Telephone to God

To help the children understand how prayer is having a conversation with God

The children will understand that prayer is talking and listening to God.

• Old cell phones or telephones (or else use a pretend phone)

• Divide the group so that each child has a partner.
• Ask the children how many of them are able to call friends or relatives on the telephone.
• Ask the children if they have ever been talking to someone on the telephone when the other person did all the talking. How did it make them feel?
• Ask if they were ever the person who did all the talking. How do they think the other person felt?
• Direct the children to use their play phones to have a conversation with their partners.
• Stop the children, and tell them that prayer is like talking to God on the phone without the phone. We should do the talking, and we should also listen.
• Then ask the children to pretend that they are talking to God on the telephone. Tell them to take turns deciding what they might say. Ask: What might God be talking about to you?

People Smart, Word Smart

Make sure the children have room to spread out so that they have some privacy when talking to their partners.

If there are children in your group with special needs (physical, visual, hearing, language, or behavioral disabilities), adapt the activity accordingly.