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Meet our Prayer Bear!
The Prayer Bear is something we are introducing at school to help children develop their prayer life.
We would like to encourage children to:
- see prayer as part of daily life, not just something they do at school.
- give families a chance to pray together, share their faith and create special moments at home.
- help children grow in confidence by leading prayers with others.
- strengthen the link between school, parish and home.
Our Prayer Bear is a soft, cuddly toy who takes turns in coming home with your child if they have asked for him. Inside the Prayer Bear bag, you will find traditional prayers, prayer starters, prayer artefacts and some suggestions for how you might like to share some prayers at home as a family.
There is no right or wrong way to use the Prayer Bear!
There is also a small prayer book with space for children and families to add their own prayers, drawings or photographs.
When Prayer Bear comes back to school, we will share some of the children’s reflections during Prayer & Liturgy. This helps children see that their prayers at home are part of our wider school family’s prayer life.
Our hope is that through Prayer Bear, we hope children and families will grow closer to God, find comfort in prayer, and feel connected to the faith community of Sacred Heart School.
What’s inside the bag?
- Prayer Bear – to cuddle during prayer times
- Prayer Journal – where you can write or draw your own family’s prayers, thoughts or reflections
- A selection of traditional prayers for you to choose to say together
- Battery tea light candle – to help create a calm prayer space at home
- A small cross – to hold during quiet prayer
How to use a Prayer Bear
1. Choose a quiet moment in the day (morning, afternoon, evening or whenever works best)
2. Switch on the tea light and invite your child to hold the cross and the Prayer Bear
3. Say a prayer together – you can choose one from the selection in the bag or choose your own prayer to say, use the prayer starters or just talk to God in your own way
4. Write or draw something in the Prayer Journal - it could be a prayer, something you are thankful for or a picture. If you would like to pop a prayer or picture or photo into Prayer Bear’s pocket, please feel free to do so.
5. Return everything back in the bag to school so the next child can take the Prayer Bear home.
Ideas for your prayer time
- Thank God for something good that happened this week
- Pray for someone in your family, school or community
- Ask God to help with something you are worried about
- Share a kindness you would like to do this week
Thank you for making Prayer Bear’s visit to your home so special.
