b'Silence and Scriptural PrayerChildren of any age can greatly benefi t from periods of silence. Of course, the amount of silent time must be in proportion to their age (about 1 minute for a second grader). Allowing time for silence, even at a young age, helps children to develop the habit of listening to God. It gives space and time for Gods Word to take root and grow. Even if nothing special or out of the ordinary happens during a moment of silence, the children learn that silence is part of prayer. Thus, even the proclamation of the Word followed by one minute of silence can be a prayer.Ultimately, scriptural prayer happens anytime we respond to Gods Word. Having these various responses in your repertoire of prayer with Scripture can help you to introduce Gods Word into the lives of the children and will no doubt enrich your own experience of Scripture as well! nThis article is adapted from Chapter 8 of The Catholic Childrens Bible Leader Guide.TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CATHOLIC CHILDRENS BIBLE AND ITS COMPONENTSvisit smp.org/ccb29'