In this blog post, you’ll find some ideas to use as a prayer before meals for kids. A rhyming grace before meals is an easy way to use the rhythm and rhyme to make the rhyming prayers “stick”. Take a look at the rhyming prayers for kids and families below.
prayer before meals for kids
One of my favorite memories from mealtimes as a child was the blessing, or the prayer before meals. A prayer before meals, for kids, is a wonderful way to connect with families, while saying grace and thank you for the food at the table and other blessings in life.
I can still remember the rhyming thanks to God that started each meal. We would all bow our heads and fold our hands as we said a small prayer that showed our gratitude for the day’s blessings.
Now as a mom to small children, that blessing is one of the best slow moments of our day. My children have their small chubby hands (and usually sticky fingers) clenched into small folded prayer hands.
They have their heads bowed and are all saying a rhyming prayer together as their baby sister looks on from her high chair with wide eyes at the moment. And then someone starts the prayer in their opera voice. Or Pig Latin. It happens.
Life with four kids 7 and under brings surprises and chaos. During blessing time is no exception. We just start over and try again!
rhyming grace before meals
The routine of a meal prayer, or a meal time blessing is a blessing in itself! To a family of any size, a prayer before meals can signal the start of a meal and a time to slow down and connect.
For families, a prayer before meals offers a moment of quiet and calm from the chaos a family brings.
Saying a blessing at meals is a time to focus on the gifts from God: each other, the food, events from the day. It’s that simple prayer before meals that adds another routine to family meals.
Having a palpable moment of quiet (usually!) during a blessing prayer is a calming moment and a signal to regroup as a family together around a meal.
Even the smallest children can recognize the moment of calm during a prayer before the meal. A mealtime blessing is a time to express gratitude. And when those sweet little children that are the biggest blessing of all are saying their prayer, this mama just has to sneak a look up and express her gratitude too. Until a glass of milk spills.
In these cases, a simple prayer before meal can be a calming moment of self-regulation for the parents, too!
Rhyming Prayers to Say before Meals
God is Great Rhyming Prayer
(This food prayer is simple and effective, with a nice little rhyme.)
Johnny Appleseed Rhyming Prayer
Thank You God Prayer
Do you have a special prayer before meals that you say with your family?
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
