I thought I would share a great idea that I got from Focus on the Family. We’ve been doing it for a year now on and off and just recently we have made if officially part of our Monday night bedtime routine with the girls. They love it! In order to teach them a great ‘recipe’ on how to pray, we use the ACTS model. We put all the following items in a shoe box.
A- Adoration: Praise God for who He is.
-play money or coins: God is our Provider (1 Tim. 6:17)
-Band Aids: God is our healer (Psalm 103:3)
-wrapped Lifesaver candy: He saves us (Matthew 1:21)
C- Confession: Repent of sin.
-Mr. Potato Head tongue: teasing, arguing, lying (James 1:26)
-wooden spoon: stirring up trouble (Proverbs 10:12)
-compact mirror: being selfish and having bad attitudes (Psalm 139:23-24)
T- Thanksgiving: Express gratitude.
-a popsicle stick cross: for Jesus and salvation
-a pocket Bible: for God’s Word
-a small photo album: for friends and family
S- Supplication: make requests for others and myself.
-toy car: for safety in travel
-little flashlight: for God’s light to show the way
-a watch: for spending time with family, friends, and Jesus.
On Monday nights, we take out our prayer box and we go through each item and talk about what they mean and then say a prayer after each ‘letter.’
the paquettes 
Rob and I literally just finished talking about ways we can add more to our family routine. How I wish I read this first! Rob now has his evening planned out for the girls and what we are going to try for the next month, but this is something I think I will start including regularly either at breakfast or lunch. It seems so hard getting the little minds of Dee and Gracie to really grasp anything we try to instill on their hearts. But I think these will be really helpful in making the faith we pray for them to have more understandable to them. Thanks, Julie for posting this great tool!!!