How to Encourage and Teach Kids to Pray

In our constant efforts for the well-being of our children, our focus revolves around their worldly accomplishments. We worry for their successes, their physical well-being, and now, more so than ever, their mental health. However, in this relentless struggle, we sometimes forget to help them cultivate a spiritual connection with the Divine. 

This engagement with Allah through salah, five times a day, helps us regain our balance and seek guidance when faced with uncertainty. The daily prayer habit serves as a guiding light to us, bringing moments of tranquillity that help us strengthen our faith. 

So, let us find ways of teaching kids to pray and encourage them to connect with Allah regularly. 

In this article, we will discuss practical ways to help you reach this goal. 

Teach by Example

We have grown up listening to the saying, “practice what you preach,” and so have our kids. Today, when we ask them to put away their phones, for example, it is not uncommon for them to simply turn around and stare at the screen we are holding in our hands! So, the very first step in teaching kids to pray salah is first to pray regularly ourselves. And then make it a celebrated ritual! Keep an eye on the clock. Keep note of the time and make sure our children can see our unwavering commitment to our salah. 

When our children will witness the importance salah has in our lives, they will not only grasp its significance but will also learn to follow in our footsteps. And this indirect approach is a highly effective way of instilling prayer habit in kids. 

Start Them Young

The earlier you start teaching kids to pray, the firmer that habit will be. There is no doubt that habits adopted at a young age have the strongest foundations. When we encourage our kids to start praying early, we are making sure to provide them with a moral compass and teach them the essential life skills of being punctual and following a routine.  They learn the value of time management and take responsibility for this duty they have towards Allah.

When they learn to pray regularly at a young age, it becomes second nature to them. Salah becomes deeply ingrained in their everyday routine, and without even having to make an effort, they will make sure to pray on time. 

Plan Your Day Around the Five Salahs

There is no denying the fact that the five daily salahs provide us with a schedule to adhere to. We start our days with fajr and end with the night prayer, isha. This prayer habit makes sure that we are constantly aware of the duty we have towards Allah and never miss any chance to be in His presence.

This prayer habit can be further strengthened by making sure that we plan all our days around the salah timings. And this is what we need to teach our kids. “Wake up for fajr,” “Eat up before your zuhr prayers!” and “Hurry up and pray isha before going to bed!” Listening to these or similar instructions will make our kids realize the significance of a prayer habit. They will know that their salah comes before anything else, and then everything else will simply fall into place.

Sticking to this routine can be made even more convenient with the help of a prayer app such as Prayerly. The alerts Prayerly keeps posting serve as constant reminders to pray on time. This way they will learn to manage their schedules, plan their days in advance and then stick to the targets they have set for themselves. 

This habit will serve as a significant life skill that will equip them with the discipline needed to succeed in all aspects of their lives. 

Let Them Have Their Own Prayer Rug

When teaching kids to pray, gift them a prayer rug, a musallah they can call their own. Let them take pride in its ownership, be responsible for it, and keep it clean. This will give them a feeling of independence and a sense of responsibility for their salah. 

Having their own prayer rug will make the act of performing salah more engaging and enjoyable for them. This prayer rug will act as a tangible reminder for them to pray on time. It will create a sense of enthusiasm in them whenever prayer time approaches. 

Help Them Maintain a Chart

Keeping a record of their prayers will have a significant impact and serve as visual feedback. It will help them stay committed to the routine of praying on time. It will allow them to stay disciplined and follow their progress throughout the day, week, or month. This visual evidence of their performance of salah will help reinforce their dedication to the act. It will become a source of pride for them and will prove as an incentive to continue with this prayer habit without wavering. 

Prayerly app can be extremely useful here as it helps maintain a graph that shows the performance of the week, month or year. It also lets users know whether they was punctual in their salah or if their salah was tardy. Based on this, they can create new goals and work towards them. 

Make it a Family Event

Who said teaching kids to pray is a chore or a tedious responsibility? We can turn it into a fun and engaging activity involving not just the kids but all the family members. Fostering a prayer habit can be an enjoyable practice that unites not only the children but all the other members of the family, too. 

Kids love doing things together. When praying as a family, there will be an air of enthusiasm and excitement for taking part in a joint activity, and this will strengthen family bonds.

There will be a chance to develop a shared sense of spirituality through this prayer habit, and this will allow the family to grow closer. These prayer timings can also include moments of reflection and, in this way, become opportunities to grow together spiritually. 

Be Consistent

Let’s admit it: there are times when we are too lazy to get up and pray. There may be occasions when other worldly responsibilities will keep us so occupied that praying on time becomes a challenge. And kids will face such moments, too. 

There will undoubtedly be occasions when they are either too tired or just not in the mood! That is when we need to be firm. We can not let them skip their salah, regardless of whatever excuse they might come up with. Once we have established a prayer habit in kids, we must try to make them consistent in it. We should make them stick to the routine we have established for them. We can not let them waver and must make sure they stay committed. And this life skill will benefit our kids in every aspect of their lives.

Make Dua For Them

Making dua for our kids to have a prayer habit is a way to support them on this spiritual journey. Our heartfelt prayers are like a shield that will guard them from all other distractions and help them in strengthening their resolve to turn to Allah consistently. When we pray for our children's commitment to daily Salah, we are asking for Allah’s guidance and help in nurturing a prayer habit in our kids. This will not only benefit them in this world but also in the Hereafter.

These supplications, or duas, are not just words but also a spiritual connection between us and the Divine. And they are sure to bear fruit and go a long way in helping us in teaching kids to pray. 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, as we start this journey of helping our children establish a daily prayer habit, we must keep in mind that it is not just a matter of duty but a profound act of love and guidance. Our kids' spiritual well-being is a treasure we must cherish and continue to try and improve. Making use of an app such as Prayerly will help you and your kids stay committed to a regular prayer routine. 

Also, remember that making dua for them to embrace daily salah is an important step, as it is only with the help of Allah that our wishes and dreams can come true and we can succeed in this endeavour. 

Vocabulary:

Salah: Prayers

Dua: Supplication

Musallah: Prayer Mat or Rug