Bedtime Prayer for Kids That Teaches Them to Pray

A good bedtime prayer for kids is a short talk with God in which the child says thank you, says sorry and asks for help, in their own words with a parent beside them. A memorized rhyme can be a start, but the aim is that your child learns to speak to the Lord, and that takes a few minutes of patient practice each night.

Bedtime is a natural time to pray. The house is quiet, the day is over and a child is often ready to say what is on their heart. A simple pattern, a verse to pray and ideas for a child who is afraid follow, with a word about praying in the name of Jesus.

Why bedtime works for prayer

The psalmist prays, “I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me” (Psalm 3:5). He also writes of remembering the Lord “on my bed” and thinking about Him “in the night watches” (Psalm 63:6). A child who prays at night can learn to hand the day to God.

A three-part bedtime prayer for kids

1. Thank God for something from the day. “Thank You, Lord, for the park.”
2. Say sorry for anything wrong. “I was unkind to my brother, please forgive me.”
3. Ask Him to keep the family through the night, and to help with tomorrow.

Say the first one yourself, so the child can hear how it goes, and then let them take a turn. Keep it to two or three minutes. A child who is nearly asleep will pray a sentence, and that is a good prayer.

A verse to pray at bedtime

Psalm 4:8 is a good verse for the end of the day, “In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.” Teach it one line at a time, over a week, and say it together after the prayer. Another is Proverbs 3:24, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.”

When a child is afraid at night

Some children lie awake afraid of the dark, of a storm or of a bad dream. Do not brush the fear aside. Sit with them, pray with them and remind them that the Lord is watching. “He who keeps you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3), and Peter tells us to be “casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). You can pray, “Lord Jesus, You are here with us. Please help us to trust You, and help us to sleep.” These promises are for those who trust the Lord, so pray that your child will learn to trust Him.

Jesus Himself slept in a boat during a storm, and when the disciples woke Him, He calmed the wind with a word. You can read the story together in the session for Mark chapter 4.

Teaching a child to pray, not only to recite

A rhyme learned by heart is fine, and a child can still say it without thinking. After the rhyme, ask, “Is there anything you would like to tell the Lord tonight?” Let them say it, however short. Over time they will find their own words. Paul reminds us that “the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought” (Romans 8:26), so we pray for our children's praying, too.

Praying in the name of Jesus

We end our prayers “in Jesus' name” because we come to God through Him. He died for sinners and rose again, and He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Tell your child plainly that they, like all of us, need forgiveness, and call them to turn from sin and trust in Jesus. Do not tell a child that they are saved because they say bedtime prayers. A child can pray every night and still need a new heart, and we ask God to give it.

Try it tonight, with the light low and your child beside you. For a reading before bed, pick a chapter and use the prayer at the end of the session. Gifts at this page help keep the site free for other families. May the Lord keep your children through the night and draw them to Himself.