Donut Forget to Pray

How can I make prayers more meaningful?

If you don't know that I love donuts yet, I think I might be doing something wrong. ;)
I just think they are so cute-it's just a bonus they are fun to eat too!

So that I hadn't used donuts yet in a lesson or handout was pretty shocking to me.
So I decided to change that!  And this YW lesson topic was perfect for that!

I want the girls to get use to writing in their journals so I encouraged them to take them out right at the starting of class and write down impressions or promptings they get throughout the lesson.  I started with asking them some questions I just wanted them to think about:  Are my prayers sincere?  Do I say prayers that are repetitive or without meaning?  Do I treat prayers like a wish list?

I told the girls to remember that Heavenly Father is our Father, He wants to help us and loves us so much.  He knows our needs and desires.  He wants us to communicate with Him, He's always just a prayer away.  I hope we pray as if He's there and is listening because He is!

As we make a habit of approaching God in prayer, we will come to know Him and draw ever nearer to Him.  Our desires will become more like His, we will be able to secure for ourselves and for others-blessings that He is ready to give if we will but ask in faith.

We talked about how we can make our prayers more meaningful so I passed out a little sheet of paper that is the perfect size for them to put in their journals and to read!  Here's how you can add some SPRINKLES to your prayers and make them more meaningful!

We talked about what we could add to this list like:  preparing our minds, listening, faithful effort, praying out loud, pause, ask forgiveness, ask questions, keep a prayer journal, traits we'd like to work on, who can we serve or help-someone who is sad/sick or in need, gospel topics we are trying to understand, family concerns, etc.

We also talked about meaningful experiences we have had with prayer.

Sometimes when we pray, it's like we're picking up a phone, ordering groceries, and then we hang up the phone-we put in our our order, and we don't think any more about it than that.  

But if we take a few minutes just to think about our particular need in a given moment, 

then prayer becomes more meaningful.

President Gordon B. Hinckley 

I've learned that when I make a habit of praying it becomes natural and more meaningful for me.  I encouraged the class to make a habit of praying.  Prayer isn't just for times when we are in trouble or in need.  We should have constant communication with our Father in Heaven.  We always need to be in connection with him and know what He'd like us to do.

The next activity we did is A Dozen of Meaningful Prayers.  I told the girls to think of something or someone that has been on their minds lately.  I wanted them to write it or the persons name under the donut.  Once you pray and ACT/do something to help with your prayer, you can color it in. The goal being a whole dozen prayers that you've prayed about and can see how you have helped with those prayers. 

Which brought us into the next topic of acting and helping with our prayers.  We usually wait entirely on our Heavenly Father for answers to our prayers and I think we forget that we can do our part and help.  

Often, the answerr to our prayer does not come while we're on our knees but while we're on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us.  Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits , remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven.  By becoming the answer to someone's prayer, we often find the answer to our own.  President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said:  "God does notice us, and he watches over us.  But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs."

Elder Uchtdorf

I have seen this SO many times in my life.  Especially when it's something simple but incredibly kind, usually it just makes my day brighter-so hopefully we can be in a position to make others happier and make life more enjoyable for them!

We talked about how our prayers can be answered in a different way

than we expected and shared stories.  

Heavenly Father hears your prayers.  He may not always answer as you expect, but he does answer-in His own time and according to His will.  Because He knows what is best for you, He may sometimes answer no, even when your petitions are sincere.

True to the Faith

God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dream, just as He always has.  But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream.  In short, He can't if you don't believe.

Elder Holland

Our Heavenly Father wants to help and bless us.  Those blessings require effort and work on our part.  The first being to pray!  So DONUT forget to pray!

As you can tell I got really into this lesson!  I gave little 'DONUT forget to Pray' tags with a donut eraser along with the Dozen of Meaningful Prayers activity, a 'Donut forget to pray!' sticker for them to put in their journals, how to make their prayers more meaningful paper, and a quote page (which makes it super easy to get anyone to read quotes out loud during the lesson and skip quotes if necessary, I also love that they get to keep all the quotes/scriptures/etc. for later pondering and study), and of course for a treat I gave Donettes!

I have LOADS of donut decorations from Olivia's birthday party so I just pulled a few out of our donut party box.  I made some donuts out of cardboard and painted them to look like donuts, then used them for the chalkboard decoration, I had mini popsicle sticks painted to look like sprinkles, a small picture of Christ with a small girl is always ideal for Young Women lessons I think,  a small donut decoration from the Target Dollar Bins and a super cute cake stand full of a variety of the Donettes.  I love to keep all my supplies or handouts all in one place so THIS tray was the perfect size for that.  I also love to do something fun and memorable on the chalkboard.  Even if it's simple I know that I look at the board a lot during class so this is a great way to give some inspiration for what they can put in their journals and to keep their mind on the topic at hand.

Even if you don't teach or are in YW, feel free to do this for a primary, FHE, a summer activity or ministering handout/love note!  There are so many options with these lesson ideas.

If you'd like any of these FREE printables feel free to find them below:  

'DONUT forget to PRAY' tag [page 1]

'A Dozen of Meaningful Prayers' activity

'DONUT forget to keep your prayers meaningful!' print [page 3]

'Donut forget to pray!' stickers (Need to print on sticker paper!) [page 2]

DONUT forget to Pray Quote Page

If you are interested in more Young Women lessons, I have several you can find HERE!

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.