Mealtime Prayers
Goals
Before starting a mealtime routine, think about what you're trying to accomplish. You don't want mealtime prayers to be like pulling teeth. We want to remind our children (and ourselves) that we're thankful for God and what God has given us!
Prayers don’t have to be:
- Solemn
- Overly pious
- Long-winded
- Big words that are hard to pronounce or understand
Make it fun!
Ways to make mealtime prayers more engaging:
- Keep them short!
- Sing songs
- Make up motions to go with them
- Use rhyming blessings
- Hold hands around the table
- End them with a hearty “AMEN!”
Spoken Mealtime Prayers
The Can’t-Fail-Thankful Prayer
While holding hands, each person says one thing they are thankful for from that day. When one person is done, they squeeze the hand of the next person to signal that it is his/her turn. You’ll be amazed that after practicing this for just a few days your kids will find it easier and easier to think of things they are thankful for.
Rhyming Graces
There are many rhyming mealtime prayers you can find online. For example:
Bless us O Lord...
You can always use this standard that you may have learned as a child:
Mealtime Prayer Songs
Here are some fun prayer songs you can use in your family meals. They are staples of Catholic and other Christian summer camps. You can search for more online. Pick a few that will work for you!
Here are some other collections of camp-style prayers: