This is something that I repeat every time the group meets.  Teaching them that praying before we eat is as regular as snack time is important, we eat so we pray, teach them that both things come together.

Snack Time is an amazing teaching opportunity not to be missed out on.  It’s not quick but I consistently, repeatedly, without fail teach and pray at snack time without fail.

Before the snack bowls are placed in front of the children (who on this earth could teach anything with children having bowls of food in front of them asking or expecting them to wait)?

I ask two questions of the children, yes two questions, same questions week in week out! It works.

Here they are –

-          Why do we pray before we eat?

-          Who gave us this food that we are about to enjoy?

The first question – Why do we pray before we eat? – It’s simple Jesus told us to – and because we need to say thank you!  If you have been with your group for a little while you will have taken them through the “Easter Lesson”, so some of them may know the answer.  If however, they haven’t then you do the quickest “childlike” recite of the “last supper” known to man!

We pray before we eat because Jesus told us to.  Just before Jesus went to be on the Cross for Us like we have learnt at Easter Time, he got all his friends together and gave them bread (a snack) and wine (we have water). He said, every time you eat remember me, every time you drink remember me.  Which means that every time we eat or drink we should remember Him.

However, when someone gives us something we should always say “thank you”, I say “what do you say when someone gives you a present” they reply – Thank you! So we need to thank God for all the food he is giving us now for our snack.  I say to them “Oh did you think the food came from the supermarket, did the crackers come from the supermarket”, they reply “yes” but I say “how did the crackers get in the supermarket where did they come from”, eventually after “lorries” and “mummies” we lead them to the crackers came from flour that was made from wheat that came from a seed, and “who made the seed” – God did, as everything comes from God and he made “everything”.  SO, God gave us the crackers, which is why we need to say thank you to God.

There is a heap of learning there and it would be so sad to miss out on it.  I have said the same thing for so many years, repeating the same message that I am able to get it out pretty quickly in an exciting way.  Once you start saying the same messages in parrot fashion, you too will be able to get through them in a fun and quick way whilst the children in your group grow patience waiting for their snack!