Rotation.org Writing Team
The Lord's Prayer
Rhythm and Movement Workshop
Summary of Activities
Through a series of rhythm activities and a movement exercise, students will explore Jesus' instructions about how, where, and what to pray for as found in Matthew 6, The Lord's Prayer.
The activities in this lesson can be used with all ages and can be led by any teacher with rhythm; no "music" background required. The Scripture Reading is done using a rhythm technique with scripted points of action and insight. Be sure to have a copy of this lesson plan in front of you as you lead the reading!
Scripture for the Lesson
Matthew 6:5-13 (NRSV)
Lesson Objectives
See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives.
Preparation and Materials
- Read the Bible Background and scripture.
- Gather a variety of hand instruments and drums. These can be "real" instruments, but also could be empty oatmeal containers, buckets turned upside down, rhythm sticks made out of dowels, etc. (See instructions for making rhythm sticks in the endnotes.)
- Display a large version of The Lord’s Prayer.
- Print out the Lord's Prayer Word Cards (attached) for the Charades game. Cut apart the cards and mix them up randomly.
- Print the Lord’s Prayer Word Study for the Charades game.
Lesson Plan
Opening
Welcome students as they arrive and encourage them to explore and play freely with the instruments. Circulate to offer guidance and answer questions about instruments. Ask them about their own musical experiences.
"Following Our Leader" Rhythm Game
To the teacher: Prayer is one of the main ways we listen to and follow God our leader. It's one of the main ways we "get in sync" with God's ways, making God's needs, our needs. In the following exercise, we'll be playing a "follow the leader" rhythm game. One thing that everyone will experience is the phenomenon scientifically known as "Spontaneous Group Synchronization." It simply means that though we may each start out with a different beat, eventually, most people in a group will "pick up the beat" from their leader and from the group. Why? Because the human brain is designed to enjoy coming into "sync" with others. We can think of it as coming into sync with God! Think of this as a fun "object lesson" (metaphor) about prayer where the object is sound and rhythm.
How to Play the Rhythm Game
To begin, make sure everyone has a rhythm instrument, then beat a rhythm using your own instrument and have the group repeat that rhythm back to you.
To help, you can say the words of the beat out loud—"Ta Ta Ta Ta"—as you beat the rhythm. (Note: "Ta" and "Tee" refer to two different sounds or pitches you should use with your instrument to make "following the leader" a little harder as the exercise progresses.)
Practice loud and soft keeping of the rhythm, doing this several times per rhythm pattern, then pause to make a teaching comment, or speak as you continue the rhythm. Below are several different rhythms you can play through, each with a different "teaching point" to make.
RHYTHM 1: Ta Ta Ta Ta (repeat)
Ask: Did you notice that it took a moment for everyone to join in the same beat?
Comment: This is called "coming into synchronization" or "coming into sync." Our brains and our ears are built to want to follow the leader and get "in sync" with the leader. Kind of makes "who" you pick as your leader important, doesn't it!
Try this: Let's see if you can follow my beat as I make it loud and soft.
Do: Repeat rhythm 1, alternating between loud and soft.
Comment: You have to be a good listener to follow the leader. Let's try that again with a different rhythm. This time it will be harder, so listen closely!
RHYTHM 2: Ta Ta Tee Tee Ta (Rest) (repeat)
Do: After they pick it up, throw in some soft and loud beats. If they get out of sync, slow down and let everyone come back into sync.
Ask: Ultimately, who is our leader? God! Is God easy or hard to follow? Can you follow God without listening to him?
Try this: As I beat out a rhythm, try to beat out your own rhythm, different from mine.
As they do, comment on the cacophony of everyone doing their own thing, then be the LOUDEST instrument with the simplest beat and see if the group comes back into sync with you (they should). If not, invite them to come back into sync with you and make the following comment as everyone beats in sync.
Comment: Prayer is one of the great ways we listen to our leader, the way we pick up God's "beat"—God's song—and get in sync with God's plan for our lives. Prayer is also a great way to share our life's song—bad notes and all with God. We share our "beat"—our needs and problems with God, and then God brings us into sync with his love and his word, and eventually, his rest and restoration so that we can return to our lives refreshed and ready.
Tip: As you say these things, keep a beat going using two instruments, one in each hand. At first, have them follow two different beats, then slowly bring them into sync and then quiet them down. Then as God returns us to the world, pick up the beat in both hands keeping them in sync.
RHYTHM 3: Beat and Words (teacher says and beats, they repeat)
Say: I'm going "lay down" a "prayer beat" WITH WORDS. See if you can REPEAT my "prayer-beat" and the prayer-words I say. Let's start with just a beat and then add words.
God God God
Love Love Love
(and very softly) Hurt Hurt Hurt Heal Heal Heal
Lead Lead Lead God God God! Amen Amen Amen!
Comment: That's what prayer is! Our hearts and voices coming together with God's heart and voice. God, teaching us what to pray about, and us, taking time each day to sing our "soul's song" back to God in private prayer. Let's explore this idea a little more...
A Rhythm Reading & Discussion
In this study, students will read Matthew 6:5-13 and use their instruments with your guidance, to "illustrate" the passage with rhythm and words as they learn about the way God wants us to pray and things God wants us to pray for. This session also touches on the "quietness" of prayer that can open us up to the presence of God.
Say: Today's scripture reading is found in the book of Matthew 6:5-13. When you find it, hold up your rhythm instruments to let me know you're ready.
Say: As we read the passage, I'm going to give you instructions and ask some questions about how to use our instruments to "illustrate with sound" what's being said. We'll start and stop a couple of times so be listening. Let's begin! Jesus is teaching his disciples about prayer just like our class is doing today!
1. Read Matthew 6:5-6 "Hypocrites on Street Corners, Prayers in Your Private Room"
Ask: Who thinks they can play in a boastful way? (Pick a student and let them try using their words and rhythm of their own choosing. Then let all try it together.)
Ask as they are playing the rhythm: Do you think Jesus likes loud flashy prayers like this? Noooooo!
Optional: Some people think their prayers to God should sound like this: beat a crazy rhythm as you say... “O Lord God Father Almighty Forever in Heaven on High look down on me your lowly but worthy, simple, and humble servant of the Lord Most High ...and give me everything I ask for, for you KNOW I have been good and have obeyed all your commands, not like these other sinners here. O GOD, Lord, Lord, do not let me fall into their wicked ways. O Lord of all and everything, answer my prayers and blessed be your name forever and eternally forever. Forever and ever EVER! Amen.”
Ask: Should our prayers sound like that? (no!)
Ask as they are still playing: Where does Jesus say to go pray? (in private, in a quiet room)
Do: Have all instruments QUIETLY BEAT. Then have everybody stop playing.
Say: Listen to this simple beat with words.
Do: Beat a simple beat, as you say:
Jesus -teaches - us - to - keep - our - prayers - simple - and - from - the - heart.
Ask: Can you pick up that beat with me? Try it.
Say: What are we supposed to SAY TO GOD in our quiet, heartfelt, heart-beating private prayers? Jesus is going to tell us!
2. Read Matthew 6:9-13 with a Steady Beat
Say: As you read Jesus' words with me, keep the beat with me too, and remember to do it quietly, not flashy.
Begin by slowly beating out the words of the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6. Go as slow as they need. Inserts beat-rests wherever they feel right.
After verse 11 "give us this day our daily bread," stop leading the reading and hold your hand up to get their attention as you and they continue the beat. Cue them to get quieter and quieter. When it gets really quiet, say something like this:
Prayers come from our heart, not always our mouths. Our prayers can be very quiet, simple, and full of PAUSES to let our thoughts and God's presence SINK IN
Do: Turn your rhythmic beating into restful motions that have no sound. Visibly begin to breathe slowly and encourage them to pick up that breathing beat, making your breathing gentler as they do.
Say and Do:
Sometimes, the best thing about prayers is just listening to God and feeling his holy loving and restful presence.
Can you hear your own breath? (Hold your hand over your chest and encourage them to do the same.)
Can you feel your own heartbeat? (Hold your fingers to your carotid (neck) artery and encourage them to do the same.) God put that there! One way to begin your prayer time is to become so quiet you can feel your own heartbeat. (Help kids find their heartbeat, and let them know it's just a metaphor—that they can still get quiet in other ways.)
Getting this quiet is a great way to begin to feel the special holy presence of God around you. And sometimes, that's all you need in your prayer—that moment of rest and feeling in sync, in rhythm with God. That's probably why Jesus told us to go into our rooms and pray in private: to remove distractions and loud sounds and relax in God's presence.
Do: Now start the beat up again and a little louder as you prompt them to read verses 12 and 13. Be bold on "Kingdom, Power, and Glory Forever!"
Charades (Movement) Word Study
Ask: Who wants to play a game!
Say: Let's play Charades. Put aside your instruments.
- Give each student a card with a word from the Lord’s Prayer on it along with its meaning. (Cards attached to this lesson at rotation.org.)
- Give them one minute to come up with a motion that depicts the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer word. (Younger students can come up with a motion for the Lord’s Prayer word.)
- Go around the circle having each act out their keyword using motions and see if the students can guess which word in the prayer they are depicting.
Offer additional teaching comments as you feel the need, to make sure they understand the concepts. Use the handy Teacher's Lord's Prayer Word Study from Rotation.org and consult the Bible Background for insights. Game Tip: Remove or cover the copy of the Lord's Prayer that you previously had displayed, so that they have to guess "which word" is being acted out from memory. Reveal the words of the prayer if needed.
Concluding Prayer (with motions)
After everyone has played charades, have them reposition themselves in a circle in the correct word order of the Prayer, based on their assigned cards. Now explain how they're going to "play" this prayer: As the class slowly begins to say the words of the Lord's Prayer together, when the word assigned to you comes up, you need to quickly step forward and ACT OUT your charade motions for the rest of us to repeat.
After they have done it once, do it again for good measure! (It will go much smoother the second time.)
Options: If you have time, see if anyone can do ALL the motions by themselves.
You can also have each student say the Lord's Prayer to themselves to the beat of their own heart (saying the words/phrase "on beat").
Adaptations
For Younger Students:
Paraphrase the scripture readings in younger-child friendly language or read them from a storybook. If needed, you can skip alternating between loud and soft beats in the Rhythms.
Charades: Work together as a group to come up with simple movements that depict the meaning of words from the Lord’s Prayer.
For Older Students:
Invite younger children to join and ask the older students to be their "teacher" helping them with the rhythm and charades.
Be sure to spend extra time on the discussion of the assigned words in the Charades game.
Add the "Lord's Prayer Chant" option found below.
For those with more class time:
Create "Rhythm "Sticks" (see instructions below). Write the Lord's Prayer on the sticks and let students take home after using them in the lesson.
Add the "Lord's Prayer Chant" option found below. Go on a field trip to share the Lord’s Prayer Chant with an adult class, pastor, leader, or another group.
Lord's Prayer Chant (Optional)
Following the Charades Game (in which the students were assigned word-cards and explored word-meanings) have them use their word-cards to create a NEW VERSION of the Lord's Prayer to recite (chant) using a rhythm of their own choosing.
Working together or in small groups, have them decide which new words from the word-cards (or from their own understanding) that they want to substitute into the prayer and then write them on the attached "Lord's Prayer Chant Template" pdf. (Or use post-it-notes and stick them to the copy of the Lord's Pray you have displayed in the classroom.)
In the following example, the words come right from the Charade word-cards. An audio file is attached to this lesson of students chanting this example!
Parent, Protector, Provider of All.
Holy, Holy, Holy - Hello.
Come Royal Power,
Come and Grow,
Come to earth let your love flow.
Home, Health, Food, Love.
Free us from sin.
Help us to forgive.
Save us. Guide us. Show the Way.
Holy! Power!
Glory and praise!
All the time! Always!
Notes
To make rhythm sticks: Cut 1” to 1 1/2” wide dowels in foot long sections. Each child needs two sections. Optional: Use sandpaper to sand the ends to reduce the chance of getting splinters.
Written by Beth Tobin and the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright 2020, Rotation.org Inc.
