Ways of praying and the Lord’s Prayer for Primary 1

Class: Primary One
Term: Second Term
Week: 5
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: Christian Religion Studies
Curriculum Theme: God Our Father
Focal competence: Talking with God in prayer always
Key competencies/values: Communication; Information Literacy; Faith
Skills:

• Praying to God in various ways

Previous Lesson: Prayer, Talking to God and Reasons for Praying
Topic: Things We Must Do As Children Of God: Ways Of Praying
Subject Matter: Ways of praying, the Lord’s Prayer

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify different ways of praying.
• Mention types of personal devotion or quiet time.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of prayer as talking with God.
• Show respectful behaviour during prayer.

Psychomotor Domain

• Demonstrate respectful positions for prayer.
• Recite the Lord’s Prayer.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• Christian Religious Studies for Primary 1, by A.O. Okoro and E.C. Nwafor
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Holy Bible
• Pictures of people praying in church
• Prayer Books
• Chart on prayer positions
• Relevant Bible-story pictures or memory-verse chart
• Suitable songs or audio where appropriate

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it teaches young children how to communicate with God through prayer. Understanding different ways of praying and learning the Lord’s Prayer helps pupils develop a personal relationship with God and participate meaningfully in Christian worship. It lays a foundation for their spiritual growth as children of God.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have been taught that God is our Father and they know how to talk to their earthly parents.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Things We Must Do As Children Of God: Ways Of Praying

What is Prayer?

Prayer is talking to God. It is how we communicate with our Heavenly Father.

Ways of Praying (Positions of Prayer)

We can pray to God in different ways and positions. It is important to be respectful when we pray. Some common positions include:

1. Kneeling: Bending our knees to show humility before God.
2. Standing: Standing upright, sometimes with hands raised.
3. Bowing our head: Lowering our head to show reverence.
4. Closing our eyes: To help us focus on God without distractions.
5. Raising our hands: To show surrender or praise to God.

Types of Prayer

We can pray alone or with others:

1. Personal Prayer: When you talk to God by yourself, like when you are alone in your room. This is also called quiet time.
2. Group Prayer: When many people pray together, like in church or at home with family.

We can pray for different things:

1. Thanksgiving: Thanking God for all His blessings.
2. Request: Asking God for things we need.
3. Forgiveness: Asking God to forgive us for our sins.

Respectful Behaviour During Prayer

When we pray, we should:

1. Be quiet and calm.
2. Close our eyes and focus on God.
3. Show reverence and respect.
4. Not play or talk to others.

The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. This prayer is called the Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

And the power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:9-13 (The Lord’s Prayer)

Memory Verse

Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Explanation, Recitation

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Storytelling/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils, leads a short prayer song, and asks them how they talk to their parents when they want something or want to say thank you.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions and participate in the song.

Learning Point: Introduction to prayer

Step 2: Ways of Praying

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that just as we talk to our parents, we can talk to God through prayer. The teacher demonstrates different respectful positions of prayer (kneeling, standing, bowing head, closing eyes) using pictures and the chart.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the teacher’s demonstration and pictures, and listen to the explanation.

Learning Point: Different prayer positions

Step 3: Types of Prayer

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains personal prayer (quiet time) and group prayer. The teacher also discusses simple prayers for thanksgiving, request, and forgiveness, giving simple examples.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and ask questions about personal and group prayer, and different types of prayers.

Learning Point: Personal and group prayer

Step 4: Respectful Behaviour During Prayer

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Instruction/Guidance

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the importance of respectful behaviour during prayer, such as being quiet, focusing, and not playing. The teacher reminds them that prayer is talking to God.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and understand the need for respectful behaviour.

Learning Point: Respectful prayer conduct

Step 5: The Lord’s Prayer

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Recitation/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the Lord’s Prayer, explaining that Jesus taught us this prayer. The teacher recites the Lord’s Prayer clearly, line by line, and guides pupils to repeat after her.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively and repeat the Lord’s Prayer after the teacher.

Learning Point: Reciting the Lord’s Prayer

Step 6: Practice and Memory Verse

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in a short practice session, asking them to demonstrate a prayer position and recite a part of the Lord’s Prayer. The teacher also introduces and explains the memory verse (Matthew 7:7).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils practice prayer positions and recite parts of the Lord’s Prayer. They also repeat the memory verse.

Learning Point: Prayer practice and memory

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. Mention two ways of praying.
2. Recite the first two lines of the Lord’s Prayer.
3. What is personal prayer?
4. How should we behave when we are praying?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Understanding prayer concepts

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to copy the essential Board Summary notes on ways of praying and the Lord’s Prayer into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarization

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the lesson by reminding pupils that prayer is very important for children of God and that they should always talk to God respectfully. The teacher leads a closing prayer.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and participate in the closing prayer.

Learning Point: Importance of prayer

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Answer the following questions in your notebook:

1. Draw a picture of yourself praying.
2. Ask your parents to help you write down one thing you want to thank God for.
3. Learn to recite the Lord’s Prayer perfectly.

Lesson Keywords

• Prayer – Talking to God.
• Kneeling – A way to pray by bending your knees.
• Personal Prayer – Praying alone.
• Group Prayer – Praying with others.
• Lord’s Prayer – The prayer Jesus taught us.
• Respect – Showing honour to God.

Differentiation

For weaker learners, the teacher will provide extra visual aids and guide them line-by-line in reciting the Lord’s Prayer. For faster learners, they can be encouraged to write a short, simple prayer of their own or explain why they think prayer is important.

Suggested Lesson Videos

Search YouTube for: Primary 1 Ways of Praying Lord’s Prayer

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, ensure you have your Holy Bible, pictures showing different prayer positions, and a chart of the Lord’s Prayer ready. Begin by engaging pupils with a familiar prayer song to set a spiritual tone. Clearly demonstrate and explain the various ways of praying, emphasizing respectful behaviour. When teaching the Lord’s Prayer, recite it slowly and clearly, guiding pupils to repeat after you line by line. Pay attention to their pronunciation and understanding. Encourage active participation during practice sessions. During the note-taking stage (Step 8), ensure pupils copy the Board Summary accurately. Check for understanding throughout the lesson by asking simple questions. Support weaker learners by providing more direct guidance and repetition, while challenging faster learners with additional questions or creative tasks related to prayer.