Catholic families

[jillian]

besides weekly/daily Mass how do you teach the faith to your preschoolers/pre-kers

[zookeeperof3]

I just bought Image of God, they have a workbook for 3 yr old, 4 yr old and K'ers. It looks really nice. It's made by Ignatius.

Blessings,

Kim

[calandalsmom]

Image of God is a joy to use with littles. :) I really love it.

[ktog29]

Another vote for Image of God...I think the set is called Who Am I?

 

Teaching them their prayers is good...for example, saying the Our Father and a Hail Mary at bedtime.

 

Songs! Seton sells a nice CD for kids...I think the Guardian Angel prayer is set to music. It's called Songs of Praise. I really, really like this CD.

 

Vacation Bible School.

 

Reading Bible stories.

 

I think CHC has a new line of preschool materials.

 

Finally, I love the Rod and Staff (not Catholic but Christian) preschool books (each one starts with a letter of the alphabet...can remember all of them but Everywhere We Go is one).

 

HTH.

[TracyR]

I was wondering how the Seton CD was. Thanks for sharing.

 

We do Vacation Bible School

Teaching prayers

Lapbooking Bible Stories when my youngest is old enough we can Lapbook with the www.lapbooksforcatholics.com

Beginners Bible. I like this it just is basic telling of the stories in the Bible. Perfect for preschoolers.

 

I may give Image of God a try since I've been hearing good things about it.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

live, live, live the liturgical calendar! Don't just kind of have an idea that it's lent but live lent. Don't just know it's the feast of archangels but actually have archangel pasta (angel hair pasta, St. Michael's spears [asparagus], golden haloes [sliced yellow squash], angel's wing feathers [shaved parmesan], and heavenly sauce [whatever you like can be heavenly but we like lemon, butter, salt and pepper poured over and tossed with everything else) and blackberry cobbler. For the feast of the Chair of St. Peter we get an extra chair to put at the table for supper and decorate it with garland and flowers. We put one pic of Peter and one of Pope Benedict. We pray for the Church and our holy pope.

 

Make holy days holy. celebrate name days and baptismal days. For special events (birth/name days, weddings, begining/end of school, et c.) go to adoration together. We love name day! We have someone with the same name (remarkably hard to do!) meet us for a celebration of dressy dresses, flowers for Our Lady, and either ice cream, lunch, or picnic, et c. We go to mass and then leave the flowers for Our Lady. This is truly one of my daughter's favorite things. Of course she's named after Mary. Whatever the name, find out the saint and start deciding how to celebrate. The only gifts we give on this day are to our name saints (flowers for the altar) or other ppl (cookies for the Father at mass, et c).

 

Confession and Ice Cream on Saturdays!

 

and truly, make the saint your special friends. Read about them and get to know them. Celebrate their feast days. Call on them; talk to them.

 

Do many acts of charity and dedicate them to our Dear Lord and Mother.

 

Select a family patron.

 

Pray as a family every morning and evening.

 

Get religous art all over the house -- especially if it's made by small hands, imho!

[Soror]

We are working on doing a better job of this. We have worked some on memorizing prayers. Stories of saints(although I have a different book ordered as the one I have just isn't the best for their age) and bible stories(we have Tomie dePaola bible stories and really enjoy it). I have the "Who Am I" Series but I am not sure I like it. For my 6y.o. next yr I will be following MaterAmbelis' religious study plan. Also, I bought CHC "A Year with God" hoping to get better ideas about different activities for the liturgical seasons and such.

[Crimson Wife]

We do the "Saint of the Day" as part of our morning opening. Ethel Pochocki's Once Upon a Time Saints series are great for this (I'm really excited to see in the Seton catalog that there's a new one). I also like Amy Welborn's Loyola Kids Book of Saints and herLoyola Kids Book of Heroes and Susan Wallace's Saints for Young Readers for Every Day series.

 

I don't do formal catechism until the child is ready for Faith & Life 1 (my oldest did it for K5, my 2nd will do it in 1st). For the littles, I stick to stories from the Bible and the lives of the Saints.

[Avila]

I love the CHC stuff, especially the K book God's Love Story. CHC is very hands-on and appropriate for littles.

 

Seton has just come out with their new catalog, and it seems to have a bigger pre-K section this year. It looks really great. We have used the Rod & Staff books they sell for that age group, their coloring books, and the Fr. Lovasik books with all of our girls.

 

I think if I had it to do over again, I would also get the Catholic Mosaic program and picture books, because they look terrific.

 

Other than that, we try to live the liturgical year, talk about the saints as our friends, and pray together.

[2squared]

live, live, live the liturgical calendar!

 

:iagree::iagree: Living the liturgical year - really living your faith - will go much farther than any book learning. Start small. The first year we homeschooled we celebrated St Nicholas Day, Advent, Epiphany, St Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, Lent, and Easter. That was it. Now those celebrations are traditions my kids look forward to each year. If I had a couple new celebrations every year, our family's liturgical calendar grows richer and fuller.

 

Begin simple family traditions. I give my children a blessing and make the sign of the cross on their foreheads before they go to sleep. We have holy water in the house for random blessings. We have a family alter and I rotate what is on it depending on the time of the year. Right now it has a picture of Jesus, Pope Benedict, my dd's 1st communion picture, and a green candle. The picture of Jesus and the candle are always there, but I change the color of the candle to match the liturgical calendar colors.

 

We read Catholic picture books. I love all of Tommy de Paola's books. I almost squealed the first time I read Strega Nona when I saw her advent wreath and the text mentioned her coming home from mass. Catholic Mosaic is a wonderful resource for Catholic picture books.

[jillian]

One of the big issues is that dh is not Catholic--agnostic but not Catholic. He says he will support whatever I want to do in the religion education department but I am afraid to try to incorporate more of the lturgical calendar into our daily lives, silly I know

[2squared]

One of the big issues is that dh is not Catholic--agnostic but not Catholic. He says he will support whatever I want to do in the religion education department but I am afraid to try to incorporate more of the lturgical calendar into our daily lives, silly I know

 

Living the liturgical calendar isn't like putting a flashing neon sign on the front of your house. Well, it could be, but it's not at my house. It's taking St Valentine's Day, reading a picture book about the real man, and making cookies. It's reading a book about St Patrick (the real man), finding Ireland on the map, making a shamrock, and eating green food. It's putting up an advent wreath (or making one out of paper) at the beginning of advent and lighting candles every Sunday. It's putting out shoes for St Nicholas to leave coins in. It's giving your dd a blessing every night and saying a quick bedtime prayer. It's saving coins for a rice jar during Lent.

 

I purposely started celebrating saints whom the secular world has adopted because it was easier and, well, just a part of our world. Who doesn't see valentines on St Valentine's day and who doesn't wear green on St Patrick's day? Who doesn't have a count down calendar for Christmas? Start small and see where you go.

Edited June 13, 2010 by 2squared

[Avila]

Living the liturgical calendar isn't like putting a flashing neon sign on the front of your house. Well, it could be, but it's not at my house. It's taking St Valentine's Day, reading a picture book about the real man, and making cookies. It's reading a book about St Patrick (the real man), finding Ireland on the map, making a shamrock, and eating green food. It's putting up an advent wreath (or making one out of paper) at the beginning of advent and lighting candles every Sunday. It's putting out shoes for St Nicholas to leave coins in. It's giving your dd a blessing every night and saying a quick bedtime prayer. It's saving coins for a rice jan during Lent.

 

I purposely started celebrating saints whom the secular world has adopted because it was easier and, well, just a part of our world. Who doesn't see valentines on St Valentine's day and who doesn't wear green on St Patrick's day? Who doesn't have a count down calendar for Christmas? Start small and see where you go.

 

:iagree: Well said!

[HFClassicalAcademy]

live, live, live the liturgical calendar!

 

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

We do a morning rosary and offering every morning before we start school. With little kids, I don't expect them to sit down and be still. They each have their rosary (I keep LOTS of them so they can choose) and are allowed to walk around the room (they must be quiet, however) or sit on the floor. They have all know the rosary prayers by the time they are in preschool and it only takes about 20 minutes (not much to devote to Our Lady!!).

 

We also did Image of God for preschool and kindergarten before moving into the Faith and Life Series.

 

Live and celebrate the liturgical year by making crafts, going to Mass, going to confession, visiting the chapel, inviting priests over, etc.

 

My kids have also been "playing" Mass since they were about 2 years old. It's a great way for you to teach them Mass prayers, how to behave at Mass, and explain what every element in Mass is about (check out the book "Children Discover the Mass.").

 

Fr. Lovasik books are also great for little kids. We read about saints and the kids color while I read. You can also get Catholic Mosaic coloring book that has lots of pictures of saints.

 

Don't be afraid to live your faith!!! This is especially true if your husband is agnostic, but accepting of the religious education you give your children. You never know...seeing you in "action" might some day inspire him!!

 

There are soooo many resources for living your Catholic faith!!! Catholic Icing is a great blog with LOTS of Catholic crafts to help you live the liturgical year!!!

 

HTH!

Liz

[Tiramisu]

The family Rosary every night. It is the most powerful prayer besides the Holy Mass. My 4yo doesn't really participate while we pray, though I know other families where kids younger than that do. My hope is that we're creating a habit for our children that will last a lifetime.

 

We are also blessed with a truly wonderful parish. I think for the little ones, parties celebrating occasions of the liturgical year and the beautiful processions are in themselves formative.

 

My children's friends, through their good example, have been amazingly influential in building up their faith. I'm so thankful because I know it could really be different if the influences weren't what they are.

[mbw0817]

I've heard great things about Catholic Mosaic. Wonderful way to study the liturgical year via picture books.

[8filltheheart]

besides weekly/daily Mass how do you teach the faith to your preschoolers/pre-kers

 

Music. My little ones love to sing and listen to music. Some of my favorites for little kids are the Cat Chat cds http://www.catchat.ca/ and Cousins in Christ's My Spirit Rejoices. http://www.adoremusbooks.com/myspiritrejoices-cd.aspx?zmam=46742494&zmas=1&zmac=2&zmap=70290

 

I also really like The Year and Our Children by Mary Reed Newland http://www.adoremusbooks.com/theyearandourchildren.aspx (It gives fun and simple ways to incorporate the liturgical calendar)

 

I also teach my little ones the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It doesn't have them squirming and wiggling like the rosary and the prayers are short enough that even 3 and 4 yo children can memorize them and lead (even if they can't keep track of where they are!) http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

[nikhen]

2 other things we do that I don't think have been mentioned-

Our kids all go to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd-it has changed our lives! If your parish does not have it you can do it at home as well.

The kids also love listening to CDs called Cat Chat-

 

 

Good luck

Nikki

[mryann]

2 other things we do that I don't think have been mentioned-

Our kids all go to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd-it has changed our lives! If your parish does not have it you can do it at home as well.

The kids also love listening to CDs called Cat Chat-

 

 

Good luck

Nikki

 

:iagree: Also agree with Catholic Mosaic.

[jillian]

Thanks everyone. I could easily incorporate more dd and I family prayer time. I love doing a daily rosary but haven't gotten in the habit.

[Mama2two]

I've heard great things about Catholic Mosaic. Wonderful way to study the liturgical year via picture books.

 

I love Catholic and Christmas Mosaic. It has introduced us to some amazing books we never would know about. A wonderful way to celebrate the liturgical year thru picture books!

[Soror]

Sigh... another book to buy!!!!

[Tiramisu]

Thanks everyone. I could easily incorporate more dd and I family prayer time. I love doing a daily rosary but haven't gotten in the habit.

 

We started with one decade a day. My kids are the active type and I could never have imagined them sitting still for an entire Rosary. We did one decade in the morning. At the time, I didn't think dh would be into a family Rosary so the morning was a good time since he was at work. :D

 

With the Rosary, I also read from the Golden Children's Bible that Laura Berquist recommends. Years later, they still beg me to read from it. That was our morning routine when we started homeschooling. When I was asking them this year what kind of things they liked that we have done so I could have some input for planning next year, they said that they loved when I read the Bible and had them re-tell the stories in their own words. They have learned so much this way, too. Dd9 had major surgery with months of recuperation this winter. When we started up again both with history and religion, there were times that I read chapters from Knecht's Bible History and Hillyer's Child's History of the world and had them orally narrate back to me. Their narrations were so rich and detailed and showed such understanding. There was just much more there than what I had read to them and I realized that they had learned so much with the Children's Bible reading and were able to incorporate it with the new readings to flesh out their narrations. It was one of those moments where I really saw that homeschooling was working, even the more relaxed part of it, despite all the months of trial. Truly, it was a grace from Our Lord to allow me to see it then.

 

Now, when I started reading the Children's Bible, my kindergartener and my second grader were the prime audience.

 

Also, I was very good with reviewing parts of the Baltimore Catechism last year with those same two kids, a year older. What's funny is that dd3 memorized some too by just playing in the same room. It was not intentional because I wouldn't really think of doing that with a little one, but she was so happy when we saw how surprised we were when she would pipe up with an answer. If I had time for this with a young one, I'd get a copy of the St. Joseph's First Communion Catechism and just take a look at it. I wouldn't sit there with a book and drill your dd, but I'd get a sense of what the content was and then you could incorporate it with your talks with dd in a very gentle, relaxed way. Just a thought.

 

Most of all, keep praying and learning yourself. I've learned so much with doing the catechism with my children. And, I've seen the graces at work in my family, in my children and dh. I also have many friends who have witnessed their husbands grow in faith with their homeschooling. We're like, "Who are these guys?" They are now leading the family Rosary, reading books about the Faith, listening to CDs on the way to work to learn more about it, etc. Nothing is impossible with God.

 

Hope some of these ramblings help.