Prayer in the

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Investigating
Prayer in the Classroom
A Helping Hand for Teachers
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Some Questions

• What is your own personal experience of prayer?
• How does prayer fit into your classroom? What
  role does it take in classroom life?
• What makes a prayer a positive experience for you
  and your students?
• What makes a prayer a negative experience for you
  and your students?
• How do you pray?

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In Theory

• All children have the capacity and the potential
  to pray. They need adults with a good sense of
  their own faith development to help them along
  the way.
• God tirelessly calls each person to the
  mysterious encounter known as prayer.
• Prayer helps us to enter the inner quiet of our
  being to discover and communicate with God
• According to the scriptures, it is the heart that
  prays.
• Prayer is a conscious and intentional coming to
  terms with our actual circumstances and reality
  before God.
• Prayer is like an instant telephone call with
  God. We do not even need the phone.
• Children will be more likely to respond to
  creative, inventive, original and imaginative
  approaches to prayer.

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Not all prayers are answered.
A common question for all children will be What
if God doesnt answer my prayers? This is a valid
concern as we should not encourage children to
see God a some magical figure who, with the click
of his fingers, can suddenly make it rain or make
the wars stop or stop world poverty. Children
must realise that there is a reason for
everything. People create wars, people pollute
the air, people contribute to poverty etc. God
cannot fix what we continue to create. We have to
change, not God.
GONE ARE THE DAYS WHERE GOD SITS ON A
THRONE WAVING HIS WAND AND GRANTING WISHES.
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• Prayer can be fun and enjoyable.

• Prayer can bring comfort.

• Through prayer, a sense of belonging is felt and
  we can connect with others.

• Prayer allows time for quiet and inner reflection
  there is time out for self.

• Prayer can be uplifting and creative.

Positives

• Prayer allows for self expression

• Prayer can be spontaneous.

• Forget the structure to prayer, God will listen
  to anything we have to say in any form it may
  take.

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• Prayers are all too often said on behalf of the
  children.

• God is just not between our fingers.

• Prayer can become too structured.

• Children have to close their eyes.

Negatives

• Children are not parrots.

• Prayers are written for children.

• Children do not know what to pray about.

• Children find it hard to keep their attention
  from wandering.

Some prayers are not always answered. We have the
power to answer them ourselves.
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Praying with Children

• Encourage them to talk about their understanding
  of God.

• Help them develop a variety of different God
  images.

• Ask them to share their favourite ways of praying.

• Help them to see that our own actions in this
  world are important God is not just in heaven
  controlling everything here on Earth.

• Introduce them to scripture stories.

• Use as many types of media and materials.

• Allow them to take control of the prayer.

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BE CREATIVE
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• Art
• Scripture
• In the Environment

• Symbols
• Through play
• Chants

How Can We Pray in the Classroom?

• Silence
• Music
• Song

• Traditional Prayers
• Meditation

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• One Hundred and One Ideas for Creative Prayers
  Judith Merrell

• Prayer Ideas for Ministry with Young
  People.Joseph Grant

?

• Just Imagine One Rina Wintour
• Just Imagine Two Rina Wintour

• New Ideas for creative prayers Judith Merrell

Your Own Creative Talent and Energy

• Prayer Podders Michael Herbert

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IDEAS

• Thank you, Sorry, Please. (Four of a Kind)
  (Prayer Pyramids)
• Prayer Hand
• Four Faces
• Three Circles
• Prayer Diaries
• Scrapbook
• Prayers to Join In
• Prayer Doodle
• Fold a Prayer
• Prayer Walk

• God Can
• Prayer Echoes
• Emailing God
• Locker Art Prayer
• Prayers to Shout
• Gift of Praise
• Prayer Flower
• Prayer Bricks
• Graffiti Wall
• Prayer Shapes
• Worry Box

• Using scripture
• When we are ill
• Remember tp Pray

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Thankyou Sorry Please

• Pin up three envelopes labelled Thankyou, Sorry
  and Please.
• Let the students write their prayers on slips of
  paper and put them in the envelopes
• Check on the prayers as a class regularly and
  share in the joy of them and see if they have
  been answered.

FOUR OF A KIND
PRAYER PYRAMIDS
MODIFICATIONS
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Prayer Hands

• The index finger reminds us to pray for those
  who point the way for us in our lives (eg
  teachers)
• The middle finger reminds us to pray for those
  who rule over us
• Third finger reminds us to pray for those whom
  we love
• The little finger reminds us to pray for those
  who are weak, elderly or ill, or even little old
  me.
• The thumb reminds us to pray for those abroad,
  missionaries or people living in difficult
  situations

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Four Faces

• Show the faces one at a time to prompt their
  suggestions for prayer.
• First picture reminds us to look up to God and
  offer him our praise and worship
• Second picture reminds us to look at ourselves
  and pray about our own lives.
• Third face reminds us to look around at others
  and pray for our friends who may be ill or
  absent.
• Fourth face reminds us to pray about something
  that may be happening tomorrow, next week or in
  the future.

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Three Circles

• Three concentric circles.
• Our neighbourhood suggest local issues that
  should be prayed about.
• Our country suggest national topics of prayer
• Other countries suggest topics of international
  prayer
• Finish with a short time of open prayer weave
  together all topics mentioned

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Prayer Diaries
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• Have a short time of news sharing each week
  whereby the students share some of the joys and
  worries of the previous week and any concerns for
  the following week
• Weave the ideas together into a prayer thanking
  God for all the good things that have happened
  and asking for help in the areas of concern.
• Write the prayer into the scrapbook and match
  with pictures.
• Look back from time to time.

Scrapbook
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Prayers to Join In
Our Father who art in heaven. (Raise both hands
high and look up) Hallowed be thy name (Bow head
and cross arms over chest) Thy kingdom come (Move
one arm outward) Thy will be done (Move the other
arm outward) On earth (Bend towards earth,
pointing arms downward) As it is in heaven (Look
up, reach upward with both arms) Give us this day
our daily bread (Cup hands together in front of
body) And forgive us our trespasses (Bend head,
hold hands in fist upon chest) As we forgive
those (Move one hand outward) Who trespass
against us (Move the other hand outward And lead
us not in to temptation (Turn face away, hold
hands to side as a stop signal) But deliver us
from evil (Raise both arms in gesture of freedom)
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Doodle Prayers
Invites children to use their imagination and
have fun transforming ordinary doodles into
prayers. Works well in groups. Students cover a
page with doodles and then write prayers to match
them. Idea is to be spontaneous.
Dear God, Sometimes I feel like I am going around
in circles. Please help me to find my way.
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Fold a Prayer
Each student receives a piece of paper and writes
a one line prayer request at the top of the page.
Then they fold over the paper over. Students then
pass the paper to the left or right. Continue
until there at least 5 or 6 prayers on the
paper. Read them aloud or silently with some
reflective music.
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Prayer Walk
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• WE CANNOT DO IT BUT GOD CAN
• The God Can reminds us to let go and let God
  help.
• Students call to mind a challenging or difficult
  situation in their lives or the world. They
  briefly describe the situation and place it in
  the God Can.
• They have handed the situation over to God
• Guiding questions are helpful (eg Is there
  something that causes you to be anxious or even
  afraid. Are there people in your life who you are
  not at peace with, those who have hurt you or you
  have hurt?)
• What will have to do to help God answer our
  concerns (remember he/she is not magical)?

God Can
GOD CAN
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Prayer Echoes

• Offers a twist to traditional prayers by inviting
  participants to echo and re-emphasise key words
  of a well known prayer.
• Participation and understanding is deepened.
• Students can write their own

See a Prayer Echo
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Hail Mary
Reader One Echo One
Re Echo Hail Mary
Hail
Hail Full of Grace
Of Grace
Of Grace The Lord is with you
With you
With you Blessed are you among
women Blessed
Blessed And Blessed is the fruit
The Fruit
The Fruit Of your womb Jesus
Jesus
Jesus Holy Mary Mother of God
Holy Mary Holy
Mary Pray for us sinners now
Pray for us now Pray for us
now And at the hour of death
Hour of Death Hour of
Death Amen
Amen
Amen
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EMAILING GOD
Prayer is an instant, and constant communication
with God that is easier and faster than
email. Prayer can explore the instantaneous
connection to God using the language and motifs
of electronic mail. Students create email
addresses for God and using strips of paper send
a series of brief messages and replies to
scriptural messages.
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Locker Art Prayer

• Hands on prayer that invites students to
  creatively redesign old, familiar prayers in the
  style of contemporary teenage art.
• It provides a remarkable visual image of prayer
  that can be used to decorate walls of your
  classroom or another part of the school maybe
  the church

Example of Locker Art
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HAIL MARY
full of grace
Hail Mary
The Lord is with you
Blessed are you among women
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Prayers to Shout
Jesus was pleased to hear the children shouting
in the Temple, Praise to Davids Son! (Mt
2115) The chief priests and teachers of the law
were annoyed but Jesus called their shouts,
Perfect Praise!
Click to See a Prayer to Shout
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Jesus is Special
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Jesus is SPECIAL Lets shout and
yell S.P.E.C.I.A.L. We praise you Jesus Well go
and tell S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Hes our friend Hes
S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
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Gift of Praise

• Gift wrap a small box and tie a ribbon around it
  to make it look like a present.
• Then give out small pieces of paper or sticky
  labels and ask the group to each draw or write
  something that they want to thank God for
• Quiet music can play while students come and
  place the prayers on the box.

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Prayer Flower
Students write a prayer of thanks or a prayer of
concern on a petal. The petal is attached to the
flower throughout the term.
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Prayer Bricks

• A catholic School class is a class that prays
  together for its work and its members.
• Students draw an outline of their building on a
  large sheet of paper.
• Each student is then given a rectangle of paper
  and then they write prayer for their school and
  class or anything attached to it in anyway.
• Students paste their bricks on the wall and come
  back to it another time until it is finished.

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Worry Box
Graffiti Wall
Prayer Shapes
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When we are ill

• Draw a large outline of a bed and ask your
  students to tell you the names of any people they
  know who are ill or in hospital.
• Write the names on the bed covers
• Using elastoplast, write JESUS CARES and students
  stick these beside the names on the bed.

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Using Scripture
ECHO MIMES
LIQUID PICTURES
CHORUS PLAYS
RAPS
RAPS
Next Slide
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ECHO MIMES

• An echo mime is a creative way to represent a
  scripture reading.The steps are as follows
• Select a scripture reading
• Break it up into short phrases (very short)
• Create a miming movement that will match each
  phrase.
• Split the class into two groups
• One group reads the text and the other performs
  the movement.

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Liquid Pictures

• Liquid pictures is creative way to present a
  scripture reading. It is a form of drama which
  allows a story to be presented in a flowing or
  liquid manner. The steps are as follows
• Choose a scripture story
• Divide it into five or six main sections
• For each section choose one or two short pharses
• Choose a simple action for each section
• Choose a person for each action
• As the phrase is read by one person the other
  person does the action and then FREEZES.

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Chorus Plays
Chorus plays present scriptural stories in the
form of a play with both individual characters
and a chorus. The chorus allows for whole group
participation. A chorus play provides an informed
interpretation of the scriptural story.
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RAPS
REPENTANCE RAP Prepare a way, its not too
late Get ready for a change, it never too
late Act now, not later, its time to repent Act
now, not later, its time to relent Change your
ways and follow the law Listen to the message,
its not a flaw Act now, not later, its time to
repent Act now, not later, its time to relent
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Do It Yourself Prayers
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Remember to Pray
REMEMBER when you have a busy day, take the time
and stop and pray