LESSON PLANS Archives - Teaching Catholic Kids

13 tips for praying the Rosary with kids

Catholic dad Jerry Windley-Daoust says that a lot of Catholic parents would love to say the rosary with their kids if the experience wasn’t quite so fraught. At our house, we barely make it out of the preliminaries before the littles are swinging their beads around like lassos which inevitably become airborne missiles and if you have ever been whacked in the face by a rosary mid-Hail Mary, you know it kind of ruins the mood. Our older kids are better, but I personally remember doing some groaning and eye-rolling as a teen when it came time for the rosary. Fortunately, we’ve come up with a couple insights that help us to pray the rosary as a family in a more sane and meaningful way. Find 12 ways to help kids with the Rosary online.

family prayer strategies, LESSON PLANS, Mary , +2 PBG Rosary 2 Comments

25 things for your kids to spot during Palm Sunday and Triduum

Technically, Triduum spans three days—from the evening of Holy Thursday until the evening of Easter Sunday—but liturgically, it is “one day,” one long celebration of the Paschal Mystery. Triduum culminates in the Easter Vigil, which is the high point of the entire liturgical year. As with the Sunday liturgy, reviewing what will happen at the liturgy in advance is a good way to help your kids participate with understanding and reverence. Online, you’ll find lists to review and give your kids a heads up before going to church—and challenge them to notice each item during the service.

Holy Week, LESSON PLANS, liturgical year , +4 Mass PBG Surviving Mass with Kids TRIDUUM 5 Comments

8 simple ways to celebrate St. Valentine’s day with your kids

Today, most people celebrate St. Valentine’s day by exchanging tokens of love—cards, candy, flowers and the like. But the holiday began as a saint’s feast day, which means its original purpose was to celebrate Christian love and devotion to Christ—in the case of St. Valentine, love even in the face of death. Online you’ll find eight simple ways to remember, reflect and celebrate the feast of Saint Valentine.

FEASTS, February, February saints , +5 LESSON PLANS liturgical year PBG saints valentine's day Leave a Comment

Celebrate your kids’ baptism anniversaries

Why not celebrate the anniversary of your kids’ baptisms just like you celebrate their birthdays? After all, baptism is a “spiritual birthday.” Here are more than 9 ideas for what to do, plus a baptism backgrounder. Find all the ideas, like putting together a prayer table with items from his or her baptism, online.

baptism, LESSON PLANS, PBG , +1 Sacraments Leave a Comment

Celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with your kids

The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December twelfth, recalls the appearance in 1531 of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego, a native who had recently converted to Catholicism, at a place called Tepeyac in what is now Mexico City. Celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe with food, prayer, a story, and videos about the miraculous image. Find everything online.

December, FEASTS, LESSON PLANS , +5 liturgical year Marian feast days Our Lady of Guadalupe PBG saints 1 Comment