“Blessing of the Backpacks” and Other Tangible Ideas

Published August 31, 2026

Updated August 31, 2026

Backpacks
By Bethany Besteman

Six Ideas 

 

  1. If you have teachers in your congregation who teach different ages, invite them to lead the prayer corresponding to their class level or to pray their own prayer. Alternatively, have a parent of a student pray for that age group.
     
  2. Give students stickers with words or phrases appropriate for each age group (e.g., “Wonder” for elementary students, “I Belong to God” for middle schoolers, “Breathe” for high schoolers, “Hope” for college students, and “Balance” for adult learners. 
     
  3. A few weeks ahead of time, start putting notes in the bulletin or on social media inviting all students to bring their backpack or some other school supply (textbook, notebook, laptop, picture book, crayons) to a “Blessing of the Backpacks” service. At the service, have students hold their items as they are prayed over. Alternatively, place the items somewhere visible to the congregation and then place a Bible on top of them to symbolize the Word of God as the most important, all-encompassing text for our lives. (You may also choose to put the Bible down first to symbolize God’s Word being the foundation of all learning.) 
     
  4. Have each student write their name, grade or course of study, and school on a paper, and pin the list to a bulletin board or other display. Invite congregational members to pick the name of a student for whom they promise to pray, and encourage them to check in with that student throughout the year (though you should get caregivers’ permission before giving out contact information). Consider including students who have a connection to the church but may not be regular worship attenders.  
     
  5. Give students pencils with a Bible verse or something else that sets the pencil apart as a gift from the church. Ask them to put it in their backpacks and pray this blessing:

May your minds, like your pencils, be ever sharp, 
may your mistakes be forgiven and erased, 
may your conduct, like this pencil, be straight, 
and may the words you write and the pictures you draw bring God glory.
—Bethany Besteman, 2023 © Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
 

  6. Don’t forget to pray for the educators in your congregation, including parents who homeschool.