How to Implement Prayers Into Your Child’s Night Routine

It seems all too easy to shuffle the kids to bed as soon as possible to 1) give them enough rest, and 2) give mom and dad some rest as well.

Once you get your children used to a bedtime routine, they know what to expect. Whether you read, sing songs, take a bath, there is a lot that goes into a simple yet effective bedtime routine.

Children’s Prayers at Bedtime

Do you try to include prayer in your child’s bedtime routine? That has always been important to us and our family.

My husband would relate how they would say Rosaries a lot as a family. I honestly didn’t grow up saying Rosaries often, except for maybe Lent and Advent seasons. I don’t really remember praying before bed, either.

Since it is important to our family, and important to so many other families to introduce prayer to their toddlers or even babies, I thought this post appropriate for my site.

Adding Prayers to the Routine

My sleep routine consultant (Dana Obleman’s Sleep Sense) advises that it take no longer than 30 minutes for a bedtime routine. With baths and jammies in there, it makes it difficult to say a Rosary like we want to.

However, I figured if we teach them the prayers used in the Rosary while they are young, it will be easier for them to take part in a Rosary when they do get older.

Here is our solution (for now):

• Bathtime (5 min)
• Lotion and Jammies on (5-7 min)
• Teeth brushing or Bottle (2 min)
• Read 2 stories (5 min)
• Say Prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Angel of God, and often an Act of Contrition)
• Go to Sleep!

This seems to work really well for us. It may not for some people. We also have a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old, so their bedtime routine is still quite similar. I’m sure it will be a challenge when we start adding more children to the mix and/or they get older.

Let me present a few other solutions that might work better for you and your family.

How to Do Children’s Bedtime Prayers

The goal is to create some sort of connection from our children to their heavenly Father, yes? Here are a few ways to use prayer creatively to achieve that result.

#1: Short Bedtime Prayers

The younger they are, the less attention span they are going to have. The shorter the prayers, better. That doesn’t mean you have to go sparingly on the prayers, just keep them appropriate for the age.

Some great options for Catholics would include prayers such as:

• Hail Mary
• Glory Be
• Angel of God
• Night Prayer – you can buy printouts of this one in my store!
• Come, Holy Spirit
• Serenity Prayer
• Short Prayers from a great Catholic site

You could also simply focus on teaching them the Sign of the Cross as part of your bedtime routine or keep that task for during the day when their little minds are not so tired.

#2: children’s bedtime prayer songs

Some parents opt for songs. This works well if your children enjoy singing (which most do!) and you enjoy it as well (that might be a bit harder to achieve for some of us).

I don’t care if you have a bad voice, and neither does your child. So sing with them!

Great little songs to sing:

• Jesus Loves Me
• Hail Mary, Full of Grace
• Our Father (the chant version)

One of my awesome friends often includes songs in her child’s routine. They sing songs like “Ave Maria” and the “Our Father”, or even “Silent Night” and the “Wexford Carol” during Advent and Christmas season (or all year, why not?)

I am fond of singing or humming church hymns to my children at night, especially if they have trouble falling asleep. I like using “What Wondrous Love”, “Amazing Grace”, “At That First Eucharist”, “O Come, Emmanuel” or any other low and soothing hymn.

There are so many possibilities, though. Here are a few more I’ve thought of that could be lullaby-ish

• • Open My Eyes, Lord

• • Sanctuary

• • Celtic Alleluia

• • All in All

These are actually songs I used during my time teaching music at VBS, and made videos for them. You can check them out on YouTube or Pinterest!

#3: Prayer Before Bedtime

If it is too difficult to add prayer to their nighttime routine, consider doing it right before they get ready for bed. It would be a great signal to them that bedtime is approaching.

Also, it would be a fantastic way to wind them down from playing or electronics or television. They are still being exposed to prayers, so no biggy on the timing.

#4: Focus on Prayer During the Day

You could also make sure you pray before meals as a simple way to implement prayer into their lives. Teaching them the Sign of the Cross is always a fun challenge for any toddler or child.

Another cool way to teach them how to pray for others could be while driving. Pray a Rosary for someone or something specific. Or if you see someone in an accident or in trouble, say a prayer for them. It is good to teach them to pray for those who could be hurt.

#5: Prayers During Bathtime

While this might not be the easiest, it is definitely the most creative. Another of my friends often employs this strategy with her children. She has three under 4 years old, so she is doing a fantastic thing!

I often think kids see prayer more than they hear it. If we live like we pray and show them how to be a Christian with our actions as well as our prayers, it will be much easier to teach them about our Faith.

Tips on Implementing Nighttime Prayer

• Don’t get down on yourself if your kids aren’t paying attention; they are probably listening and won’t let you know that by how they act 🙂 It is bedtime, after all, your children should be tired!
• If you forget to say prayers one night, it’s okay. God doesn’t penalize us for days missed, He just wants us to return to Him as soon as possible!
• Sometimes saying prayers will be more important than reading stories or even singing, or vice versa. Go with your gut on what needs to be done.
• Give your children a glimpse of authentic devotion by praying with humility and sincerity. If they watch you have a good relationship with Christ, chances are they will want one, too.
• Teach your children reverence when talking to God by showing it yourself. Go back to the previous point for why.

Related Articles:

10 Ways Saying the Rosary Will Change Your Life

How to Create a Prayerful Morning Routine

How I Work At Home With 2 Small Children

5 Reasons We Are Using a Midwife With Baby #3

8 Ways to Not Find Happiness

The Ultimate Guide to Catholic Kids’ Shows

The One Mistake You Are Making When You Pray

My Top 3 Favorite Parenting Experts

The Importance of Saying Prayers With Children

I think we all get the importance of introducing our children to the Christian faith, and prayers is a big part of that. It teaches them the necessity of praying, plus the added bonus of it calming our souls and minds before we lay down for a night’s rest.

I have always found when I say a Rosary before bed, it puts me in the most restful slumber I could ask for. When I worry about doing other trivial things before bedtime, I am often plagued with sleeplessness.

So, coming from my own experience, and the experiences of others, the benefits of prayer (especially with your children) are amazing.

I hope you find what works best for you and your family! Comment below on how you implement prayers into your child’s bedtime routine!