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Praying with family, loved ones, and friends can be a wonderful way to bond, share faith, and express gratitude. But it’s not always easy to make happen. Especially when everyone has different schedules and priorities. That’s where a prayer board comes in.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.”
1 Timothy 2:1, English Standard Version
Whenever my family sits down for dinner or a holiday meal, there’s always that unsure moment where no one can quite figure out who’s going to pray before we dig in. Finally, someone volunteers—or, more likely, my mom looks at them until they offer! And once the prayer gets going, the shyness disappears and others start to chime in, and it turns out to be this lovely moment of connection. A prayer board would aid that time of connection.
A prayer board is exactly what it sounds like. A board (like cardboard, oak tag, or recycled cardboard) that you can pin or stick prayers to. Kind of like an old-school collage—but with prayers. It’s a visual way to pray and watch the power of prayer unfold. And it can be a super easy and effective way to pray with others. After all, by putting a prayer board in a spot in your home with a lot of foot traffic, you’re guaranteed that people are seeing each other’s prayers and praying for one another.
There are tons of prayer board ideas out there and prayer boards can really take any shape or form—it’s really up to you. But if you’re looking for a little inspiration, we’ve got you covered with these prayer board ideas to try with your family, loved ones, friends, or even on your own.
“Dear God” Prayer Board
This prayer board idea couldn’t be simpler to assemble. Simply take envelopes (either the same type or all different kinds) and tape or tack them to a board. Write each person’s name on an envelope. Then have each person write a prayer to God in the form of a letter (“Dear God…”) and put it into their envelope. This can be a one-time activity or an ongoing thing. The envelopes can stay sealed or you can regularly take turns reading the letters out loud and praying for each other.
As an alternative to this prayer board idea, you can also write themes on the envelopes instead of names, such as “health,” “dreams,” and “goals.” And then have family members drop their prayers into the appropriate envelope.
“Pull a Prayer” Board
Have you ever seen those advertising flyers at the grocery store with tags at the bottom that you can pull? That’s the same thinking behind this prayer board idea. Start by placing a prayer board in a spot where everyone in your family can see it, like the kitchen counter. Keep a pad of sticky notes and a marker nearby. Then, whenever someone’s in need of prayer, they can write their request on a sticky note, stick it to the board, and another member of the family can pull the sticky note off the board and pray for that person. For a twist on this prayer board idea, you can also hang prayers on twine with clothespins.
Prayer Tree Board
This prayer board idea is a great way to track not only prayers, but the blessings that stem from prayers over the course of a season, like fall or spring. First, print or draw an image of a tree onto a sheet of paper or board. Then have family members add different prayers onto the trunk and roots of the tree by writing them down with marker or using sticky notes. Next, every time God answers one of the prayers (even if the answer is not the expected answer!), write or stick a blessing onto one of the branches of the tree. At the end of the season, your family will have a very visual reminder of the amazing power of prayer.
Collage Prayer Board
Grab a pile of old magazines and some scrapbooking supplies, and spend some time as a family crafting your own mini prayer board collages. You can put anything you want on your board—words that reflect something meaningful in your life, photos of places you feel called to visit, images that speak to your purpose. Once everyone’s finished their collage prayer boards, take time to do a little “show and tell” as a family. Then reflect on how all your hopes, dreams, and prayers (as symbolized on the prayer board) are in God’s hands.
Refrigerator Prayer Board
The best part about this prayer board idea? All you need is a refrigerator and some magnets! First, ask loved ones to write prayers on slips of paper. Put them up on the fridge using magnets, that way everyone can easily see the prayers whenever they’re passing by or stopping at the fridge. Then, anytime a prayer is answered, take a snapshot (either with your phone or an instant camera) that represents the blessing that came out of the prayer. Finally, replace the prayer request on the fridge with that photo. Once the fridge is covered in photos, you can start all over again!
Prayer boards are an engaging way to bring loved ones together in prayer, all while having some fun. And there’s tons of room to get creative with prayer board ideas. For example, if you’re not a fan of a board format, try a prayer or gratitude jar. Or a digital prayer board. The prayer possibilities are truly endless!
Let Abide be your daily companion as you seek to grow your family’s faith. Along with more than 1400 daily Christian audio meditations you can do together, we have a whole library of children’s stories. Check out the sample below. Then download the app and start a premium subscription to gain access to our entire library of content. Use this link for 25% off. Add daily time with Abide to your prayer board ideas for a well-rounded family faith practice.
Diana Aydin is a writer and editor based in New York.
