Help teaching children about Catholicism

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Hi, I’m a new convert (this Easter) and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about books or resources to help explain the Catholic faith to my children. They are 9, 5 and 2.

They have been raised so far in Evangelical churches and are coping well with the differences. They go to the children’s liturgy during Sunday morning mass (not my youngest) which is obviously helping. But I myself have so much to learn and am still getting to grips with even the basics really, so when they have questions (especially my eldest) I find that I flounder a bit.

I have been looking at ‘Totally Catholic’ on Amazon which seems good, so if any one has any recommendations or has/is in a similar situation I’d really like to hear your opinions 🙂

Melissa
 
Something that might be good for both you and your children to know about is the Catechism. If you want to find out what the Church believes and teaches on various subjects, it’s the source to go to. And I think it would be good for your children to know that Mommy doesn’t know everything but knows where to find the answers.

The Catechism is online at usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm
The online version has the advantage of a search box where you can put in the terms you’re looking for. If you prefer print, it’s available at amazon.com/Catechism-Catholic-Church/dp/1574551094/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1441295379&sr=8-3&keywords=catholic+catechism&pebp=1441295385919&perid=16W5HFD08XQ0X5XX7SSC

My preferred version of the Catechism – it’s much more readable! – is the US Catholic Catechism for Adults. We give out copies to our RCIA folks and I hope it’s something they’ll keep and refer to in the future. It’s available at amazon.com/United-States-Catholic-Catechism-Adult/dp/1574554506/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1441295379&sr=8-2&keywords=catholic+catechism&pebp=1441295486315&perid=16W5HFD08XQ0X5XX7SSC
 
I think the Liguori website has some great book offerings for children. Some are even in the form of coloring and activity books. We found those resources useful as well. And never be afraid to ask either your priest or deacon for an answer you may not know.
 
melissab1 said:
Hi, I’m a new convert (this Easter) and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about books or resources to help explain the Catholic faith to my children. They are 9, 5 and 2.

They have been raised so far in Evangelical churches and are coping well with the differences. They go to the children’s liturgy during Sunday morning mass (not my youngest) which is obviously helping. But I myself have so much to learn and am still getting to grips with even the basics really, so when they have questions (especially my eldest) I find that I flounder a bit.

I have been looking at ‘Totally Catholic’ on Amazon which seems good, so if any one has any recommendations or has/is in a similar situation I’d really like to hear your opinions 🙂

Melissa
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Have you decided not to enroll them in catechism classes at the parish?
Even if you have. you are encouraged to meet with the DRE and tell him/her you are homeschooling the children in the faith. Then, the church can provide you with materials to use. We give them for free, but some parishes may ask to be reimbursed.
They will much to choose from and you can look them over before deciding which way to go.
Welcome home!
 
melissab1 said:
Hi, I’m a new convert (this Easter) and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about books or resources to help explain the Catholic faith to my children. They are 9, 5 and 2.

They have been raised so far in Evangelical churches and are coping well with the differences. They go to the children’s liturgy during Sunday morning mass (not my youngest) which is obviously helping. But I myself have so much to learn and am still getting to grips with even the basics really, so when they have questions (especially my eldest) I find that I flounder a bit.

I have been looking at ‘Totally Catholic’ on Amazon which seems good, so if any one has any recommendations or has/is in a similar situation I’d really like to hear your opinions 🙂

Melissa
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Catholic Book Publishing Co. puts out a big series of beautiful little books for children their age.They cover everything, Saints, Mary, Prayers, Jesus, just about everything you could imagine for children. They are very inexpensive too. Lovely pictures in them also. I used them for my kids, my grandkids and the kids I taught in CCD for 20 years.I enjoyed reading them to the little ones. I learned a lot also. Now I keep a nice supply in our book rack for Adoration time. I have given so many away to families. I can’t do much anymore because of my age and limited income but I can still pass these little books around. Every good Catholic Store would sell them. God Bless, Memaw
 
melissab1 said:
Hi, I’m a new convert (this Easter) and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about books or resources to help explain the Catholic faith to my children. They are 9, 5 and 2.

They have been raised so far in Evangelical churches and are coping well with the differences. They go to the children’s liturgy during Sunday morning mass (not my youngest) which is obviously helping. But I myself have so much to learn and am still getting to grips with even the basics really, so when they have questions (especially my eldest) I find that I flounder a bit.

I have been looking at ‘Totally Catholic’ on Amazon which seems good, so if any one has any recommendations or has/is in a similar situation I’d really like to hear your opinions 🙂

Melissa
Click to expand...
My kids love the brother Francis DVD’s. They are really good, sometimes we watch one and then I make a question sheet for the 8 and 6 year old to work on.

My kids also enjoy Fr Barron’s Catholicism series. Yes it is geared for adults, but I find my kids watching it and picking up little things. It’s in 10-15 min sections over a 1 hr video. 10 hours total. A lot will be over their heads, but the pick up a lot too. Don’t underestimate them in that regard.

We work at memorizing the mass responses, creed and prayers. They like that.

I also just picked up this book on Amazon. It’s a bunch of worksheets they can work on and you can make a lesson around.

amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0898706157/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, don’t forget the teaching moments throughout the day. Them seeing you live the faith in your life is the best thing you can do!
 
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is to have religious items in your house (crucifix, image of Mary and the Sacred Heart, etc.) Kids are naturally inquisitive and will ask about them. It can be a teaching moment. All my kids know that it is Christ on the cross by the time they are 2 and that it was our sins that put him there.

For books with the little ones we use various lives of saints books from Catholic Book Publishing (available here). They are fairly cheep and I think we bought them in a bundle of 20 for $25 or so. We also take our littles with us to adoration and quietly explain how Christ is hidden in the host, but if they listen really carefully they can hear Him telling them He loves them.

Long and short is to not segment your Catholic belief to something that only happens on Sunday at Mass. Don’t force it, but just make it a natural extention of being Catholic. While I respect what most DREs do, do not turn their education completely over to others. We always said that if we are doing our job as parents that religious ed should reinforce what they have already learned. For us using the Baltimore Catechism has been a good thing because of the question answer format, but I know some DREs despise it. I figure that is their problem, not mine.
 
melissab1 said:
Hi, I’m a new convert (this Easter) and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about books or resources to help explain the Catholic faith to my children. They are 9, 5 and 2.

They have been raised so far in Evangelical churches and are coping well with the differences. They go to the children’s liturgy during Sunday morning mass (not my youngest) which is obviously helping. But I myself have so much to learn and am still getting to grips with even the basics really, so when they have questions (especially my eldest) I find that I flounder a bit.

I have been looking at ‘Totally Catholic’ on Amazon which seems good, so if any one has any recommendations or has/is in a similar situation I’d really like to hear your opinions 🙂

Melissa
Click to expand...
Although the title leaves much to be desired, *Catholicism for Dummies *is a very good book that explains a wide range of Catholic topics. I read it for the first time in preparation for teaching RCIA at my parish and carry it whenever I am in the religious education mode. It’s like a miniature encyclopedia (remember when they were actually printed as a series of books?) and references the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) the two written resources of the Catholic Church. It’s pretty reader friendly and introduces complex issues in an easy to understand way. If you want to dive deeper, you can but this is the one book I lead my discussions with.

Welcome home! 👍
 
We are in RCIA and I got Faith Fusion for my oldest (age 12 but it can be used younger) and my girls (age 7) are going through the online Faith and Life series. The Faith Fusion gives a more general overview (no grade level) and the Faith and Life is grade level. My girls are still in the grade 1 of it but it goes pretty quickly. They sit and watch the online lessons together and answer the questions together. I like both and both came as recommendations from fellow CAF posters 🙂
 
I use the Faith and Life series with DSD. This is a catechism series of 8 books:

Grade 1 - Our Heavenly Father (basic intro to the faith and central tenets)
Grade 2 - Jesus Our Life (preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion)
Grade 3 - Our Life With Jesus (sin and salvation, more about Reconciliation and Holy Communion)
Grade 4 - Jesus Our Guide (walkthrough of the Bible)
Grade 5 - Credo, I Believe (walkthrough of the Creed)
Grade 6 - Following Christ (Ten Commandments and the Mass)
Grade 7 - The Life of Grace (the sacraments; a bit about the spiritual life)
Grade 8 - Our Life in the Church (Church history, living as a Christian in today’s world)

I think the Grade 4 and 5 books would be a great place to start for your kids.
 
His_helpmeet said:
I use the Faith and Life series with DSD. This is a catechism series of 8 books:

Grade 1 - Our Heavenly Father (basic intro to the faith and central tenets)
Grade 2 - Jesus Our Life (preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion)
Grade 3 - Our Life With Jesus (sin and salvation, more about Reconciliation and Holy Communion)
Grade 4 - Jesus Our Guide (walkthrough of the Bible)
Grade 5 - Credo, I Believe (walkthrough of the Creed)
Grade 6 - Following Christ (Ten Commandments and the Mass)
Grade 7 - The Life of Grace (the sacraments; a bit about the spiritual life)
Grade 8 - Our Life in the Church (Church history, living as a Christian in today’s world)

I think the Grade 4 and 5 books would be a great place to start for your kids.
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They also have an Activity book and a Teacher’s Manual for each grade, excellent!! God Bless, Memaw
 
The online version of Faith and Life was $25 and has interactive quizzes and activities…perfect for people like me who bite off more than they can chew fairly frequently 😉
 
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