I love the prayer my nephew Kevin sings before meals. I think he learned it in preschool.
I have thought about having JDaniel learn to sing this prayer. He has learned a number of the songs he has heard on his music CDs. I think he could learn to sing a prayer.
Last night he did add a new part to his prayer. He said, “Thank you, Jesus for our food and for my day.” I ask my husband how is day has gone when he come home each night. I guess JDaniel thought it would be good to incorporate thanks for his day into his prayer. Maybe if he keeps adding to his prayer I will set the song idea aside for awhile. It will be fun to see what he wants to give thanks for next. In our moring prayers he thanks God for fruit chews. The next addition could be food related.
What prayer do your children say before meals?
We as a family say, “Bless us oh Lord for these our gifts which we are about to receive.” Then I thank God for our family and our health and we make the sign of the cross. Georgia likes to do the last part, and say Father, Son, Holy Spirit. And she usually yells the Amen.
We put her food in front of her placemat, so within view but not within fork reaching distance. I feel like we should probably just teach her not to eat until we pray, but I don’t want a battle right before we eat.
Amen! What a good boy.
Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma What’s For Dinner
http://www.mawhats4dinner.com
Our kids learned that song in preschool. They use to sing it everyday before snack. I love it!
We say the same prayer before our meals too! Thank you Jesus for our food. Amen 🙂
We’re Buddhist, and I think our meal chant would be a little much for that adorable boy of yours 😉
Oh he’ll learn dahlin. Let him have his food in front of him. But just ask him to wait a bit and he’ll get the idea.
I love that you do this with him.
I always pray before I eat, but when my children were younger, I realize we weren’t praying together at eating time. i would pray, but it was indie my head, so I had to start speaking out loud and now, they sit and still begin to inhale the food before remembering to bless their food, but it is wonderful that they remember. Sometimes they do pray before they start to eat and oh how my heart feels wonderful.
Our prayer varies but I usually hear them say: Thank you Lord for our meal, I pray that you will bless it Amen” and it goes very quickly. At bedtime we pray differently and before school in the mornings we pray differently.
I like that you’re teaching him to pray early. I wish I could remember the words verbatim to the prayers my children recited when they were younger. My son is 19 now and my daughter is 16…when we pray before meals we consider the needs of others as well.
The prayers evolve over time so let it come naturally. The great thing is that you’re doing it together!
Dear JDaniel’s Mom,
Thank you for visiting my ‘I is for Inventor’-post. Would you like to buy a cup for JDaniel? I’ll check on the price. What colour do you think he would like? I am going to ask the factory what colours they have.
Here is the blessing we usually say at the dinner table:
(I have removed some diacritical marks.)
I Jesu namn till bords vi ga,
Valsigna Gud den mat vi fa.
Amen
Which means simply:
We gather at this table in the name of Jesus,
God bless the food that we are about to receive.
(It rhymes in Swedish.)
Best wishes,
Anna
P.S.
I’ve given you a free extra link, because you are the third commenter. I am doing this for the first three commenters on all posts now until Christmas, as a little Christmas present.)
For the benefit of other readers:
Anna’s ‘I is for Inventor’-JennyM’s AT
We say Now I gratefully bow my head to thank Thee for my daily bread and may there be a goodly share on every table everywhere, Amen.
We also sing the one you wrote in the post. We used to sing this at Outdoor School when I was a child.