A Family Prayer

One of the joys of parenting for me is trying things out. Most things like activities or food are new to my child, and I delight in seeing his childlike wonder, reaction, or even lack of reaction. Usually, we get into some kind of groove and then life changes and we need to try something new. When I put my three-year-old to bed, we have tried out a couple prayer practices. One is just to list important people that he wants to pray for. It’s simple and easy to do.

The other is reading picture book prayers for kids. “A Family Prayer” by Shay Youngblood and Kristina Swarner is one of the books we have just added to the rotation. It has a rhythm perfect for bedtime and helps my child celebrate his family with prayer. It goes through mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, sister, brother, auntie, uncle, cousins, godparents, babysitters, and pets – providing an opportunity to talk about family members that may not be a part of your family or the option to skip that page. My child likes to pretend he is the family dog in the book. The repetitive language also teaches vocabulary for personal prayer. The illustrations are warm, clearly showing a little of the personality of the characters in the book with room for wonder.

Prayer is for every season. However, if you rotate books at home or in your ministry, another season I would recommend this book for is The Feasts of All Souls and All Saints.

“A Family Prayer” written by Shay Youngblood and illustrated by Kristina Swarner. Published by Convergent Books in 2023.