This week we heard from Lizzie in Portsmouth. Lizzie had recently attended one of our training days and was soon to be running regular prayer spaces in schools. After the first one Lizzie got in touch with us and shared how well it had gone, despite challenges in the days leading up to it! She also explained a new prayer activity she had made which we thought was a brilliant take on a similar one we have called Dove of Peace.

We know from talking to teachers and people running prayer spaces that many children struggle to know how to respond to the news about war and conflict that they hear about in the media, and also from the comments and reactions of their parents to these events. Children don’t have the psychological resources to understand and process the distressing news and images that fill our screens. So giving pupils a way to acknowledge their concerns and anxiety and then to respond in a tangible way can be very helpful and can also point them towards an experience of prayer.

Lizzie’s new prayer activity invited pupils, if they wanted to, to cut out a dove shape and write their hope or prayer for peace over conflicts and wars in the world and then place it over the word that represented conflict and war. 

You can see photos below and download the prayer activity here, Doves of Peace.