How to Teach Your Kids to Thank God for Who He Is

Meet our friend, Sarah Keeling! Sarah has a background in counseling and teaching the Bible to kids. She is a mom, author, Bible translation supporter, and podcaster! If you don’t follow her yet, make sure to check out her blog and start listening to her incredible podcast, Hearts at Rest, where you and your family can listen to short guided prayers and Biblical meditations together. Check it out at: https://www.sarah-keeling.com/podcast.

She has written a special post for us on how to help our kids thank God for who He is. She gives us easy to follow, step-by-step directions to start this practice today:

Wouldn’t it be amazing if your kids could use the Bible to learn who God is, and then offer Him thanks for how they have seen His attributes at work in their lives?

This may seem like an impossible, huge task, but I promise, it’s really not! I taught our son to do this when he was seven years old, and I was amazed at how easy it was for him. You can do it too! 

Here’s a super-simple, step-by-step guide to help you teach your kids to give thanks for who God is.

1. Read together a few verses from a Psalm.

The Psalms are a great place to start, because they are the songbook of Israel. Donald S. Whitney says:

“God gave the Psalms to us so that we would give the Psalms back to God.”*

Example:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  —Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

2. Identify the attributes of God from the Psalm.

An attribute of God tells us about God. 

Say, “What do these verses tell us about God?” Or, “Who do these verses say God is?”

Example:

God is our refuge.

God is our strength.

God is our help.

3. Give a simple definition of each attribute of God.

This doesn’t need to be fancy or elaborate. You can use the internet to help you.

Example:

“God is our refuge” means that He protects us and shelters us. He’s like a tent covering us in a big rain storm.

(I used Blue Letter Bible for this definition. It’s super easy to navigate their website and app.)

4. Provide an example of how you have seen each attribute of God in your life.

The BEST way for our kids to learn is to see us model prayer. I know that requires more from us, but it really sticks with them best this way.

Example:

God was my refuge this week when I was feeling sick. He protected me from having worse symptoms

5. Ask them to share how they have seen each attribute of God at work in their lives.

They may not do this at first, and that’s OK. The more you pray, giving thanks for who God is, the easier it will be for them to do the same. 

They may need some directed questions to help them see how they have experienced God.

Example:

How was God your refuge this week?

How did He protect you?

How did He keep you safe?

6. Show them how to turn that gratitude into a prayer.

Start with thanking God for who He is, and then add how you have experienced that attribute of God in your life.

Example:

God, thank you that you are my refuge.

Thank you that you protected me from getting really sick.

7. Offer them an opportunity to pray their thanks too.

It’s totally okay if your kids aren’t able to do this exactly like the example. They will have their own versions. After we first taught our son this prayer method, he usually thanked God for his chickens. Little by little though, he began to add in the attributes of God too. Now, it’s easier for him to make the connections between the attributes of God and his own life.

I want to encourage you! This could potentially be the sweetest time with your kids, but it most likely won’t start out that way. Expect resistance, and meet it with loving firmness. I used my counselor voice with our son, who tried really hard to get out of learning to pray the Psalms. It was a lesson for me in patience and perseverance, but the reward was one hundred times worth all the drama. He enjoys it now too, although he might not admit that to anyone. 

I’m here cheering you on! With God’s help, you can do it! If you would like another resource to help teach your kids to pray the Psalms, check out my prayer journal, Psalm Prayers for Kids. It has more simple instructions to help your kids learn to connect deeply with God. 

I also have a free prayer guide on my website: www.sarah-keeling.com

I’d love to connect with you too on social media. I share fun ways to helps our kids connect with God’s word.  Instagram: @_sarahkeeling_  

Facebook - @sarahkeeling.author

*Donald S. Whitney, Praying the Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishing, 2015), 45-46.