Years ago I was taught to pray for the area I lived in, the city and state I lived in, my country and the world. It was a simple prayer exercise that lead me to pray for my family and friends as well as people around the world. My prayers became less self focused and more others focused when I prayed this way. I decided the time before Thanksgiving would be perfect to introduce this method of praying to JDaniel. Thanksgiving is a time of thankfulness and gratitude. It is a time when we spend time with family from faraway and sometimes it is a time when we travel to places beyond our everyday world. This Thanksgiving for kids activity is a great way to explore prayer.
Thanksgiving for Kids Activity
JDaniel and I constructed a cornucopia out of paper plates painted brown as a visual reminder of those prayer areas. We filled the open end of the cornucopia with fruit and vegetables. The fruit stands for fruitful prayer. The vegetables were added just to balance the fruit. I wish I had a deep reason for having them there.
My family and I having been praying from the front of the cornucopia back each night. I think it has helped us each to focus on the world around us and the world beyond us. Our prayers are not as much focused on our family now.
We are also trying to keep our eyes open when we are out and about to find prayer needs in our neighborhood, city and state. It has been wonderful to see the world through eyes of prayer. The our local world is filled with blessings we can thank God for and areas of concern we can ask him help with.
We world beyond the one we drive around in has been a little bit harder. We can pray for things we hear on the news or global issues like famine and lack of peace. I think we may need to choose areas of the world to focus on and read about to broaden our world view.
This has been a wonderful prayer tool for my family.
If you like this Thanksgiving for kids activity, here are a few more that you will like:
Welcome! My name is Deirdre and I am JDaniel4's Mom. After teaching in Virginia for twenty years, I was a stay at home mom learning and growing beside my son JDaniel the 4th for five years. I recently went back to teaching at a local school here in South Carolina.
What a cute and wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing.
bluecottonmemorysays
That is an awesome visual method to each young children to pray!!! I also love how you pulled something meaningful from your history and translated into your family! Happy thanksgiving!
Love it! Definitely an area i want to focus more on with our children. We model it and I know they have learned a lot from that but I think they are at a good age when we can start “teaching” them more on prayer. Great idea! ~mari
Amanda Tsays
That is such a cute idea! I would totally do this if I had kids.
Confession: i haven’t watched the news or read a newspaper in 4 years. It’s too depressing. Second confession: I don’t pray but I’m very thankful of the things I have and I think of others often. Happy Thanksgiving xo
RedTedArtsays
Wonderful idea!
~ Noellesays
WHAT A GREAT WAY TO INCORPORATE PRAYER AND A CRAFT… HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING
LOVE this idea! Very creative and the outward thinking is so important to teach our children! We do watch the world news (while I am supervising) and pray for all out in the world who struggle and suffer.
pauline@lessonslearntjournal.comsays
Deidre, this is such a wonderfully creative and helpful idea. It is such a great visual reminder to pray beyond our immediate circles that we see and engage with in everyday. Thank you for sharing this at the Kids’ Co-Op. I’ll be featuring this in my ways to play and create with paper plates round up this week. xo P
Sounds like a great idea, and so fitting with this week too.
So perfect for this week! What a wonderful idea.
What a wonderful idea to pray there! I am sure it is very spiritual and meaningful!
that is adorable – what a cleaver idea – paper plate crafts are great!
What a cute and wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing.
That is an awesome visual method to each young children to pray!!! I also love how you pulled something meaningful from your history and translated into your family! Happy thanksgiving!
I love it! Thanks!
God Bless you and your family. Happy Thanksgiving.
KIM
What a great idea!
Great idea to use paper plates! Fun craft. Happy Thanksgiving!
this is a great lesson for children. love the paper plate craft to go with it.
I love the paper plate prayer cornucopia! It looks great and such a wonderful idea =)
This is a beautiful craft, and I love the idea behind it. I’ll be adding it to my Thanksgiving board. Thank you for the inspiration.
Perfectly fitting for this week!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
This is very cute, I ran out of time for crafts:)
I love the cornucopia idea.Thanks for sharing.
that is so fun!
Love it! Definitely an area i want to focus more on with our children. We model it and I know they have learned a lot from that but I think they are at a good age when we can start “teaching” them more on prayer. Great idea! ~mari
That is such a cute idea! I would totally do this if I had kids.
Confession: i haven’t watched the news or read a newspaper in 4 years. It’s too depressing.
Second confession: I don’t pray but I’m very thankful of the things I have and I think of others often.
Happy Thanksgiving xo
Wonderful idea!
WHAT A GREAT WAY TO INCORPORATE PRAYER AND A CRAFT…
HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING
I was just about to make a cornacopia just like that with the kids — never thought of the prayer on it, though! Love that idea!
LOVE this idea! Very creative and the outward thinking is so important to teach our children! We do watch the world news (while I am supervising) and pray for all out in the world who struggle and suffer.
Deidre, this is such a wonderfully creative and helpful idea. It is such a great visual reminder to pray beyond our immediate circles that we see and engage with in everyday. Thank you for sharing this at the Kids’ Co-Op. I’ll be featuring this in my ways to play and create with paper plates round up this week. xo P