How to Keep Your Children Focused on Prayer

As a Catholic parent with young children, you probably feel overwhelmed at times when you are in the midst of deep prayer and your child whispers, “why are there yellow flowers on the altar?” The Diocese of Orlando understands that children have a difficult time focusing, especially for long stretches of time. While their Catholic schools in Orlando teach children and students prayers and patience, your position as a parent is to reinforce these lessons and help them attain better focus as they pray.Minimize DistractionsIf your child was born fidgety (or is simply a toddler), chances are you cannot make it through ten minutes of Mass before he or she is smiling at other parishioners, asking to visit the restroom, or checking the diaper bag for snacks. To help minimize these physical needs of your toddler, make sure your child is fed, rested, and has visited the restroom before you head to church.Educate Outside of ChurchOlder children may have a difficult time understanding the necessity of some prayers. Invest in a children’s book such as “Child’s Guide to the Mass”, which utilizes an interactive adventure to explain the reasons Catholics say specific prayers, kneel, stand, and take Communion. This book also stresses the importance of good behavior in church.Mentally PrepareMiddle and high school students carry a heavy burden as they struggle with lessons, studying, extracurricular sports and clubs, and homework. Their minds are clouded with all things school when they enter church, which makes it difficult to slip into the spirit of prayer. A wonderful visual for them – and for yourself – is to imagine taking all your troubles and placing them in a large bag. As your family enters the church, have them mentally hang the bag on a tree. This helps “lighten the load” and enhances focus. It is up to them whether they want to pick up these struggles when they leave church or whether they want to share the load with Jesus.Communicate with God RegularlyRemind your children that God is ready to talk whenever they are and is excited by anything they say. If your son wants to begin a prayer with how much he loves his new toy truck, ease into the prayer with that and hit the high points later. The important lesson is to open a line of communication with God that seems natural. If your teenager has a song that has become an earworm, have her use it as a soundtrack for prayer.Be the ExampleThe solemnity of church invites us to pray. As you enter church, fold your hands in prayer, bow your head, and refrain from talking. Your actions will set the stage and your children will more than likely follow your lead. Keep in mind that small children are sometimes simply not ready to sit still for an extended period of time, and most churches have cry rooms for little ones whose attention spans do not match the length of Mass. As your child ages, begin Mass in a back pew and spend longer and longer stretches outside the cry room as their attention span lengthens. It will happen.God listens to every prayer, no matter how disorganized, as long as it is prayed earnestly. With the correct attitude, setting, and mindset, your child will learn to focus on the intensity of prayer. The wonderful feeling of connecting with God on a personal level that occurs with an honest, heartfelt prayer will also help heighten the experience. The Diocese of Orlando has several ideas on how your children can build a stronger relationship with God on our blog page. To learn about the Diocese’ Catholic schools in Orlando, give us a call at 407-246-4903.