CHILDREN’S DAILY PRAYER UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS is an adaptation for primary schools of the church's tradition of daily prayer – the Liturgy of the Hours. Prayer is provided for the following ‘hours’ of the school day: the beginning of the day, lunchtime and the end of the school day.

Like all good ritual, the pattern of prayer for each day is repetitive. This makes it easy for students to lead the prayer. The pattern is always:

• An Introduction which might be about the liturgical season, the feast day, the reading, one of the 'prophets and peacemakers' or about a day outside the liturgical calendar which is being commemorated
• A Psalm. CHILDREN’S DAILY PRAYER UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS provides a psalm for a month or a season. This way, children can become familiar with psalms over the time.
• A Scripture Reading. CHILDREN’S DAILY PRAYER UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS has its own schema of readings, selected to introduce students to the great figures, epic stories and major themes of the bible. Longer readings are spread over a number of days. The translation is that used in the Lectionary for Masses with Children
• A Closing Rite which includes time for petitions and a final prayer.