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Sooner or later every parent watches a child walk out of sight, through a school gate or out of the driveway in a packed car. A prayer for your children keeps you close to them in the places your hands cannot reach, and reminds you that they belonged to God before they ever belonged to you.
Here is a short prayer you can say every morning:
Lord Jesus, thank you for my children, (names). Keep them safe today. Be with them in every place where I cannot be, and bring them home to me in peace tonight. Amen.
Say the name of each child aloud. Children who overhear it learn that someone speaks to God about them every day. Longer prayers for every age and a simple way to bless your child follow below.
Prayer of both parents for their children
This prayer fits the evening, once the house is quiet. Mother and father can take turns line by line. If you pray alone, simply change we to I.
Heavenly Father, thank you for our children, (names). You placed them in our care, yet they are yours first and always.
Guard them in body and in soul. Watch over them at school, on the playground and among people we have never met.
Let them grow in wisdom and in goodness. Make them honest, kind to those who are left out, and brave enough to stand up for what is right.
Draw them to know you and love you, not out of duty, but because they have truly met you.
Give us patience when we are worn out, wisdom when we do not know what to do next, and the humility to apologize to our own child when we get it wrong.
Teach us to love them as they are, not as we imagined they would be.
We entrust them to you today and on every day of their lives. Amen.
The priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24-26
God gave this blessing to Moses for the priests of Israel to bless the people. Jewish families still speak it over their children on the Sabbath, and many Christian parents use it too. In the Douay-Rheims Bible it reads:
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.
The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee.
The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.
In the New American Bible, Revised Edition, published by the bishops of the United States, the first line reads The LORD bless you and keep you. At the bedside many families prefer an everyday adaptation like this one:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord look on you with kindness and give you peace. Amen.
Prayers for children at every age
Prayer for a baby or a toddler
When people brought little children to Jesus, the disciples tried to send them away. Jesus was displeased and said: Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not (Mark 10:14). Then he embraced them, laid his hands on them and blessed them.
Lord Jesus, you welcomed little children and blessed them with your own hands. Hold our little one close.
Give (name) peaceful sleep, a healthy appetite and joy in discovering the world.
Protect this small body from accidents and illness, and from every danger we cannot foresee.
Let our home be the first place where (name) learns that you love this child without limit. Amen.
The easiest habit to start with small children is praying together before sleep, and our bedtime prayer guide has simple texts. If another baby is on the way, there is also a prayer for pregnancy.
Prayer for a school-age child
Lord, today (name) walks into a classroom I cannot see. Bless the teachers and every classmate.
Give (name) a clear mind for learning, the courage to try again after a bad grade, and a kind heart toward the child nobody sits with at lunch.
Keep (name) safe on the way there and on the way home. Amen.
Prayer for a teenager
The teenage years test the whole family, and your child may stop telling you much at all.
Lord, my child is changing, and some days I barely recognize this young person. You know who (name) is becoming far better than I do.
Protect (name) from harmful influences, from addiction and from anyone who would take advantage.
Send at least one true friend, and when (name) will not talk to me, let there be a trustworthy adult to talk to.
Give me patience to listen without lecturing, wisdom to set fair limits, and a love that survives a slammed door. Amen.
Prayer for an adult child who has left the faith
When a grown child stops believing, the Church offers a companion for this road: Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine. In fourth century North Africa she prayed with tears for many years while her son lived far from God, and a bishop consoled her that a child of so many tears would not be lost. Augustine was baptized by Saint Ambrose in Milan and became a bishop and Doctor of the Church. Saint Monica is celebrated on August 27, the day before the feast of her son.
Lord, you know how much it hurts that my child no longer walks with you. I do not know what I could have done differently.
I will not force or nag. I want to love (name) and wait, like the father in the parable who kept watching the road for his prodigal son.
Go where I cannot go. Place people on the path of (name) through whom you can be found again.
Saint Monica, you prayed for your son for years and never gave up. Pray for my child too. Amen.
Some parents take on a longer devotion for such a child, such as the 54-day Rosary novena. What matters most is steady, patient love.
Prayer for a sick child
In the Gospels Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5) and heals the son of a royal official from a distance (John 4).
Lord Jesus, you raised the daughter of Jairus and healed the son of the royal official. Look now on my child, who is sick.
Ease the pain, grant restful sleep, and guide the hands and minds of the doctors and nurses.
Give me the strength to stay calm beside this bed, even when I am afraid. Amen.
Prayer never replaces medical care. Call your pediatrician, and in an emergency go straight to the ER or call emergency services, then keep praying on the way. Many Catholic families also ask for the intercession of a saint, for example through the St Charbel novena.
Guardian Angel prayer for your child
Catholic tradition holds that God gives each of us an angel as a protector, and the Church celebrates the Holy Guardian Angels on October 2. This short prayer goes back to the medieval Latin Angele Dei:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom His love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
At night, say ever this night. Some prayer books print the second line with the word God in place of His. As a parent, you can also speak directly to the angel of your child:
Holy guardian angel of (name), God entrusted this child to your care. Stay close today, guard (name) from harm, and lead this child always toward Jesus. Amen.
How to bless your child step by step
Blessing a child is an old Christian custom that takes less than a minute.
1. Choose a fixed moment
A blessing sticks when it belongs to the same moment every day, such as the front door before school or the bedside at lights out.
2. Trace a small cross on the forehead
Use your thumb to make a small sign of the cross on the forehead of your child. Some families first dip a finger in holy water.
3. Say the words of blessing
One sentence is enough: May God bless you and keep you. On special days, use the priestly blessing from Numbers 6 above.
4. Add a personal word
Tell your child what you are asking God for today, such as courage for a test, a good game or a restful night.
5. Keep going as they grow
Teenagers sometimes pull away. Do not take offense or force it, just ask whether you may. Many adults say that the small cross traced by a parent is one of the things they remember most clearly from home.
Why parents pray for their children
The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the Christian family the first place of education in prayer, a domestic church where children learn to pray and to persevere.
The Catechism also teaches that every baptized person is called to be a blessing and to bless (CCC 1669). That is why parents can bless a child without a priest. It is not a liturgical blessing, but a real prayer of the baptized.
Scripture shows this attitude in Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who brought her longed-for son to the house of the Lord and said: For this child did I pray, and the Lord hath granted me my petition (1 Samuel 1:27). Our children are entrusted to us, not owned by us.
FAQ
What is a short prayer for my children?
Try this one: Lord Jesus, thank you for my children. Keep them safe today, be with them where I cannot be, and bring them home in peace tonight. Amen. Say the name of each child and pray it at the same time every day so it becomes a habit.
Can a mother or father bless a child without a priest?
Yes. The Catechism teaches that every baptized person is called to bless. Parents can trace a small cross on the forehead of their child and say May God bless you and keep you, or pray the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24-26. It is a family prayer, not a substitute for the blessing of a priest.
Which saint should I pray to for my children?
Parents often turn to the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, who raised Jesus. For a child who has left the faith, many pray to Saint Monica, whose prayers accompanied the conversion of her son Augustine. You can also entrust each child to his or her guardian angel.
How do I pray for an adult child who has left the Church?
Pray patiently, by name and without reproach. Arguments rarely bring anyone back, while steady love keeps the door open. Ask God to place good people on the path of your child, and ask Saint Monica, who prayed for her son for years, to pray with you.
Can prayer replace a doctor when my child is sick?
No. Prayer and medical care go together, and the Church never asks parents to choose between them. Contact your pediatrician or emergency services right away, and pray for your child and the doctors at the same time.
Should both parents pray for the children together?
Ideally yes, together and each on their own, because children learn most from seeing mother and father pray side by side. Still, the prayer of one parent has great value, especially when the other does not pray.