The Prayer Reporters

For FHE, we did a great lesson where the kids pretended to be reporters and talked about prayer. First I asked the kids to go get a pencil, notebook, and any clothes a reporter might wear

like a trench coat or hat. My little boy picked up the digital camera as a prop.

Reporting on the Lord’s Prayer

After a song (Sweet Hour of Prayer) and prayer, we started the lesson. First I asked the kids if they had ever heard of the questions that journalists try to answer in all of their reporting. Those questions are What, Who, When, Why, & How. Ask the children to write each question in their notebook, leaving a little space to write answers.

Then I asked the children to imagine they were reporters who were on the Mount when Jesus taught the people how to pray. Read the account of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 together and let the children write the answers to their reporter questions in their notebooks.

The following information was taken from Gospel Principles: Praying to our Heavenly Father

What Is Prayer?

Prayer is a sincere, heartfelt talk with our Heavenly Father.

How do we pray?

No matter where we are, whether we stand or kneel, whether we pray vocally or silently, whether we pray privately or in behalf of a group, we should always pray in faith, “a sincere heart, with real intent” (Moroni 10:4).

As we pray to our Heavenly Father, we should tell him what we really feel in our hearts, confide in him, ask him for forgiveness, plead with him, thank him, express our love for him. We should not repeat meaningless words and phrases (see Matthew 6:7–8). We should always ask that his will be done, remembering that what we desire may not be best for us (see 3 Nephi 18:20). At the end of our prayer, we close in the name of Jesus Christ (see 3 Nephi 18:19).

Who do we pray to?

“Our Father which art in Heaven….” (Matthew 6:9)

Why do we pray

To communicate with our Father in Heaven. We thank Heavenly Father for our blessings, receive forgiveness for our sins, and ask for blessings or help.

When should we pray

We can pray whenever we feel the need to communicate with our Heavenly Father, whether silently or vocally. Sometimes we need to be alone where we can pour out our souls to him (see Matthew 6:6). In addition, we can pray during our daily activities. We can pray while we are in a Church meeting, in our house, walking down a path or street, working, preparing a meal, or wherever we may be and whatever we may be doing. We can pray any time of the day or night. We can pray when we are alone or when we are with other people. We can keep our Heavenly Father in our thoughts at all times (see Alma 34:27).

At times we may not feel like praying. We may be angry or discouraged or upset. At these times we should make a special effort to pray.

We should each pray privately at least every night and every morning. The scriptures speak of praying morning, midday, and evening (see Alma 34:21).

We are commanded to have family prayers so that our families may be blessed (see 3 Nephi 18:21). Our Church leaders have counseled us to pray as families each morning and night.

We also have the privilege of praying to give thanks and ask a blessing on the food before each meal.

We open and close all of our Church meetings with prayer. We thank the Lord for his blessings and ask for his help so we may worship in a manner that pleases him.

Closing

At the end of the lesson I asked each child to write a headline as if they were the reporter trying to get people to read the information they wrote about Jesus’ words. They got pretty creative! I let the kids stand up in front and holler out their headlines like newsies.

We closed with a prayer and put into practice what we learned about praying sincerely.