The Three Types of Prayer (and How to Cultivate Them in the Lives of Our Children)

Have you ever wondered how to teach your children to really pray—not just say prayers, but to truly connect with God? 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church outlines three major expressions of the life of prayer that we can nurture in our families:

Vocal Prayer

Simple definition: Talking to God with our words.

This is the prayer we all know, love, and learn from the beginning: speaking to God aloud or silently using memorized prayers or our own words.

Think prayers like:

🕊️ The Our Father

🕊️ Hail Mary

🕊️ Simple spontaneous prayers from the heart

💡 How to foster it:

• Start and end the day with family prayers (this is where The Daily Feast comes in!)
• Teach your kids traditional prayers -> (we have a forthcoming tool to help you with this... stay tuned!)
• Encourage them to talk to Jesus like a friend

Meditation

Simple definition: Thinking deeply with God.

Meditative prayer engages the mind and heart. It's about pondering God's Word and reflecting on how it speaks to our lives.

💡 How to foster it:

• Use sacred art or Bible stories to spark wonder
• Ask reflective questions: “What is Jesus saying to you here?”
• Give them a lectio divina prayer journal or drawing notebook

 Contemplation

Simple definition: Resting in God's love.

This is the quiet, loving gaze toward God. No words, no agenda—just being with Him. It's the deepest form of prayer and often the most difficult for children (and adults!)—but even young hearts can learn it.

💡 How to foster it:

• Create moments of holy silence after reading Scripture
• Light a candle and sit in stillness together for just 1–2 minutes
• Model this in Eucharistic Adoration or quiet time at home

The Prayer Invitation

No matter your child’s age or temperament, you can gently invite them into a richer prayer life—one that moves from words, to reflection, to resting in God's presence.

“They have in common the recollection of the heart.” – CCC 2721

You don’t need to do it all at once. Just begin. 

Ready to dive deeper? 

Here are 4 ways to fill your nets... 

 1. Memorize Bible verses with your children easily with our FREE guide: Stocking the Storehouses

 2. Make your dreams of family prayer a reality with The Daily Feast framework, making it possible in just a few minutes a day. This free guide shows you how.

 3. Want to steward your own prayer life? Check out this Scripture prayer journal we made just for you.

 4. Looking to level-up in your family faith formation? Join over 10,000 families that use our resources. We make open-and-go, family-style resources to make your role as primary catechist easy AND delightful. Click here to browse!