime prayers consisting of an Our Father, Hail Mary, and what we call “thank yous and please helps.” We do prayers before meals and the 19 month old has learned to fold her hands.

I think if you started with a short bedtime prayer (Maybe “Now I lay me down to sleep”?) before bed and some mealtime prayers, that’s pretty good for that age. Beyond that, just try to model it yourself.

 

[pianistclare]

From the moment they were born.
Prayer can be an integral part of the entire family’s life without being obsessive or obnoxious to others.
If you are a prayerful person, your children will follow suit. It’s wonderful that your are proactive about it.

 

[pensmama87]

Bedtime and meals are a perfect start! That’s what we did with our oldest, and have steadily added on. New babies just come along for the ride.

 

[egretps]

My kids had a special little cloth bag with a prayer book and big bead rosary for church. Sitting quietly takes practice. I had one who loved to sing, so we sang in the car from time to time church songs.

I would explain what was going on during Mass, even when the were little.

I would say their prayers for them when they were little and show them how they could hold their hands, i.e. Interlaced fingers or pressed together.

After church I would walk the around and point out the different saints pictures/statues. BIble strories etc. in a soft voice, they pay attention.

You’ll find what works for her.

 

[Allegra]

At that age, I think quick prayers of thanks at mealtime and bedtime are most appropriate. In a few months, you could probably start modeling asking for intentions at bedtime. After my daughter turned two, we started encouraging her to ask God for help when she was frightened or angry about something and we always prayed for our family members and close friends at bedtime too.

 

[john1513]

From day 0 (or -9 months). They absorb spiritually and mentally more than we understand. I simple non-formal prayer followed by an Our Father and Hail Mary (we eventually added in Glory Be, Guardian Angel prayers, then a little older started repeating Hail Marys x3, then x10, etc.) followed by intentions (start with just immediate family members, then branch out into special intentions, for the Church, your priest by name, souls in purgatory, etc.

 

[holyrood]

I started praying with my oldest, I don’t know, around 2? Maybe younger. But from there, for years we had a family Rosary most nights, so from the time kids were born. As infants, of course, I or one of the older kids would hold them. We often lit candles and had a large statue of Mary and I think they came to associate it with a very peaceful time.

As they saw the older kids take turns leading decades of the Rosary, I think it became a thing they wanted to do…like the big kids.

I would also suggest seeing if you can find a children’s book, something pretty simple, with pictures and short stories of each of the mysteries of the Rosary.

Sitting still is really an individual thing. I still hate sitting still. Some of my kids find it easier to do. I have boys with ADHD/possibly on the autism spectrum. I let them hold a cat or pet the dog while we pray. If their hands are doing something, I think it helps them ‘sit.’

 

[1990Domer]

About 1 1/2 years old, and we always took him to Mass. One may think he wasn’t paying attention, but he is one of the most well-grounded kids I know (and this comes from others telling us after he serves).

I can vouch this is also true for our friends, who did the same with their kiddos. It really sticks.