How to Teach Kids the Faith
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Teaching kids about our faith is an essential part of Catholic parenting, but it comes with some challenges.
Whether your children have grown up going to Mass or you’re introducing them to the Catholic life gradually, you can expect some quizzical looks, hard-to-answer questions and fleeting attention spans. The Catholic faith is rich and complex and personal growth in the faith takes a lifetime—but it always starts with faith foundations that help one grow into a holy Catholic over time.
Introducing Catholicism to children is a matter of setting up the building blocks and encouraging long-term dialogue, not being forceful. Here are some more great tips on how to introduce Catholicism to young ones, whether they are your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or loved ones.
First, be prepared with the right materials.
There’s no cut-and-dry way to introduce the faith to your children, but it should give you some comfort to know that there are a ton of resources to guide you along the way.
Principal on your list of kid-friendly Catholic books and resources should be a Catholic Bible for kids. Children’s Bibles have more straightforward language and pictures that help little ones understand the core Biblical teachings at their reading level. They often emphasize some of the more exciting scriptural tales, like Noah’s ark and Jonah and the whale, to keep kids’ attention and encourage them to engage in the Bible as a narrative.
Alongside your Catholic Bible should be a children’s catechism that clearly lays out the core beliefs of the Catholic faith.
For many parents who strive to instill strong convictions in their children but may not know how to verbalize the intricacies of our beliefs—or, for that matter, why we believe what we believe—a catechism is quite literally a godsend, especially when you’re working with kids who have entered the question-asking phase. There are children’s books designed to teach the catechism in more simplistic design and language. But it’s always good to find additional resources, like coloring books and activity books with Biblical themes.
Then, consider these strategies to help kids understand what it means to be Catholic.
In addition to offering your kids age-appropriate books on religion, it also helps if you have some guidance in how you broach the subject and keep the conversation alive. How you tell scriptural stories, illustrate morals, discuss dogma and answer questions will help ensure that your child understands the core of Catholicism and associates it with a positive or uplifting part of life.
1. Don’t Get Too Technical
Think about it like this: the theological scholars that came before us relentlessly studied the complex workings of our religion for centuries, so it should go without saying that the complicated religious semantics might not be the best way to introduce our faith to kids.
But the central beliefs—forging a relationship with God and understanding His awesomeness—are at once inspiring and relatable enough to be a stepping stone into knowing the faith.
2. Keep Traditions Alive
The word tradition actually means handed down, and it’s one of the things that keeps our faith alive from one generation to the next. Our deep rooted traditions create a deep, connected feeling between ourselves and our church, founded by Jesus himself.
Making sure that you tie any religious themes into daily life and holidays where applicable will help your child associate faith with the most exciting moments as well as the everyday of life. It also helps if you work hard to make these customs particularly enjoyable and memorable for your kids so that they’ll want to hand them down to the next generation. One memorable custom I remember as a child and I see the great joy on my kids faces when we do it are Posadas, a Latin American tradition following Mary and Joseph on their search for a place to stay.
3. Keep an Open Dialogue
Catholics have a long history of engaging in dialogue with the world and one another—indeed, we are a religion of deep-thinkers and have historically set moral standards that have guided millions of people, Catholic or not.
It’s extremely important that you don’t shut out any exploratory questions from your kids, especially if they’re teenagers who may push back if your answer is not satisfactory. Be prepared to instill strong morals but do not shut down tough conversations. Your goal should be to guide and inspire.
Never be afraid to say, “I’ll get back to you with that answer,” if it is unknown. Find the answer in the numerous resources available to you in Catholic bookstores, online, or even on Catholic radio.
4. Make It Entertaining
Ask any Christian born in the last 30 years what they remember from CCD or their religious education, and we’re willing to bet the phrase “Veggie Tales” will come up at some point. The popular Christian series for kids is just one example of how entertainment and religion can collide effectively.
The fact of the matter is that children find great enjoyment when they’re learning with screens, so the occasional Catholic cartoon may be of use. Of course, this doesn’t negate the importance of active learning activities, like reading, crafts, games, or listening to scripture.
5. Join the Community
Cliché aside, it really does take a village. In all of life’s pursuits, especially those as intricate as religion, it helps to have a community of supporters that you can rely on for guidance, support, and advice.
As Catholics, we are incredibly lucky that we have a built-in social circle and community within our parishes. Friends, family, babysitters, professional connections and, of course, our religious leaders can help provide pertinent advice as we guide our youngsters.
Many of us raising kids in the digital age also find that engaging in Catholic-centric online communities can serve us in times of need. There are an infinite number of Catholic bloggers, podcasts, and resources to help you along this journey. One amazing community our family found is the Catholic faith-based youth program called the Federation of North American Explorers.
Remember: the goal is to raise good Catholic citizens.
Catholicism is an important part of your life, so it only makes sense that you share it with your kids and encourage them to follow the same path.
These best practices will help ensure that you raise a well-intentioned, faithful Catholic child who grows into a passionate grown-up with a heartfelt relationship with God. Isn’t that the point of parenthood after all? We are given these children, by God, to raise them to be saints.
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