Ideas for 3rd grade CCD

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Trying to keep the kids interested and would like some additional ideas.

We’re doing the rosary right now, going over prayers, a Saint is highlighted each week, do a little test on last week’s discussions, and answer any question that might come up.

This week all will have their books so we’ll start on a chapter.

Need ideas for songs the kids might like…Catholic religious.

Also would like list of movies appropriate for this age group. Thinking about Fatima, St. Bernadette, The Bible, The Ten Commandments etc.

And games that can be used to fit the discussion subject.

Thanks!
 
Movies: The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (the old Black and White one)

Saint Therese: Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Soul (Very well made movie about Saint Therese of Liseuix)

Games: Maybe Jeopardy?

As for songs, I should ask my niece who is in 3rd grade in a Catholic school…
 
We don’t have any parties, movies, games, songs or crafts in 6th grade catechism (11 year olds) but the kids do participate in impromptu Bible-narrated skits that they both enjoy and learn from.

Teaching little kids must be like herding cats.
 
kkollwitz said:
We don’t have any parties, movies, games, songs or crafts in 6th grade catechism (11 year olds) but the kids do participate in impromptu Bible-narrated skits that they both enjoy and learn from.

Teaching little kids must be like herding cats.
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Actually, they’re good kids. (Famous last words. I’ll probably be tied to my chair Sunday. :D) I have 16. I give a subject or activity 10 minutes and go on to something new. The Skittles game was a hit.
 
There are many fun games that can be adapted using whatever info you would like to learn. Jeopardy has already been mentioned and that is a great one with this age child. A version of the matching game can be an excellent way to teach specific vocabulary or perhaps saints. Your local Catholic book store can probably provide more ideas. What fun you must be having, one of our grandsons is in the third grade and I love this age:D. God bless you.
 
I am also a 3rd grade catechist and I love to teach using games or to vary our activities. .

There are tons of wonderful websites for catechists that could spark you up with more ideas than I could list here. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started.

catholicblogger1.blogspot.com
catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com
amazingcatechists.com
thatresourcesite.com
catholicmom.com
beanamazingcatechist.com/index.html

The first one, Catholic Toolbox, not only will list games but she posts tons of links that will lead you to other Catholic catechist sites. Catholicmom has a wealth of ‘file folder’ games that you can make.

I like to play simple, flexible games that I can use for review and can fit however much (or little time) I have. Using this involves lining the kids up into 2 teams (team names optional,but a Saint name is always cool). Then I go back and forth btw the teams asking my review question of material we have covered to the first child in line. If correct = 1 pt. If wrong–the other team can put their heads together and ‘steal’ the pt (like Family Feud). If 2nd team gets wrong answer = no penalty. Either way, but keep going back and forth btw the teams. It does really motivate the kids to keep focused as we go through the lesson when they know that “if we have time we will play a game at the end;”

For scoring I sometimes use just straight counts, but also use ‘football’ (each right answer moves the ball 10 yards toward your goal and get a touchdown to win). Draw a football field on the board to track. Or I use ‘baseball’. Draw a baseball diamond on the board and each right answer advances the runner. Both football and baseball give a visual aspect to the game and it makes the kids even more excited to see their team advance. When making teams up, I count them up and make sure to balance the more/less knowledgable students btw the teams so no one gets too discouraged. Also, since I am the only 1 with the list of questions, I can ask ‘easier’ questions to the students that struggle more.

Kids do love Jeopardy, but it is a bit of a process to make the board and prepare the cards. I used small envelopes (flap cut off) for the questions and put the questions on index cards. Put the whole ‘jeopardy board’ on a poster size presentation board.

We have a ‘fishing’ game we use at our First Communion retreat. Make fish cutouts, write a question on each (laminate them if possible) and put a weight on the back. Make a ‘fishing pole’ with a magnet and the kids fish and answer their questions.

You can do lots of games with a ball of yarn or a beach ball. Just have the student who answered the last question toss the ball to someone else and they take the next question.
 
Thank you all for answering. I’ve checked out most of the sites, checked some of the songs, will do a Family Feud game this Sunday, and have noted the other suggestions.

We’re doing a quest type thing right now where I tell tell them what to look for in Church and they’re to find it before or after Mass and asked their parents the meaning. For example Alpha and Omega which is on a banner. This week it is the Paschal Candle. Next week it will be find a certain statue and tell the class about him/her.

We did a spiritual bouquet for Grandparents’ Day. Copied a bouquet in a vase, labled each flower sign of the cross, Mass, Communion, Hail Mary, Our Father, grace, bedtime prayer and the vase was for good deeds. For each one they did, they colored the flower. The bouquet was to be presented or mailed. Each got two to do for both sets of grandparents.

Monday, they’ll do a calendar. Each day will be dedicted to a family member with the person’s name written in the square… When the day is done, and all prayers have been said for that person, they’re to put a star next to the name. They’re to announce the next person to be prayed for at grace the night before. Supposedly, it takes 30 days to form a habit. Hope this works and will become a daily thing in the home.
 
Moving on to All Saints Day and found a cute idea I’d like to share. The original is to make a party using various candies to represent the saints. Don’t have the time for that so we will be doing a list of saints to be matched with the possible candies. At the end, the children will be rewarded with a bag of the candies mentioned.

Saints Garbiel, Raphael, and Michael are all angels.

St. Matthew was a tax collector and handled money.

St. Florian is the paton saint of firefighters.

St. Francis loved animals.

St. Nicolas is all about Christmas.

St. Helen was a queen and mother of an emperor.

St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland.

Saints Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen.

St. Appolinia is patron saint of dentists

St. Lucy is patron saint of eye doctors.

St. Valentine is patron saint of the engaged and friendship

Blessed Miguel Pro, martyr, loved chocolate

gummy snakes, Animal Crackers, Atomic fire balls,

gummy rings, Googly Eyes, angel food

Million Dollar Mints, Swedish fish, teeth

Milky Way, candy hearts, candy canes

They write the name of the candy next to the sentence about the saint. The one who finishes first wins.

The teeth are actually donations from a local dentist’s from his waiting room treasure box for young patients.
 
cececole said:
I am also a 3rd grade catechist and I love to teach using games or to vary our activities. .

There are tons of wonderful websites for catechists that could spark you up with more ideas than I could list here. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started.

catholicblogger1.blogspot.com
catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com
amazingcatechists.com
thatresourcesite.com
catholicmom.com
beanamazingcatechist.com/index.html

The first one, Catholic Toolbox, not only will list games but she posts tons of links that will lead you to other Catholic catechist sites. Catholicmom has a wealth of ‘file folder’ games that you can make.

I like to play simple, flexible games that I can use for review and can fit however much (or little time) I have. Using this involves lining the kids up into 2 teams (team names optional,but a Saint name is always cool). Then I go back and forth btw the teams asking my review question of material we have covered to the first child in line. If correct = 1 pt. If wrong–the other team can put their heads together and ‘steal’ the pt (like Family Feud). If 2nd team gets wrong answer = no penalty. Either way, but keep going back and forth btw the teams. It does really motivate the kids to keep focused as we go through the lesson when they know that “if we have time we will play a game at the end;”

For scoring I sometimes use just straight counts, but also use ‘football’ (each right answer moves the ball 10 yards toward your goal and get a touchdown to win). Draw a football field on the board to track. Or I use ‘baseball’. Draw a baseball diamond on the board and each right answer advances the runner. Both football and baseball give a visual aspect to the game and it makes the kids even more excited to see their team advance. When making teams up, I count them up and make sure to balance the more/less knowledgable students btw the teams so no one gets too discouraged. Also, since I am the only 1 with the list of questions, I can ask ‘easier’ questions to the students that struggle more.

Kids do love Jeopardy, but it is a bit of a process to make the board and prepare the cards. I used small envelopes (flap cut off) for the questions and put the questions on index cards. Put the whole ‘jeopardy board’ on a poster size presentation board.

We have a ‘fishing’ game we use at our First Communion retreat. Make fish cutouts, write a question on each (laminate them if possible) and put a weight on the back. Make a ‘fishing pole’ with a magnet and the kids fish and answer their questions.

You can do lots of games with a ball of yarn or a beach ball. Just have the student who answered the last question toss the ball to someone else and they take the next question.
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Hey, thanks for these, especially for the websites. I knew a few, and I have a ton more hardcopy books, but resources like these you just mentioned are greatly appreciated… especially coming from my end!
 
Our director instructed the classes on the Trinity using ice, steam, and water. All the same but in three different forms. I thought it brilliant!! 👍

Thought you all might want to use it too. Later, I explained that the ice could represent Christ because you can touch and feel ice, water the Holy Spirit like at Baptism, and the mist or steam would be God whom we cannot see until we’re in heaven.
 
Any ideas for a quick Christmas gift for parents? Don’t have much time just 45 minutes.
 
Not sure what you mean by Christmas gift for parents? To parents or from parents?

If you mean ideas for a parent/family to give to a catechist, my first reaction is NO CANDLES 😛 Actually, I am rather serious…every year I get multiple candles and Christmas ornaments. Believe me, we were well ready for Hurrican Sandy.

For my part, I most appreciate gifts of gift cards (which can be small in denomination) to Dunkin Doughnuts, movie theatre, Panera. In the spring at the end of PREP, I always think that a plant that I can add to my garden (add can be small, not expensive) is nice because then it reminds me of that child when I tend my garden.
 
cececole said:
Not sure what you mean by Christmas gift for parents? To parents or from parents?

If you mean ideas for a parent/family to give to a catechist, my first reaction is NO CANDLES 😛 Actually, I am rather serious…every year I get multiple candles and Christmas ornaments. Believe me, we were well ready for Hurrican Sandy.

For my part, I most appreciate gifts of gift cards (which can be small in denomination) to Dunkin Doughnuts, movie theatre, Panera. In the spring at the end of PREP, I always think that a plant that I can add to my garden (add can be small, not expensive) is nice because then it reminds me of that child when I tend my garden.
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I was looking for ideas of gifts the kids could make for their parents. We did spiritual bouquets in Sept. I had a great quick gift using Sweeheart soap but that is no longer available.
 
Christmas presents?

At our Christmas ‘party’ I always have my class make “God’s Eyes”. dltk-kids.com/world/mexico/ojo_de_dios.htm

Works especially well with varigated yarns (then you get a pretty design but don’t have to change yarn colors). Glue the popsicle sticks together ahead of time and bring them to class ready to go.

Other projects I have liked, though more Easter-y–making prayer lilies. spoonful.com/crafts/handprint-lilies

In the tradition of a ‘prayer bouquet’, the kids write the name of a prayer on each ‘finger’ of the lily that they had offered for the recipient. We said the prayers together in class. You could do a single prayer, a decade of the rosary or whatever for each ‘finger’. So, really the prayers were more the gift than the flower. This example says use a straw for a stem,but I used green chenille from craft store. Google ‘paper prayer lily craft’ and you will get lots of examples.
 
I’d give the kids a picture of the Nativity and teach them how each element (sheep, camel, ox, *** (donkey), manger, star, virgin, shepherds, kings, gifts, angel) is foretold by assorted bits of Isaiah. Then their gift to the parents would be to show them the pic and explain it all to them.
 
kkollwitz said:
I’d give the kids a picture of the Nativity and teach them how each element (sheep, camel, ox, *** (donkey), manger, star, virgin, shepherds, kings, gifts, angel) is foretold by assorted bits of Isaiah. Then their gift to the parents would be to show them the pic and explain it all to them.
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Excellent!! Can do this. Already got the info on the ox. and *** (donkey), manger, star, virgin, kings, angels but nothing on sheep and camel. What do you have?

I also plan to send home a note regarding THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM which may be seen on YOU TUBE or on EWTN when they show it. Computer goes back to the time of Christ and shows the heavens and what was visable. Amazing and very moving. There’s a follow-up with Good Friday and that too is a wonder.
 
THANKS AGAIN!! Copied his whole discourse and will use it with my class. Very informative. :blessyou::christmastree1:
 
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