Episode 222: P.R.A.Y. Pals for KidMin with Christy Hooper and Jonathan Hooper

Join Hannah Augustine as she connects with Christy and Jonathan Hooper, the creative minds behind "P.R.A.Y. Pals," an interactive children's book designed to teach kids the power of prayer. Discover how the P.R.A.Y. acronym—Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield—can transform prayer into a meaningful practice for children and families. Get your copies of P.R.A.Y. Pals at thegoodbook.com/pray-pals.

Download your FREE month of preschool and elementary lessons at BriteCurriculum.com. 

Transcript

Hannah Augustine (00:00)
I know I’m not alone in sometimes struggling to pray. Finding the time, energy, and focus can be difficult—and sometimes we don’t even know where to start. That’s why teaching kids to pray from a young age is such an important part of discipleship. Christy Hooper and her son Jonathan are here to help.

I’m Hannah Augustine, and today we’re talking with Christy and Jonathan Hooper, the mother-son duo behind P.R.A.Y. Pals. This interactive children’s resource offers a practical way to teach kids how to pray, and I’m excited to unpack their approach and share their tips for discipling kids in this area.

As a children’s ministry leader, you want your kids to develop biblical literacy so they can follow Jesus for life. That’s why the team at Awana created Brite, a gospel-centered curriculum for babies through elementary-aged kids. With Brite, kids learn the story of the Bible—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration—by walking through Scripture chronologically each year.

Every passage, from the Old Testament to the New, is connected to the gospel, pointing to Jesus as our Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. You can download a free month of preschool and elementary lessons at britecurriculum.com (B-R-I-T-E). It’s a great way to test it out and see if it’s a good fit for your ministry.

Now let’s dive in with Christy and Jonathan. Christy is a graphic designer, illustrator, and photographer whose work has appeared with organizations like Focus on the Family and American Greetings. She’s also the creator of the P.R.A.Y. Pal characters and has spent many years teaching Bible school at her church, where she loves helping young children learn about Jesus and prayer.

Jonathan is a designer and writer with a passion for theology and serving the church through technology and creativity. He’s the author of the P.R.A.Y. Pal series and co-founder of Velora, a smart Bible app. He’s also developed digital tools for a number of ministries. Outside of his design and writing work, he’s a jazz pianist. Together, they’re passionate about creating resources that help kids and families grow deeper in their faith.

Hannah Augustine (02:36)
Jonathan, Christy—anything I missed that you’d want to share?

Jonathan Hooper (02:40)
No, that was great. Thank you for having us.

Christy Hooper (02:41)
No, I think that covered it. It just makes me sound like I’ve been around a long time.

Hannah Augustine (02:46)
That just means you have experience—which is a good thing. Jonathan, I’m curious—when did jazz enter the picture? Was that from childhood?

Jonathan Hooper (02:57)
I started piano as a kid—my parents consistently sent me to lessons. I got into jazz while studying graphic design in college, and now it’s what I play exclusively. I perform at different venues around Northeast Ohio, and it’s a great creative outlet.

Hannah Augustine (03:16)
That’s so fun—I’m a little jealous. I took piano lessons, but then we moved and I never picked it back up. You’re living my dream.

I’d love to jump in and address something many of us experience: kids aren’t the only ones who struggle with prayer. I know I’ve gone through seasons where it’s easier than others. Christy, why do you think the Lord’s Prayer and the P.R.A.Y. acronym are such helpful starting points for believers of any age?

Christy Hooper (03:46)
Thank you so much for having us—we’re really honored to be here. That’s a great question, and honestly, it’s something I’ve wrestled with my whole life. Like many people, prayer has been an ongoing journey for me. It’s something you continue to grow in, and even through creating these books, I’ve learned so much more about it.

Everything Jesus teaches us continues to unfold over time, which is a wonderful thing. But I’ll be honest—I’m not a morning person. I sometimes feel discouraged hearing people say they wake up at five to pray, because that’s just not easy for me. If I try, I might fall asleep.

I also tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. I like to have everything done before I pray so I can fully focus—but that often means it never happens. That’s where the Lord’s Prayer and simple acronyms become so helpful. They give structure and make prayer more approachable.

I’m a creative person, and my mind can wander. Having something like P.R.A.Y.—praise, repent, ask, yield—helps me stay focused. Even if I don’t have time for a long prayer, I can still pray in a meaningful and complete way using those four elements.

Those four steps really reflect the themes of the Lord’s Prayer. So even a short prayer can feel full and intentional. That’s encouraging—it makes you want to keep coming back to prayer instead of feeling like you’re falling short.

I didn’t grow up regularly reciting the Lord’s Prayer or fully understanding it. I knew it, but I didn’t lean into it. As a child, I sometimes thought of God more like a genie—someone who grants requests.

I remember praying for things like a doll at the end of my bed or a glass of Hawaiian Punch on my nightstand—just to see if God was listening. It was very centered on me.

But if I had been guided by something like the P.R.A.Y. framework or had a deeper understanding of the Lord’s Prayer, I think I would have developed a healthier view of prayer earlier on—understanding who God is and what prayer is really about.

Hannah Augustine (07:20)
I love what you said about how we all have different prayer temperaments. When we can help kids discover what works for them, it’s so powerful. Like you said, not everyone is a morning person—I’m right there with you. I read about theologians who prayed from four to six in the morning and thought, “That sounds amazing,” but it’s just not me.

Finding a rhythm that works makes all the difference. Jonathan, what are your thoughts on that?

Jonathan Hooper (07:42)
For me, having a structured mental model actually helps my heart express itself more freely. It might seem like a framework would be restrictive, but it does the opposite—it provides balance and depth.

Without structure, it’s easy to repeat the same requests over and over. But a model like P.R.A.Y. helps you experience the fullness of prayer as Jesus taught it.

The Lord’s Prayer begins and ends with praise—“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” and “Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.” In between, you see yielding to God’s will, asking for daily provision, and confessing sin.

Repentance also includes lament—recognizing that we sin and that others sin against us. It acknowledges that the world isn’t as it should be, and there’s space for grief and honesty in prayer.

All of that maps beautifully onto the P.R.A.Y. framework: praise, repent, ask, yield. We didn’t create that acronym—others have used it—but we found it especially helpful for kids. There are other models like A.C.T.S., but P.R.A.Y. uses simpler language that’s easier for children to understand.

Hannah Augustine (09:13)
I love how you described that—it shapes our prayers and keeps us from becoming repetitive or overly focused on ourselves. I’ve definitely been there, where my prayers sound like “me, me, me.”

A friend recently shared a post on socials, that if our prayers are only focused on ourselves, we might be missing the bigger picture. Not that it’s wrong to bring our needs to God—we see that in the Lord’s Prayer—but those requests are surrounded by praise, repentance, and surrender.

That perspective shift is so important. And like you said, there are different acronyms people can use, but P.R.A.Y. is especially memorable for kids. It meets them where they are.

And truly, you both have done an incredible job with this resource. I had the chance to read through it, and it’s fantastic.

Hannah Augustine (10:11)
I’d love to hear, Christy—where did P.R.A.Y. Pals come from? The acronym has been around, but what’s the origin story?

Christy Hooper (10:21)
It actually started a long time ago—around the year 2000, when my boys were still young. I was in that stage of life where they were beginning to branch out—school, playdates—and I remember feeling how quickly time was passing. I started asking myself, What’s the most important thing I can teach them?

With my background in advertising design and illustration, I wanted to create something visual and memorable—something they could connect with and that I would enjoy making. I had been praying about it, asking God to show me what to do.

I remember one specific moment so clearly. I was on my way to the rec center, and I stopped in the driveway to pray. I felt this strong prompting that I needed to do something—but I didn’t know what. When I got to the rec center, I ended up next to a woman who introduced herself, and within minutes we realized we both freelanced for Brio Magazine.

It was wild—we were in Cleveland, and Brio is based in Colorado. What were the odds? She was a writer, I was an illustrator, and we immediately started talking and praying together. I always say she was my first P.R.A.Y. Pal. She had this posture of, “Let’s stop and pray right now. Let’s ask God what He wants.”

That was so inspiring. We started brainstorming together and landed on the P.R.A.Y. acronym. At first, we explored all kinds of ideas—dinosaurs, since I had boys. We came up with names like “Prayasaurus” and “Sorrysaurus.” It was fun, but it just didn’t feel quite right.

Then I had this thought—prayer goes up. Praise goes up. So I started thinking about the sky and air. That led to the idea of characters that live “up in the air.” In one sitting, the characters started to come together: a bubble for praise, a rain cloud for repentance, a balloon for asking, and a kite for yielding.

It just clicked. Their personalities made sense, and they felt natural for kids to understand.

Life eventually pulled us in different directions. My friend moved away, and things got busy. But I started using the characters in our church’s Bible school, especially in my youngest son’s class. We created puppet shows, songs—Jonathan even helped with those.

The kids loved them. They connected so quickly, even at very young ages. That’s when I realized how effective they were.

Over time, I set them aside as my boys got older. But when my grandchildren came along, I brought them back out. I’d rock them to sleep, sing the songs, and show them the illustrations—and they loved them just as much.

That’s when I felt prompted again to do something more. I asked Jonathan to help refine and develop them further—and he really brought them to life. We truly see it as a God story.

Hannah Augustine (14:29)
That’s such a beautiful picture of how God weaves things together over time. Sometimes He plants a seed, and it takes years to come to fruition—but His timing is perfect.

And you’re right—the way these characters physically represent each part of the acronym is so powerful. It helps kids connect emotionally and visually. Repentance, for example, can feel heavy—but then it leads into something more. It doesn’t end there.

Jonathan, I’d love to hear from you. What made you decide to jump in—and how did these characters impact you as a kid?

Jonathan Hooper (15:21)
They really had a big impact on me. I’m the oldest of three brothers, so I was pretty involved when my mom started developing them—helping with puppet shows, creative ideas, things like that.

I’ve always been creative, like my mom, and I loved bringing her characters to life. Now I get to do that for a broader audience, which is really meaningful.

What motivated me most was seeing how much my own kids connected with them. That confirmed that these characters still resonate.

It might be helpful to give a quick overview of each one. For “P,” there’s Poppy—a joyful, bouncy bubble who loves to praise God and celebrate His goodness.

Then there’s Rainy, a soft rain cloud. He feels heavy when he recognizes sin—either his own or when others hurt him. But when he pours that out to God in repentance or lament, he feels lighter again.

Next is Airy, a curious balloon. She asks lots of questions and brings her needs to God. She doesn’t fully understand how she stays afloat, but she trusts that God is holding her up.

And finally, there’s Yesy, a kite. He loves adventure and going high and fast—but he learns that he flies best when he’s tethered. Yielding to God is what allows him to thrive.

Together, they illustrate praise, repentance, asking, and yielding. It’s such a strong core concept, and my role was to build stories around it and weave in deeper theology—without losing the simplicity.

That balance was important. We wanted to keep it accessible for kids while still grounding it in truth.

Hannah Augustine (19:12)
That’s so powerful. I think even as adults, we can relate to Yesy—that reminder that we’re at our best when we’re tethered to the Lord.

You’ve taken these big theological ideas and made them tangible. That’s such a gift—not just for kids, but for parents too.

Christy, let’s talk practically. Our audience is primarily kids’ ministry leaders. How can they use this on a Sunday morning? What does it look like to bring these characters to life?

Christy Hooper (20:15)
It’s really fun to work with these characters because they’re simple and engaging. Kids connect with them right away. Even without plush toys or anything fancy, just showing the illustrations is enough—kids love them.

Jonathan mentioned the finger puppets you can download, and those are a great starting point. Kids can cut them out, put them on their fingers, and start using them to pray right away. They even learn the order of P-R-A-Y just by interacting with them.

I’ve seen how quickly kids pick it up—even very young ones. My two-year-old grandson could spell “pray” because of these characters.

From there, you can build so much. Start by asking kids about prayer—what they pray for, if they’ve seen answers, or even when prayers feel unanswered. Let them share and validate their experiences.

Then introduce the characters as helpers—tools to guide them. Let them get excited about it.

From there, the sky really is the limit—literally. For example, when teaching praise, I’d bring in bubbles and let the kids blow them as we talked about praising God. It becomes interactive, memorable, and meaningful very quickly.

Christy Hooper (22:18)
I put Poppy’s face on a bubble container, and we went outside. The kids would blow a bubble, say a praise to God, and watch it float up into the sky. The goal wasn’t to focus on the bubble popping, but on the visual—watching their praise go up. It’s something they remember.

We’ve done finger puppets, puppet shows—there are so many options. We made balloons for Airy, drew her face on them, and let kids take them home. There are endless ways to bring the characters to life.

Jonathan Hooper (22:55)
You can download the finger puppets from The Good Book Company’s website on the P.R.A.Y. Pals page. There’s also a printable with craft ideas that help you teach each part of prayer as you create the characters.

The book itself is designed to be interactive. There are built-in prayer moments throughout, and the Lord’s Prayer appears four times. Each time, a different section is highlighted based on the character you’ve just met.

As you read, you can pause and pray together—or, if you’re short on time, you can move through the story and come back to those moments later. The goal is not just to teach kids what to say, but to invite them into actually praying.

We want them to see that prayer isn’t just something we recite—it’s a real conversation with God. It’s possible because of our relationship with Him through Jesus. So the book emphasizes why we pray in Jesus’ name and what that means.

Prayer isn’t wishful thinking or something we say to feel better. It’s a conversation with a God who is truly there, who hears us because of Christ.

Hannah Augustine (24:38)
Christy, I loved your story about praying for Hawaiian Punch by your pillow—it’s such a relatable picture of how kids think about prayer.

That’s why these teaching moments matter so much. I love the idea of using the finger puppets during class prayer time. You can walk through each part: Who wants to give praise? What can we repent of? What do we want to ask God for? Where do we need to yield?

Maybe you read the book regularly—once a week or once a month—and then reinforce it through those moments. Having it available on a classroom bookshelf for kids to revisit is another great option.

And yes, we might need plush versions of these characters at some point—because they would be adorable.

But truly, the visuals are so powerful. Watching a bubble float upward, feeling the heaviness of something like a soaked pillow to represent repentance, and then experiencing the lightness afterward—those tangible moments help kids connect deeply with the meaning behind the Lord’s Prayer.

Christy Hooper (26:08)
We always tried to send something home with the kids so parents could stay involved and understand what we were teaching.

Even with my grandchildren, I’ll use the characters in everyday moments. If one of them is upset or in timeout, I might ask, “Do you feel a little lighter now, like Rainy, after you’ve said you’re sorry?” It helps them connect their emotions to what they’re learning.

It becomes part of their daily life—not just something they hear at church. And because the characters are simple, parents can easily use them throughout the week.

Hannah Augustine (26:58)
That’s so helpful—giving kids something to take home makes all the difference. And I love that they’re using the puppets for both play and prayer during the week.

Jonathan Hooper (26:58)
Our girls actually like to be the characters during bedtime prayers. Each one picks who they want to be—Poppy, Airy, and so on.

If they’re Poppy, they’ll say something they love about God. If they’re Airy, they’ll ask for something. For Yesy, we keep it simple: “Your will be done.” Just saying yes to God in whatever situation they’re facing.

Sometimes one of our girls will say, “I want to be Rainy because I did something wrong today.” And her sister might quickly agree. That opens up teaching moments—like reminding them to focus on their own hearts.

It creates natural opportunities for conversation and growth.

Hannah Augustine (28:15)
You’re giving them anchors—language and visuals they can come back to. In a classroom, you could even have posters of the characters and say, “Let’s take a Rainy moment,” or “Let’s have a Poppy moment and praise God.”

As kids grow, those same concepts can deepen. A child who learned this at three years old can carry it into elementary school, just with more understanding layered in over time.

Jonathan Hooper (29:01)
Exactly. These could expand into a full curriculum, or they can be used as a one-time lesson. If you’re between series, you could spend a Sunday focusing on prayer through the lens of the P.R.A.Y. Pals.

There’s a lot of flexibility.

Christy Hooper (29:07)
And even something like Yesy—yielding—can feel like a harder concept, but kids actually understand it more than we think.

They’re already learning what it means to say yes or no to their parents. That’s a natural starting point. You can ask, “What does it look like to say yes to Mom or Dad?” and then connect that to saying yes to God.

I remember creating examples like: your mom says it’s time for dinner, and you say, “Okay, I’m coming,” versus “No, I need to finish my game.” Which one is yielding?

Kids get that right away. And over time, they begin to understand that saying yes to God means knowing His Word and learning to follow Him.

We’re also working on additional books—one for each character—to go deeper into these themes. And honestly, as adults, we find ourselves needing these reminders too.

Hannah Augustine (31:02)
That’s so true. Even something like flying a kite becomes a powerful illustration—how hard it can be to get off the ground, to stay steady, and how much we need that tether.

As kids grow, yielding becomes more complex. It might start with saying yes to a parent, but later it could mean saying yes to a calling, a big life decision, or something that feels scary.

But if they’ve built that foundation early, they have something to come back to—no matter the season.

Jonathan Hooper (32:14)
That’s exactly what we’ve discovered. These four ideas—praise, repentance, asking, and yielding—aren’t just about prayer. They really describe the whole Christian life.

We come back to them every day. We praise God, repent of sin, bring our needs to Him, and yield to His will.

It’s given me a deeper appreciation for the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus wasn’t just teaching us how to pray—He was showing us what a faithful response to the gospel looks like.

Every day, we recognize our need for a Savior, trust Him again, and depend on Him for everything.

Hannah Augustine (33:20)
That’s so powerful. What encouragement would you give to parents who want to help their kids grow in prayer at home?

Christy Hooper (33:35)
I would say—don’t be afraid to start. And don’t be discouraged if your prayers don’t feel perfect.

If I could go back, one thing I’d do more is just pray in the moment—what I call “stop, drop, and pray.” Don’t wait for the perfect time. Just pray throughout the day.

For example, a few days ago my granddaughter was building a Lego set—one meant for ages 18 and up—and she was doing an amazing job. But at the very end, she couldn’t find the last piece. She was so frustrated.

I said, “Let’s step away for a minute. Let’s just pause and pray.” Not necessarily for the piece, but for peace in her heart.

So we prayed together. When we came back, she said, “You know, orchids lose petals all the time. I don’t need that last piece.” And I thought—that’s it. That’s what prayer does.

It helped her reset, breathe, and trust God with how she was feeling.

Those kinds of moments are everywhere. And another thing I’ve learned from watching Jonathan—he prays with his kids even when it’s chaotic. They might be wiggly or distracted, but he does it anyway.

It may not look like they’re paying attention, but they are. They’re absorbing it.

So my encouragement is simple: just keep praying. Weave it into everyday life. That consistency matters more than getting it “just right.”

Hannah Augustine (36:10)
So good—just applying it throughout the day and teaching kids what it looks like to pray without ceasing. Even helping them recognize where to go for emotional regulation—it’s the Lord, it’s prayer. Jonathan, what would you add?

Jonathan Hooper (36:11)
I agree with all of that. I’d just add that in those more intentional moments—when you sit down to pray—it can be helpful to pause for a few seconds and prepare your heart.

With the P.R.A.Y. Pals being so playful, which is a good thing, we also want kids to understand that prayer is coming before a King. God welcomes us—He delights to hear from us—but He is still our Lord. So we want to approach Him with both joy and reverence.

Sometimes that looks like gently guiding kids into that posture. For example, one of my daughters might start praying while still doing a headstand. And that’s okay—but over time, we want to help them grow in understanding what it means to come before God with both excitement and honor.

That balance isn’t always easy, but hopefully the P.R.A.Y. Pals help model it.

I’d also say this: prayer may never feel easy. Even working on a resource about prayer hasn’t made it effortless for me personally. It’s still something I have to be intentional about.

When we look at people in our churches who seem faithful in prayer, it’s easy to assume it comes naturally to them. But I think what’s really happening is that they’ve grown to recognize how much they need prayer.

They’ve learned to come before God regularly—even when they don’t feel like it.

So the encouragement is simple: keep going. Even when your heart doesn’t feel fully in it, go to God anyway. Ask Him to help you pray. He hears, and He answers.

Hannah Augustine (38:17)
Jonathan and Christy, thank you both for the way you’re serving kids, families, and the church. It’s so evident that you’ve combined creativity with a deep love for Scripture to create something meaningful.

This is such a great resource. If you’re listening, this would be perfect for a church library, a classroom, or even as a milestone gift for a child.

You can find P.R.A.Y. Pals—and even bulk options—at thegoodbook.com/pray-pals. I’ll link that in the show notes along with the additional resources like the puppets and printables. And hopefully, one day, some stuffed versions too.

Don’t forget—you can also download a free month of Brite curriculum from Awana at britecurriculum.com.

Jonathan, I’m going to put you on the spot—would you mind closing us in prayer?

Jonathan Hooper (39:11)
Yes, I’d love to.

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise Your great name. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us through Jesus, Your Son, and for opening the way for us to come to You as our Father.

We confess that we don’t always pray as we should. Often, we don’t even know what to say. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us.

We ask that resources like P.R.A.Y. Pals would help raise a generation of children who grow up with prayer as a natural part of their lives—so natural they can’t remember a time without it.

We yield to Your will and ask that Your purposes be done in our lives. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hannah Augustine (40:07)
Thank you both so much. And friends, thanks for joining us. If this episode encourages you, be sure to like, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who wants to grow in prayer.