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6 Prayers for Back to School

6 Prayers for Back to School

Whether your kids are going back to school online, headed to a physical building, or homeschooling, we know this is a challenging time for everyone - parents, teachers, and children alike! Here are several prayers to pray with your family from Traci Smith, author of Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home and the new Faithful Families for Advent and Christmas: 100 Ways to Make the Season Sacred. From prayers for virtual and remote learning, homeschooling, blended learning, washing our hands, and living day by day without worry or fear, we hope these prayers will help you and your family start the school year off with faith, grace, and joy.

A Prayer for Back to School

At the start of the school year, we are beginning something new

New things can be exciting New things can be scary
New things can be wonderful
New things can be confusing

God, you are always with us
You are with us when things are exciting, or scary, or wonderful, or confusing
You are with us every day
And all the time

God, please help us to feel your presence with us on the first day of school,
and every day, Amen

A Prayer for At Home (Remote) Learning

Home is where we eat at the table and sleep in our bed
For now, home is where we do our learning, too
God, please be with me when I learn at home
Help me to understand what to do
Help me to be patient if it gets hard or feels too different
Most of all, help me to feel your love, Amen

A Prayer for Homeschooling

As I start a year of school at home, I pray for all of the things I will learn this year. I pray for my teachers and family members.
(Sometimes my teachers are my family members!)
Help us all on this journey.
May we be kind and do our very best, Amen

A Prayer for Blended Learning

I can learn in many different ways
I can learn at home I can learn at school
I can learn in both home and school
This year I’ll be learning in many different places
Though my body will be in different places, one thing will always stay the same: No matter where I am, God is with me
No matter where I am, God loves me
No matter where I am, I am God’s child
Amen

A Prayer for Washing My Hands

I wash my hands
I make them clean
I dry them off
While I wash I say “Thank you, God”
While I wash I say “Peace to all”
Amen

A Prayer for Living Day by Day

When our world is changing day by day, sometimes we worry about the future Sometimes our plans change
Sometimes we don’t know what will happen later
Sometimes we are disappointed
God, please be near to us when we are disappointed, or worried, or in a time of change
Help us to live day by day, and to be thankful for what each day brings
Help us not to worry about tomorrow
This is the day that you have made, God, let us be present and joyful today

More Back-to-School Prayers from Traci Smith

Traci Smith 
is the author of Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home and Faithful Families for Advent and Christmas: 100 Ways to Make the Season Sacred, as well as the author of Prayers for Faithful Families: Everyday Prayers for Everyday Life.

Traci is the pastor of Elmhurst Presbyterian Church in the Chicago area and the  mother of three. Her passion is helping families find times for connection and spiritual nourishment amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. What began as a quest to help her own family has provided valuable insight for thousands of others. Traci believes faith practices should be fun, easy to fit into daily life, and accessible to all.


Photo by CDC from Pexels
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