30 Short Prayers For Kids To Pray
These short prayers for kids are wonderful children’s prayers for bedtime, mornings, school, meal times, for gratitude, protection, and more.
One of the earliest and easiest ways that you can bring faith into your child’s life is through teaching them how to pray. Most of us can remember an old rhythmic prayer that we were taught to say when we were younger.
Whether we learned it from Sunday school, or our parents taught us, it stuck with us through our younger years. Teaching your children to pray not only opens a door for their relationship with Jesus, but it is a beautiful discipline that you can do alongside your children.
Many of these prayers are well known, some traditional and others from unknown others. Whether you’re looking for prayers to help your children get their day started, prepare for bedtime, bless the food at dinner, or simply grow in knowledge and gratitude of Christ, you’ve come to the right place
Short Bedtime Prayers for Kids
1. Child’s Evening Hymn
I hear no voice, I feel no touch, I see no glory bright;
But yet I know that God is near, In darkness as in light.
God watches ever by my side, And hears my whispered prayer: A God of love for a little child Both night and day does care.
– Anonymous
2. The Day is Done
Day is done
Gone the sun
From the lake,
From the hills,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest. God is nigh.
3. Now I Lay Me Down
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep May angels watch me
through the night and
wake me with the morning light.
Angels bless and angels keep Angels guard me while I sleep Bless my heart and bless my home Bless my spirit as I roam
Guide and guard me through the night and wake me with the morning’s light. Amen.
-Traditional
4. God, My Friend
God, my friend, it is time for bed.
Time to rest my sleepy head.
I pray to you before I do.
Please guide me down the path that’s true.
God, my friend, please bless my mother, All your children–sisters, brothers.
Oh! And then there’s daddy, too–
He says I am his gift from you.
God, my friend, it is time to sleep.
I thank you for a soul unique,
And thank you for another day,
To run and jump and laugh and play!
God, my friend, it is time to go, But before I do I hope you know,
I am thankful for my blessing, too, And God, my friend, I love you.
– Michael J. Edger III MS
Short Prayers for Kids Before School
5. Prayer For Exam
God of Light and Truth, thank you for giving me a mind that can know and a heart that can love.
Help me to keep learning every day of my life, for all knowledge leads to you. Let me be aware of your presence
in all things and at all times.
Encourage me when work is difficult
and when I am tempted to give up;
encourage me when my brain seems slow
and the way forward is difficult.
Grant me the grace to put my mind to use exploring the world you have created,
confident that in you there a wisdom that is real.
Amen.
– Charles Henderson
6. The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.
– Book of Common Prayer (1928)
Short Morning Prayers for Kids
7. Day by Day
Day by day, dear Lord,
These three things I pray:
To see you more clearly,
Love you more dearly,
Follow you more nearly,
Day by day.
– Stephen Schwartz
8. For Each New Morning
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends. For everything Thy goodness sends,
We thank Thee, dearest Lord.
Amen.
– Ralph Emerson
9. God Most High
Dear God most high, hear and bless Thy beasts and singing birds:
And guard with tenderness
Small things that have no words.
– Margaret Wise Brown, A Child’s Good Night Book
10. I Trust in Him
He wakes me up; He makes me sleep. Provides for me the food I eat.
When I cry, I call on Him,
Because I know with Him I win.
Even through the hardest day,
I trust in Him in every way.
He’s the One who sees me through,
Jesus lives, I know it’s true.
With loving-kindness, He smiles on me. Because He died, I am free.
Lord, for all, I thank you so,
I know you’ll never let me go.
– Esther Lawson
11. Good and Wise
Jesus, you are good and wise
I will praise you when I rise. Jesus, hear this prayer I send Bless my family and my friends. Jesus, help my eyes to see
All the good you send to me. Jesus, help my ears to hear Calls for help from far and near. Jesus, help my feet to go
In the way that You will show. Jesus, help my hands to do
All things loving, kind, and true. Jesus, guard me through this day In all I do and all I say.
– Unknown
12. God in Heaven
God in heaven hear my prayer, keep me in thy loving care.
Be my guide in all I do,
Bless all those who love me too. Amen.
– Traditional
13. Daily Morning Prayer
Lord, in the morning I start each day, By taking a moment to bow and pray.
Beginning with thanks, I then give praise For all your kind and loving ways.
Today if sunshine turns to rain,
If a dark cloud brings some pain,
I won’t doubt or hide in fear
For you, my God, are always near. I will travel where you lead;
I will help my friends in need. Where you send me, I will go; With your help, I’ll learn and grow. Hold my family in your hands,
As we follow your commands. And I will keep you close in sight Until I crawl in bed tonight.
Amen.
– Mary Fairchild
Short Prayers of Thanksgiving & Gratitude
14. Happy Hearts
We thank Thee Lord, for happy hearts, For rain and sunny weather.
We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food, And that we are together.
– Traditional
15. Grateful Hearts
Give us grateful hearts,
O Father, for all thy mercies, And make us mindful
Of the needs of others; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
– Book of Common Prayer
16. God Made Me
God made the sun,
And God made the trees, God made the mountains, And God made me.
Thank you O God,
For the sun and the trees, For making the mountains, And for making me.
17. Thank You God for Everything
Thank you for the world so sweet, Thank you for the food we eat, Thank you for the birds that sing, Thank you God for everything.
18. A Thank You Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for a new day. Please go before me and clear the way. And please stay with me all the day.
Thank you for good rest last night. Thank you for the morning light. Help me always do what’s right.
Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for guiding me. And thank you for loving me.
May all that I think and say and do. Bring nothing but glory to you. I want to be the best me I can be for you.
In the name of Jesus, Amen. – Author Unknown
Short Prayer For Blessing Food Before Meals
19. Thanksgiving for Food
God is great! God is good! Let us thank God for our food. Amen.
– Traditional
20. Daily Prayer Before Meals
Our Heavenly Father, kind and good, We thank Thee for our daily food.
We thank Thee for Thy love and care. Be with us Lord, and hear our prayer. Amen.
– Author Unknown
21. Be Our Guest
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest May this food by you be blessed. Amen.
– Author Unknown
22. Thank Him for Our Food
God is great and God is good; Let us thank him for our food; By His blessings, we are fed, Give us Lord, our daily bread. Amen.
– Traditional
23. A Prayer For Lunch
Dear Lord, bless this bunch As we munch on our lunch. Amen.
– Author Unknown
24. Meal Blessing
Bless the food before us The family beside us And the love between us Amen.
– Author Unknown
25. We Give Our Thanks
Father, we give our thanks
For food that stays our hunger For rest that brings us ease
For homes where memories linger We give our thanks for these Amen.
– Author Unknown
26. A Prayer For God’s Providence
God bless this food
We are about to receive.
Give bread to those who are hungry, And hunger for mercy and justice
To us who have food.
Amen.
– Unknown
27. ABCDEFG
ABCDEFG Thank you, God, For feeding me. Amen.
28. Love and Favor
God our Father, Lord, and Savior Thank you for your love and favor Bless this food and drink we pray And all who share with us today. Amen.
–Traditional
29. Round This Table
Round this table, here to pray
First, we thank you for the day
For our family and our friends
Gifts of grace that heaven lends Living water, daily bread
Countless blessings our God sends Thank you, Jesus, for them all
For the great ones and the small When we’re happy, when we’re sad
On the good days and the bad
We are grateful, we are glad Amen.
– Mary Fairchild
Short Prayer for Protection
30. Angel of God
Angel of God, my Guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here;
Ever this day, be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide.
– Traditional
More Prayers For Children
31 Days Of Blessings To Speak Over Your Children
Are any of these prayers available in print?
Not yet, but I’m working on making that happen!