We have been learning about prayer in preschool. No surprise that it’s this Catholic Sister’s favorite subject!

Our preschool definition suits me, too: Prayer is talking with God.

We are learning some word prayers to pray together, including the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary and Mealtime prayer.

We also have been learning the prayer of silence, which is called Centering Prayer. Practiced by the Desert Monks, Centering Prayer invites us into stillness in communion with God.

We practice Centering Prayer for a couple of minutes at the beginning of Jesus Time (religion).

We sit on the carpet, close our eyes and just breathe. We remain silent with our hearts open to Jesus. Then we quietly thank Jesus, open our eyes and begin our Jesus Time lesson.

Another prayer beloved by Benedictines everywhere is Lectio Divina (literally, Sacred Reading). Although adult Lectio is done in a series of 4 steps, with the final step having seekers simply rest in the Word, in preschool we start slowly!

Here’s how: For the first few weeks, I read a very short Scripture passage to the students. Then I ask them, what did they remember about the passage?

As the year progresses, we gradually add the other steps, ending up with a preschool-appropriate but full Lectio experience.

We often talk about other ways – and places – in which we can pray. It helps the little ones learn that God is always with us, and that we can pray anytime and anywhere.

This year, one preschooler asked me in a hushed and thrilled voice, “Sister, can we pray in the BATHROOM?”

“YES,” I laughed. Anywhere, anytime. ❤