What's a good bedtime prayer for children under 5?

Question

Something they can learn easy, I don't want them to use they "Now I lay me down to sleep" I'm trying to teach them to pray in jesus name.

Any suggestions for us baby in christ

Elloit or whatever your name is...what in the world is you talking about. go somewhere before I get ghetto

First of all I'm asking a question because I don't know, if all you can say is something smart instead of helping don't answer the question. I just wanted to know how to teach them to pray

How do you know that God doesn't exist?? You will know in the end, you'll want to serve him oneday. Here on earth or in h.e.l.l.

I believe there is a God, God is real..I'll leave it at that because you will see yourself. Stop adding your dumb comments

How about this one "Champion of Knowledge":

Dear God, give me the strength from kicking Champion of Knowledge @$$!! And everyone else against you..

Answer 1

Well my dear, I won't even read what all others had to say about this as you have the answer you are looking for already, which is the one that the true living and eternal God already is looking for in a prayer... and this is what kids are best at... as they haven't yet been brain-washed by the the systems they are soon to be thrown in as sheep amongst wolfes... They should not pray that "Now I lay me down bla-bla-bla, which means nothing to the true God of the Bible, who tells us that this is the only book, by the way, which is, according to him, inspired by him, from beginning to end... 2 Timothy 3: 16... What I do with children, is this... First I show them a scripture and explain it to them such as the one you'll be sure to appreciate at Ephesians 6: 1, in which God himself, tells them that obeying their parents is the only commandment with a promise, that it will go well for them and that they will live a long time on the earth if they listen to that commandment! Then, you go to John 4: 24, for yourself and see that God wants to be worshipped in spirit and truth... which indicates for a certainly that the God of Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Joseph, etc., is the most intelligent God and Creator of all others and as such must be addressed from the heart and with the respect He deserves... and in the name of his son Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, or imperfections, is how we end any prayer we send his way! as it is clearly stated that he is the only intermediary between us and the heavenly Father... who loved us so much that he allowed his only-begotten son to come and die for us, sacrificing his perfect body so that we could again have our own perfect body when the last war of all wars will finally be over and done with, namely Armageddon... Then, the Lord's Prayer, at Matthew 6: 9 - 13, in which Jesus gave us an example of what sorts of things we ought to be praying about such as God's Kingdom, or government, will rule over all others, which will be a thing of the past (so a new earth) will be ours, for us to enjoy, in which abundance of peace will here at last forever and ever... Psalms 37: 11, 29 and in which righteousness will dwell forever as men won't be hurting one another any more and will all look to the only King left to obey, which will be none other than Christ himself, who already proved just how much he was willing to be just like his Father, the God of love, wisdom, power and justice!
Then, if you show her (I read the Bible at the age of five! and it didn't hurt me whatsoever! as mom taught me to read and write at three!) God, you see, has a way to say things, (in his almighty wisdom) that only when you are ready for the deeper things, do you understand them... until then, even a child can safely read His book and retain all sorts of good things from it such as God is love (1 John 4: 8) and what love is all about at 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 and what it takes to please God and parents, etc. It's just full of good advice which apply as much today as the day they were written... Then, you teach her to think of what she would like to say to God... who listens to her as long as she asks in the name of Jesus and as long as it's for a good reason, that she is praying... such as helping mom and dad, to be healthy for a long long time so that they can be there to help and love her each and every day, such as teaching her the benefits of praying for just how to cultivate the fruits of God's active force or spirit quoted at Galatians 5: 21, 22 and how different they are from the ways of the small "g" god of 2 Corinthians 4: 4, who proved to be the Father of the Lie from John 8: 44; and how we want to be children of the God of John 6: 44 and grow to love him as much as he loves us... and how he created all things for our pleasure such as all of the good foods of the garden (if you have one) and the beautiful flowers that are so pleasing to the eyes, etc. Show her how God cannot lie Titus 1: 2 and how He promises to give us back the wonderful paradise he had in mind for us from the beginning... Revelation 21: 3 - 4 and after reading or showing her all of these things... a little at a time, at your discretion, as her mom who knows her best on the earth, just sit back and watch her surprise you with the most beautifully creative prayers that only a child, a precious child of the true God, could ever come up with! which I guarantee will bring a smile to your heart and sometimes a tear to your face! They are like sponges and love to hear about God... especially when it comes from His own word and not the half-truths and traditions of men which so often only confuse them to the max, for which they can find no answer, as it nearly never makes sense, as my own mom found out when I asked her... but mom, why do they say that we might burn in hell forever if we displease God and it says here at 1 John 4: 8, that God is Love. You love me, right? Yes, she said... Then, I asked her if she'd ever think for a second to burn my hand or finger on the stove if she saw me to anything wrong and she said "no!" Well why should we believe that a "God of Love" who loves us more than anything, could ever do such a thing? She agreed and because of the fact that this instilled in me a desire and longing to find out the truth of all things under the sun, I am so happy to say today, that the truth that sets one free, has been mine for a long time and I just love God and the wonderful life he gave me and the perfect one he promises me in a not so far away time! Thank you... As you read the book for yourself, you will find that the grave itself is what is called Hell and that even Christ went there for three days..., that the soul that is sinning it itself will die (Ezekiel 18: 4) that we became souls and weren't given a soul (Genesis, where even animals are said to be souls), that a thousand years to us is only a day to God... and all sorts of wonderful truths that will not only program your child's computer (brain) with the best knowledge ever, leading to wisdom from above itself! but to all of these great truths of the heavenly Father which truly do make the heart rejoice even now, as he reminds us to live right in the present moment, with an eye on the prize of everlasting life but to not allow tomorrow's anxieties to trouble us today... and to have absolute faith in him... why, even faith as big as the tiny mustard seed, would help us remove problems as big as mountains in our lives... So why worry? Be happy! As our God is a happy God!!! and we were created in His image and function so much better when we let his love and wisdom touch our hearts as all good gifts are from above! James 1: 17.
I truly hope and pray, in the name of Jesus, that you will find this helpful and as pleasant as I always did and still do! Thank you!

Answer 2

Do not consider any medication!! You could try making sure she neither reads, exercises nor watches TV for at least a half an hour before she goes to bed, these are all brain stimulants. She might try a warm caffeine free drink and either try lavender oil on the pillow or in a pre-bed bath. I am not sure why she should be so exhausted, even if she goes to sleep at midnight and wakes at 7 that is still 7 hours. When I was young I used to get to sleep late and get up early, only averaging about 5 hours and in my case that appeared to be enough. maybe a GP check to confirm there is no pathology, I am more interested in the tiredness than the so called insomnia.

Answer 3

Peacetime Warrior's suggestion is good. If they learn a set prayer, it will mean less to them than putting their thoughts into their own words. They can thank God for the good things that happened during the day, ask God to bless friends and family members, and ask for help in learning to do things like control their temper or tie their shoelaces. Just make sure they pray out loud so you can hear it and gently guide them (not to ask for material things, etc.) When they are done talking to God, they can finish up with "In Jesus' name, amen."

Answer 4

WIth my grandson (who just turned seven), we use prayer time to "review" the blessing of the day (important things he remembers like playing baseball or getting a new toy car). He can thank God/Jesus for each of them. And is also a wonderful conversation starter for dealing with his feelings about what is happening in his life. Those can be good to pray about also.

Then he does the "God bless mommy and daddy...." for his family and friends.

We prefer that to a "taught" prayer because it will hopefully help him to understand that praying is not saying something you memorize, but talking to someone you love.

Answer 5

Okay, Dad customized this Poem to me ... We'd say "Little girl" ... "little hands little brown head" ... and use my name instead of Christopher Robins:

" Vespers " by A.A. Milne (Being in the library of the Queen's Doll House)

Little boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head,
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

God bless Mummy, I know that's right.
Wasn't it fun in the bath tonight?
The cold's so cold and the hot's so hot.
Oh! God bless Daddy - I quite forgot.

If I open my fingers a little bit more,
I can see Nanny's dressing gown on the door.
It's a beautiful blue, but it hasn't a hood.
Oh! God bless Nanny and make her good.

Mine has a hood, and I lie in bed
And pull the hood right over my head.
And I shut my eyes and I curl up small,
And nobody knows that I'm there at all.

Oh! Thank you God for a lovely day.
And what was the other I had to say?
I said, "Bless Daddy," so what can it be?
Oh! Now I remember, God bless Me.

Little boy kneels at the foot of the bed.
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers

Answer 6

Children learn things best when observing adults doing them. You probably did not teach them to walk- they just learned. You did not teach them to talk, they just learned, there of course was always a bit of guidance from you. They learn these simple things by watching Mommy and daddy and doing what they do. I learned to pray as a young child by watching my parents pray. I grew up in a home where we had a family prayer together in the morning, then again in the evening. We did not have certain prayers we said, we just spoke to God, but there were certain elements that we always included. Like before bed time- "bless us to sleep well and wake well rested' dinner " bless the food to provide nourishment" etc...

My typical prayer would be something like this:

You start by addressing the Lord, then you thank him for his blessings, then you ask for blessings then you close in the name of his son.

Father in Heaven thank you for this beautiful world and this house I live in. I am so thankful for my family and friends. Please bless me that as I go through my day that I can remember thee and do thy will. Please bless Grandma that she can feel better. PLease bless the leaders of this great nation that they can make correct choices. PLease bless the troops. please bless [someone I know] who is sad. in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

If you pray like that and you tell the Lord what you are thankful for and ask him for blessings for yourself and others, then your child will learn that and they will do the same. I have seen them bless their toys and stuff like that- but that is what is important to them. You can teach them to always thank the Lord for the same things, and then add additional things as needed- like you are always thankful for your family and your home. But teach them to talk to the Lord, let them see you pray and they will learn the right thing. Even if right now they just pray for their favorite toys and Big Bird, that is fine because those are things that are important to them and they are learning to include meaning ful things. When they are young and still learning you will have to guide them a lot more. You will need to sit with them and help them, tell them what to say, as they get more independant, they will do it themselves. But I think it is vital that they see and hear you pray.

Answer 7

Father in heaven hear my prayer
Keep me in thy loving care
Be my guide in all I do
And bless all those who love me too.
In Jesus' name. Amen.

Despite what other posters have said, I think it's good for children to pray from the heart AND to memorize prayers. Sometimes, when you just don't know what to say...the words of an old prayer you learned will come back to you. They are tried and true and certainly pleasing to God.

Answer 8

I feel that prayer is best when it is unscripted. Just encourage them to pray what they feel. You could teach them the A.C.T.S way of praying.

Adoration-Where they praise God for who He is.
Confession-Where they confess sins (small and large)
Thanksgiving-Thanking God for what He has done.
Supplication-When they actually make their request.

We taught our children to pray from their hearts, but to end each prayer with something like "In Christ's name I pray", "I ask this in Christ's name", or anything like that.

Answer 9

LOL...girl you silly "Give me the strength not to kick his a too Lord.

Good for you though teaching your children, some people had some good advice.

Answer 10

make it simple and as positive as possible . Bless mommy and daddy , family , dog , cat etc etc . , pray for good helath , good grades .
Anything a 5 year old can understand . Even if it doesn't make sense , God sees the heart , not the words .
God bless

Answer 11

I'd reccomend something from the Book of Job or the Song of Solomon. After all, if you're going to brainwash your kid into worshipping a protojewish tribal chieftain, you might as well do it RIGHT and show this kid the good parts.

You know, like god making a bet with Satan to destroy Job's life for no reason whatsoever, or the porn-filled Song of Solomon.

Good family values, that bybo!