Listening Hearts: Discovering the Power of Prayer

Length: ~33 minutes

Audience: Kids ages 5–12 and their grown-ups

🧡 Episode Summary:

How do people pray around the world—and what even is prayer? In this sound-rich, heart-centered episode, Laura helps kids explore the many ways people talk, listen, move, and reflect through prayer. From singing and stillness to movement and memory games, children will discover global traditions, reflect on their own experiences, and have a whole lot of fun along the way!

Perfect for family listening, classrooms, faith groups, and curious hearts of all kinds.

🎒 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• What prayer means to different people (with real listener quotes!)
• Interactive “thankfulness prayer” moment
• Global prayer styles: silence, song, movement, and more
• Audio journey to prayer spaces from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Indigenous traditions
• “Guess the Prayer Place” memory-style game
• Calming and silly movement breaks: Sun Salutation + Lion’s Breath
• A retelling of Daniel and the Lions’ Den
• Friendship Bridge story about supporting friends of other faiths
• This Week’s Challenge: Start a Listening Hearts Journal
• Belief Backpack Treasures: Shell of Silence, Candle of Connection, and Music Box of Gratitude

👨‍🏫 For Parents & Educators:

Themes:

• Interfaith understanding
• Emotional literacy (gratitude, courage, calm)
• Storytelling and reflection
• Mindfulness and movement for kids

Use this episode for:

• Quiet time, morning meetings, or bedtime
• Homeschool religion or SEL units
• Sunday school or interfaith programs
• Reflective writing and art prompts

Bonus Tip:

Pair with our printable Faith Around the World Memory Match Game and Listening Hearts Journal Pages—available at faithfullyexplore.com.

📚 Book Pairings for This Episode:

• What Happens When I Talk to God? By Stormie Omartian
• In My Mosque By M. O. Yuksel
• Maybe God Is Like That Too By Jennifer Grant
• When I Pray for You By Matthew Paul Turner
• Adult Pick: An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith By Barbara Brown Taylor
• Adult Pick: Open Mind, Open Heart By Thomas Keating

💬 Let’s Reflect:

• What did you learn about prayer today?
• Which prayer sound or tradition was your favorite?
• How do you calm down, give thanks, or reflect in your own way?

🔗 Explore more printables and past episodes at faithfullyexplore.com

🎨 Tag your journal pages or memory match photos with #FaithfullyExplore

Hey there, explorers. I'm Laura and you're listening to Faithfully Explore.

Today we're opening up our ears and our hearts to something people all over the world do in all kinds of ways. Prayer. Maybe you pray all the time, maybe you've never tried it. Either way, this episode is for you.

We're going to journey around the globe with our ears, listen to real stories about how prayer brings people together. And don't worry, I've got a game and some movement breaks sprinkled in too.

So snuggle in, stretch out, or strike a thinking pose and let's faithfully explore. Faithfully explore is the name. Learning together is our aim. Beliefs around the Globe so what exactly is prayer?

In simple words, it's a way people talk or listen with their hearts. Some talk to God, some to many gods, and some to the universe. Not everyone prays, and that's okay too.

Some people meditate or think good thoughts, and some don't do anything like that at all. Everyone is different and we respect all our friends whether they pray or not.

But since so many people do pray in one way or another, it's exciting to learn about it. Kids and adults from our Faithfully Explore community told us what prayer means to them.

One listener shared, prayer has brought me to the life I live and everything in it. It's brought me relationships, love, experiences, magic, healing, and complete trust in something bigger than myself.

I am grateful for this daily practice. Someone else described it like this. I begin and end each day with prayer, not because I feel I should, but because it makes a difference in my day.

Nobody is perfect. Prayer helps me be a better me. These voices give us a glimpse into why prayer feels so powerful for so many.

In our survey, I asked lots of people why they pray, and the most common answer was this. They pray when they need help or guidance, especially when they feel stuck or don't know what to do. But that wasn't the only reason people prayed.

Some people said they pray to say thank you, to say sorry, to feel more peaceful inside, to feel close to something bigger than themselves, or simply because they've been doing it since they were little and it helps them feel calm and steady. If you feel comfortable, let's try a type of prayer together. Close your eyes.

If you want to take a deep breath and think of one thing you're grateful for, you can whisper it, say it out loud, or just think it inside your heart, that simple moment of thankfulness you just had. That is a type of prayer. That's one way people pray. But how do others pray? Many pray with words.

They may say them out loud or whisper them in their hearts. Some folks use words passed down for generations, like in Christian, Hindu or Jewish traditions.

Others just speak freely, saying whatever feels right. At the time, we asked our listeners what words they use when they pray.

Many began with phrases like Dear God, in the name of Heavenly Father or my Goddess. Some people included words like thank you for or Please watch over my family during their prayers. And many ended their prayers by saying Amen.

Sometimes prayer doesn't involve any words at all. It might look like someone sitting quietly, breathing slowly and just being still. Music is a beautiful way to pray.

Some people sing their prayers as songs or hymns. Others chant special holy words in a rhythm. Some people dance or sway as they pray. Some bow, kneel or raise their hands.

Others might even do yoga, like poses or a ritual dance. It's all different motions to go with the emotions. If you've ever made a heart with your hands for someone you love, that's the same idea.

You are using your movement to show how you feel. People also pray using special objects. Lighting a candle can be a prayer. Some folks write or draw their prayers in a journal.

Others might make offerings like placing flowers at a shrine. There are as many ways to pray as there are people. Some even pray while doing everyday things.

Remember our episode about Faujah Singh, the 100-year-old marathon runner? He's a Sikh man who said he talks to God while he runs. For him, running became a form of prayer. Isn't that cool?

It shows that prayer isn't only when you're still where do people pray? The answer is practically everywhere. You can pray wherever you are.

A lot of people pray at home, like around the dinner table or snuggled up in bed at night. One person told me that they prefer to pray in the car because it's quiet and they have a hard time kneeling. You can also pray outside in nature.

In fact, some of our Australian indigenous friends pray outside because they feel so connected to the land. For them, the earth is like their church. Let's pause for a movement moment. Explorers, get ready for a sun salutation. This is a peaceful way.

Some people move their bodies in prayer or meditation. There are many ways you can do this, and we're going to do one version or part of a version of sun salutation. So go ahead and stand up tall.

Feet together, arms by your side. Feel strong and steady. Now reach both arms up to the sky like you're saying good morning. Morning to the sun.

Slowly bend forward Letting your arms dangle down towards your toes. It's okay if you can't quite touch your toes. Just let your arms dangle there.

Now place your hands on your knees or your shins and lift your head just a little bit up, looking towards the sky like a butterfly peeking out of a flower. Now bend your knees and slowly roll back up. We wanna feel one part of your back rolling at a time until you're standing nice and tall again.

Now bring your hands together at your heart and take a deep breath in and out. That's it. You just did a sun salutation. This is one way people pray or reflect. Using movement. Doesn't your body feel more calm and ready to listen?

Now that we know what prayer is and the many ways that people can do it, let's go on a little audio adventure. We're going to travel around the world with our ears will hear how prayer can sound different in different traditions.

I'll play some sounds and you'll guess which tradition or faith that sound comes from. Ready? Let's go. Did you hear that big deep sounding instrument and the people saying Amen at the end?

Which tradition do you think has prayer music like that? If you guessed a Christian church, you're correct. Many Christians pray in churches.

They often sing hymns or which are religious songs accompanied by an organ or piano. Now let's listen to another prayer sound from somewhere else in the world. What a beautiful echoing call. Do you know who prays with that call?

This is the Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer. After hearing the call, Muslim families might roll out their prayer rugs at home or head to the mosque.

Either way, they face toward the holy city of Mecca and pray together. This call happens five times a let's hop to another part of the world for another prayer sound. Can you guess which tradition might sound like this?

If you guessed Hinduism or Buddhism, you'd be right. These calm repeated words are called mantras and they're used in both traditions. In Hindu temples people call devotees.

That just means people who are devoted or full of love. Anyway, these devotees chant Om over and over. Om is a really special sound in Hindu buli. Some say it's the sound of the whole universe.

When I hear that, I feel more peaceful. Do you? Time to travel again. Our next stop is a place where prayers are sung in an ancient language. What language does that sound like?

The word shalom, which means peace, is a hint. This is a prayer song you might hear in a Jewish synagogue.

In Judaism, many prayers are sung or chanted in Hebrew, which Is the language of Jewish scripture. Ready for one more prayer sound? This one comes from the great outdoors under the open sky. Feel that steady beat. Where do you think it comes from?

This is what a Lakota prayer ceremony might sound like. Each indigenous nation has its own traditions.

In many indigenous nations, people gather in circles, often around a fire or other sacred space, and drum single, sometimes dance as a form of prayer. Let's try it. Start by standing. Take small, slow steps to the left, moving in a circle in time with the steady beat.

Let your knees bounce gently and feel your feet tap into the earth. As the rhythm flows. Lift your arms slowly, palms up, as if you're sending your prayers or hopes upward like smoke from a fire.

You can even add a soft clap or gentle stomp if it feels right. This kind of movement helps people feel connected to each other and to the earth. Wow. We just took a mini trip around the world with our ears.

And you know what? There are so many more prayer traditions we didn't even get to hear.

There are also Jains, Shintos, Taoists, and so many more, all with unique ways of praying or meditating. We can't fit all those prayer sounds in one episode, but it's amazing to know how diverse prayer really is.

No matter the tradition, prayer is special to those who practice it. It's a way people find hope, express love or gratitude, and feel connected to something greater.

And listening to all these prayers, we realize something. Even though they're all different, they all come from the heart. Now let's cross our friendship. Brid.

Hearing all those different prayer styles, you might realize that your friend from a different religion isn't strange after all. When they pray in a way that's special to them. In fact, it's pretty beautiful, right?

Imagine you have a good friend at school named Samira, and she's Muslim. It's the month of Ramadan. For her, that's a holy month when many Muslims fast, which means they don't eat or drink during the day, only after sunset.

At lunchtime, you notice Samira isn't eating her sandwich. Now that you know about her tradition, you understand she's fasting not because she isn't hungry.

She probably is, but because it's important to her faith. Your friend Diana is Hindu, and she has a small altar at home with statues. And she lights incense to pray with her family.

Instead of saying, what's that smell? You now know she's creating a nice atmosphere to pray. And you could ask her politely about the gods or goddesses she honors.

You don't have to pray the same way as your friend to support them. You just have to be kind and respectful.

Maybe you even join them for a prayer or let them have a quiet moment if they need to pray when you're hanging out. And if you have a friend who doesn't pray or believe in God, that's okay too. You can still share moments of reflection or gratitude in other ways.

Maybe they just like to sit outside and feel happy when they listen to the birds. So this week, try being a friendship bridge builder. Ask a friend about their traditions or share something about yours.

Are you ready for a fun activity you can do at home? It's time for this week's challenge. I invite you to create a Listening Hearts Journal.

You can print one off from Faithfully Explore.com or create your own each day for a whole week, I want you to write something about your day. If you're younger and can't write yet, you can ask a grown up to help you write a word or two. Or you could draw a picture instead.

The key is to take a minute to listen with your heart about your day. That's why it's called a Listening Hearts Journal. You could write or draw something that made you feel thankful, brave, hopeful, or peaceful.

You could also write about a moment when you needed help or felt unsure, and what you wished for in that moment. Or maybe you're going to draw someone you care about and write a tiny message or prayer for them. Try to do this every day for a week.

It can be at night, before bed, or any quiet time in your day. Just one thing each day. You might be surprised at how many good or important things you notice when you pause to take time to reflect.

And you know what? Every time you write or draw in your Listening Hearts journal, you're practicing your own kind of prayer. I can't wait for you to try this challenge.

I'll be doing it too. Maybe I'll write or draw something like I'm thankful for my listeners who love to explore and learn. That's all of you. Have fun with this challenge.

Be creative and remember there's no wrong way to express what's in your heart. It's game time. Our game today is called Holy Ground Game. Here's how we play.

I'll describe a place and how people are praying there, and you try to guess which religion or tradition it is. You walk into a large building with colorful stained glass windows. You hear a pipe organ playing and lots of people are singing a hymn together.

Everyone is standing in rows of Benches. And at the end of the song, they all say amen. Where are you at? Is it A a Christian church, b a Hindu temple, or C a Jewish synagogue?

It's A a Christian church. If you guessed a church, great job. You're outside and you hear a melodic chant coming from a tall tower.

You go towards it and enter a building with a big dome inside. People have taken off their shoes. Everyone is laying out prayer rugs on the floor.

They face the same direction, towards a holy city and begin bowing and kneeling in prayer together. What place is it? Is it an a Sikh gurdwara, B a Buddhist monastery? Or see a Muslim mosque? It's a Muslim mosque.

You step into a hall filled with a scent of incense and the glow of oil lamps. You see statues or images of many gods and goddesses all around, dressed in beautiful colors.

People are ringing a small bell as they enter, you hear a priest leading a chant and catch the word om. Where are you? Is it an a Hindu temple, b a Jewish synagogue, or C a Baha' I house of worship? It's a Hindu temple.

Now you are outdoors in a clearing at dusk. There's a circle of people gathered around a fire. You hear a steady drum beat and soft voices chanting.

A gentle smoke from burning sage leaves rises into the sky. People move slowly in a circle around the fire, stepping gently to the beat of the drum. Some raise their hands to the sky. Others bow their heads.

Where do you think you are? A a Jewish synagogue, b an indigenous prayer circle or C a Sikh gurdwara? It's B, an indigenous prayer circ. How did you do in the Holy Ground game?

Even if you didn't get them all, you've learned something new about each of these prayer places. Isn't it amazing how each religion has its own special traditions and atmosphere for prayer? It's time to add some treasures to our belief. Backpack.

Let's unzip our backpack and see what imaginary items we can pack in today. First, let's add a shimmering shell of silence. This shell represents silence and listening.

It reminds us that being quiet is an important part of prayer and life. Prayer isn't only about talking. It can also be about listening. Listening to your feelings or listening for God.

Let's gently place the shell of silence into our backpack. Whenever you see a seashell, you can remember to take a deep breath and find a moment of quiet. Next, let's place in a glowing candle connection.

Think about how a single candle can light many other candles without losing its own light. It's a bit like how Love and friendship work.

This glowing candle of connection reminds us that prayer can connect us to God, to other people, and to our deeper selves. The warm glow is like the warm feeling you get knowing you are not alone. I'm going to put the candle in our backpack.

It's imaginary, so it won't burn anything there. Whenever you think of this candle, remember, even small sparks of love and care can bring people together.

Our last item we'll add today is a music box of gratitude. This music box represents gratitude, which means being thankful. Gratitude is a big part of prayer for many people. Even when we're feeling down.

If we think of one small thing we're thankful for, it can make our hearts feel lighter. Just like a cheerful little song brightens your mood. Let's place the music box of gratitude in our backpack.

We'll keep it closed so it doesn't play nonstop. Whenever you feel grumpy or sad, you can open this imaginary music box by remembering to say thanks for something. Now zip up that belief backpack.

We've added silence, connection, and gratitude to our collection of virtues and lessons. I love adding new items to our backpack each episode. Our pack is getting pretty full of wisdom, and the best part is it doesn't weigh us down at all.

These lessons actually help us walk lighter through life. Our next story is going to be about a lion. But before we hear it, stand up and pretend like you're a lion.

Just like in our next story, on the count of three, let out your biggest, goofiest lion roar. Ready? One, two, three. Roar. Now shake your paws, stretch your claws, and wiggle that tail. Even if you don't have one, just imagine it.

Then crouch low like you're sneaking through tall grass, and pounce forward gently. Give a big lion stretch and one last tail swish. Great job, lion explorers. Bravo. You're recharged and ready for story time.

Alright, explorers, time to open up our imagination and travel way, way back in time to a kingdom filled with grand palaces, golden robes, and some very grumbly lions. But whoa. Before you freak out, they're part of the story. Let me introduce you to somebody brave, wise, and full of faith. His name is Daniel.

Hi, I'm Daniel.

Daniel lived in the kingdom of Babylon, where he worked for the king. But he didn't just work. He did such a good job that they the king wanted to make him the boss of everything.

This made a few royal officials very jealous.

Why does Daniel always get the king's attention? He is always so honest, so polite.

Ugh.

And he prays three times a day. Maybe if we stop him from praying, we can get him in trouble.

Uh oh. That's not kind or fair. But those officials came up with a very sneaky plan.

Oh great King Goril, you should make a new law. Just for 30 days. Everyone must only pray to you. If they pray to anyone else wealth they'll be thrown into the lion's den.

I am pretty great. All right, it's official.

Now. Daniel heard about the law. But guess what?

I will keep praying to God. I always have and I always will.

So he opened his windows, knelt down and prayed. Just like always. The jealous officials caught him right away.

He broke the law. To the lions with him.

Even though the king liked Daniel, he had to follow his own law.

Daniel, may your God protect you.

And just like that, Daniel was placed in the dark, echoey lion's den. But something amazing happened that night.

An angel. The lions, they're calm. They're not even growling.

The next morning, King Darius rushed to the den.

Daniel, did your God save you?

I'm okay, your majesty. God sent an angel to shut the lions mouths.

Hallelujah. Daniel was lifted out safe and sound. And the king, he was so amazed that he made a new law.

From now on, everyone should respect Daniel's God, for he is the living God who rescues and saves.

What a story, huh? Daniel didn't let fear stop him from praying. He trusted that God was listening. Even in a scary lion's den. Prayer isn't just for peaceful times.

It's for all the time. It's for when we're scared, brave, thankful or unsure.

And like Daniel, when we pray with a faithful heart, it can give us courage even when we feel surrounded by lions, which in our lives might be big math tests. And if you don't pray, that's okay too. You can still take a quiet moment to think, breathe, or remind yourself that you're strong and not alone.

Whether you talk to God, whisper into the silence, or just reflect inside your heart, taking time to pause and listen can help you feel braver and calm, just like Daniel. Now let's try something powerful and a little silly called lion's breath.

This type of breathing helps us let out big feelings and can help us feel strong and brave, just like Daniel in the lion's den. So I'm going to explain how to do it and then we'll try it together.

What you want to do is sit up nice and tall and take in the biggest, deepest breath you can through your nose. You're gonna fill up your belly all the way like a balloon. And then blow all of that breath out in one mighty. You're trying to stick out your tongue.

Eyes open wide, mouth open wide. And you're roaring all that breath out like a lion. So let's try it. Here we go. Big, deep breath in, mouth open wide, eyes open wide, tongue out. Roar.

All right, here we go again. One last time. Biggest, bravest lion breath ever. Nice work, explorer lions. That's lion's breath.

That's a fun way to shake out your nerves, get brave, and maybe just get a little bit of an energy. Hey, explorers. Next time on Faithfully Explore. We're heading to a cozy dinner table filled with twinkling candles, yummy bread, and lots of love.

It's called Shabbat, a special day when Jewish families slow down, rest, and spend time together. We'll light pretend candles, learn a Hebrew word or two, and find out what makes Friday nights so peaceful, useful and fun.

So come hungry for stories and connection. I'll see you next week at the Shabbat table. What a journey today, huh? We learned that prayer is talking or listening with our hearts.

And it can be done in so many forms. Remember, we have a challenge this week to keep a listening hearts journal to help us notice things we're thankful for or moments of connection.

Each day. We played a fun guessing game and you did a great job recognizing different prayer places.

In our belief backpack, we packed a shell of silence, a candle of connection, and a music box of gratitude. We also heard the story of Daniel in the lion's den, showing us it's always a good time for prayer or a still moment.

That's a lot of wonderful stuff packed into one episode. The big takeaway is that prayer comes in many styles, but love, gratitude, and sincerity are universal.

And even if you don't pray, understanding why others do helps us all live together with respect and kindness. I hope you enjoyed exploring with me today.

Maybe later you can show your family how people in another culture pray or share the Daniel and lion's den story. Or maybe you'll start that journal and write a little thankful note tonight. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey.

I always feel so happy after we spend this time together learning about our beautiful, diverse world. Your hearts are growing bigger and more understanding each time. I just know it. Until our next adventure. This is Laura.

And keep faithfully exploring together. It's true.