Lesson objectives: lead the children to realize prayer is the only form of communication with God. It’s through prayer we connect to the spiritual world. The spiritual benefactors will help us whenever our prayer is uttered with faith and respect. Therefore, we must recognize that prayer is of great value to our lives. It comforts us in sorrow, relieving our pain and brings clarification to our doubts, helping to support our needs.
Greetings and Opening prayer
First: Draw the students' attention on the subject that will be discussed in class with the help of a puppet.
* Ask the children what is the purpose of using a phone.
*The spiritist teacher should clarify, as soon as they answer this question: a phone is an instrument to talk to people when we are distant from them.
* We should note some criteria when we use this way to communicate: speak clearly, be careful when to call so we don’t bother the other person since he/she may be sleeping, working or eating meals.
* Ask them: when do we need to do to talk to our Heavenly Father?
* Prayer serves as a phone so we could talk to Him. Our Father in Heaven always hears us if our connection is clear, sincere and respectful. God in His infinite mercy created this special channel of communication so any person could talk to Him at anytime; anywhere.
* Clarify that God, unlike humans, answers to our prayers at any minute, but we should learn to ask.
* We must speak truthfully, with faith and humility.
* We should only ask for things to help us get what we want with our own efforts.
* God sees what is happening at the bottom of our hearts. He reads the thoughts of His children; but we must act with humility and always ask for His help through prayer.
* Why should we brush our teeth every day?
* Clarify that just as our hygiene habits * (* constant mode of action), we must acquire the habit of Prayer daily, but we can’t forget that the will of God prevails above our will, for He alone knows what is good for us.
* In addition to asking, we must act. Jesus said ... "Help yourself and Heaven will help you!"
* How often should we pray on one day? We should pray at least twice. In the morning when we wake up to ask for protection for the day and at bedtime to thank for the learning opportunities, for all things and protection received.
* What happens to us when we pray? Prayer gives us light, happiness, calmness, guidance and console. It brings us closer to the good spirits who can help us.
* We can pray for others, even for disincarnate people.
Note: the spiritist teacher may relate prayer to an electric fence – it can be installed in the residence, but if we don’t connect it, it will not be of any use - God knows everything we need, but if we don’t connect to Him through prayer, we won’t have protection and enough energy to confidently continue our earthly journey.
* Always remember to use your special communication channel with our Father in Heaven .
Second: tell the children we will make a preparation to pray. clarify the proposed:
Click here to see a suggestion of meditation.
Click here to see resources for the spiritist teacher related to this activity.
Third: Activity 01 – Thanking prayers: everybody should pray together as follows: the spiritist teacher begins the sentence saying: Thank you, our dear Father in Heaven for... (children should complement the sentence; completing it).
Example: Thank you, our dear Father in Heaven for my house, my Mom and Dad, for the food I can eat and the warm clothes I can wear. I'm very happy for all that the Lord gives me.
Activity N° 02 – Asking Prayer: each child should make a request to our Father in Heaven, taking into account the lesson learned.
Activity N° 03 – a small example: Father in heaven! How wonderful is the world you gave us to live in. You give us everything we need, always seeking for our well-being, with your love and wisdom. We thank you for being so wonderful to us! So be it.
If perchance a child says he/she doesn’t know how to pray, clarify: say with simplicity that praying is to talk to who is most responsible for our lives, for all we are, since we originated from his will: from God.
There is no need for difficult or memorised words. Prayer should be spontaneous. Or a moment of intense joy, a victory achieved, a goal. Jesus has taught us in his time, do not believe that you speak for long, you will be heard. It is the sheer volume of words that you will be met.
** The spiritist teacher can write down all the phrases the children said to expose them in the ‘Spiritist Teachings Wall’.
Note: Explain that if we read, sing or say a prayer that we already know by heart, such as the Lord's Prayer, we must think about the words we speak and say them with feeling, with our hearts.
Fourth: tell the story Love Bubbles, with the help of a soap bubble maker.
Talk to the children previously to start telling the story that no one should get up to catch the soap bubbles. The ones who obey will play with the bubbles at the end of the class.
The spiritist teacher must use this resource at times so it doesn’t disperse the attention of the children.
Fifth: the spiritist teacher can now leave the children to use the soap bubble maker. Please draw their attention to the size of the bubbles, relating them to the prayers with reference to the size and intensity (how high can the balls reach). Stress the value of prayer and action.
Click on SPIRITIST TEACHER – EXCHANGING EXPERIENCES, to find tips related to the class.
Closing Prayer
Suggested Class suitable for: Kindergarten (5 to 6 years old) and First Cycle (7 to 8 years old).
Suggested lesson received from Sandra Ramos Medeiros, Campo Grande/MS.
Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.
