Use this preteen Bible lesson to help kids explore how we communicate with God through prayer.
Prayer is a pretty abstract concept. But for preteens, who are moving from concrete thinking to abstract thinking, it’s a great topic to dive into. We can help kids realize that prayer is a way to talk with God and spend time with him. When we pray, not only does God listen. He also shows up in powerful ways.
Use this preteen Bible lesson to help kids learn that God wants us to pray with and for each other.
Preteen Bible Lesson on Prayer: Communication Code
Scriptures: James 5:13-18; Matthew 18:19-20; Psalm 65:1-5
Supplies:
- copies of the “Morse Code” handout (1 per person)
Welcome kids, and have them form a circle. Spend time connecting with the kids in your group. Have them share a time they saw God show up during their week.
Say: We communicate with people in lots of different ways. What are some ways we talk with people who live far away? Allow kids to share their ideas with the group.
Say: Before video chat, texting, email, or even telephones, people used something called Morse code to communicate. Does anyone know what Morse code is?
Allow kids to share. Give each person a copy of the “Morse Code” handout, pointing out the system of dots and dashes. If some kids know how Morse code works, let them explain it to the others. If not, explain to kids that Morse code is a system of long and short sounds that represent letters. Spend a couple of minutes having kids clap and snap out some letters one at a time, using snaps for dots and claps for dashes.
Message Received
Say: Let’s see how well we can send and receive messages in Morse code. We’ll clap and snap out some words in Morse code one letter at a time. Let’s try to figure out what words we’re trying to send to each other.
Starting with the preteen to your left, have him or her think of a short word to clap out for the rest of the group to guess. Continue around the rest of the circle. When it comes back to you, finish by clapping out the word pray for kids to guess.
Say: We had fun communicating with one another! We really had to listen well.
Ask:
- What surprised you about talking to others in Morse code?
- In what ways do you think using Morse code is like or unlike talking to God?
If you want to lead the Bible Discovery section of this lesson, you can find it here. Otherwise, move on to the Prayer Wall portion of the preteen Bible lesson.
Preteen Bible Lesson: Prayer Wall
Supplies:
- pens
- pads of sticky notes
- paper and marker (optional)
Before the lesson: Gather pens and a few pads of sticky notes. Have a blank wall or bulletin board area prepared where kids can place their sticky-note prayers. Or make a “Prayer Wall” sign and post it near where the prayers will be placed.
