Eight Ways We Do Catholic at Home {a few gifts for you too}
While talking to a dear girlfriend from childhood the other day, the topic of how we teach our kids about the faith came up. Beyond meal prayer, night prayer, and weekly mass. How do we discuss and teach our faith while wiping bottoms, thawing food for dinner, picking up toys, maybe working on alphabets & reading, and calming fervored tantrums? I went to a state university and when I landed at the Catholic law school where I met my former-seminarian husband, I hadn’t been at Catholic school since the sixth grade.
The task of being Catholic in the home had initially seemed like a specific subject to teach. Like table manners. Or reading.
But as my kids grow, and their love and understanding of our faith grows, it is actually way simpler than I thought. If the environment is rich with culturally Catholic items, the kids kinda do it via osmosis. We do it like this.
1) Sacramentals.
We are crawling with saints medals, holy cards, candles, rosaries, crucifixes, icons, incense, you name it. Holy water fonts in bedrooms, holy water to sprizzzle all around the house, and a few precious relics of saints. All those little physical reminders of our faith–many of them blessed. Just seeing them around the house and playing with (some) of them ignites the kids’ cultural Catholicism.
Crucifixes like this one the baby got from his amazing Godparents are a beautiful reminder when I’m telling SuperBoy about how Jesus really suffered so put your sister touching your legos into perspective.
The baby has been dragging this triptych around.
Icons on the walls like this one (our tastes runs way more Eastern than Western) are alllllllll over the house! We even have an icon wall in the kids’ rooms. It’s a great place to take a breather when our cerebral cortex is getting ahead of us and just calm down and talk about the saints’ lives.
2) Toys.
Kids encounter God through their senses. Something as simple as the joy of touching and hugging a felt doll that’s got your patron saint on it. Saintly Silver is the best. I love working with Erin. She’s made a number of dolls for me, including a remotely named saint that I gave her a brief description of and she used that to figure out the right symbolism and we drafted the prayer together! I cannot recommend her highly enough. Go get your kid a saint doll today.
And this lamb that says your prayers with you? My kids are obsessed. They love squeezing her to get the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be out of her. They will even fight to the bite-death for their turn. Real pious.
And what about the ole wooden rosary? My friend Shannon at Organic Mama’s Shop makes a stunning collection of rosaries that are wearable that I have and my kids gnaw and play with. She has a new line of a chewable one for babies. Even better than the wooden beaded ones! She’s kindly offering readers a discount code WHOLECATHOLIC for 20% through September 5 so run on over. She’s also giving away a rosary bracelet down below ||!
3) Coloring & Activity Books.
We’re big fans of Holy Heroes activity books. I asked and they answered: this month you can receive a free Passion of Jesus coloring book with any purchase using the code “wholeparenting”–simply input code at checkout and a coloring book will be put into your package! They often pair activity books with CDs. Best thing ever. I like the looks of this one. They sent over this matching saints game. We are playing it. Minutely. Hourly. (it’s new and on sale right now.)
If you want to go old school, the Treasure Box Tales are so beautifully done, too. I reserve ours for the five year old as the three year old colors like a tornado.
This sticker book for saints for boys has been a wild hit. I need to get this one for SweetPea. They match up stickers to silhouettes and then I read them the blurb about the saint. Easy & educational. My kinda thing.
4) Music and CDs.
This song CD of Catholic Latin Classics
And we start all our weekends and most week days with these Monks of Norcia chanting: BENEDICTA: Marian Chant from Norcia
Stories of the lives of the saints and children praying the rosary? Holy Heroes was kind enough to send these over last year. The kids really have learned a ton about the lives of the saints from listening to this during alleged quiet time. They’ll tell me about it later in the day about how Blessed Imelda died from joy!!!!!!!!
5) Books.
Books just being around and intermingled in with non-religious books naturally mean we talk about God stuff throughout the day without me having to consciously work God in.
A few we look at all the time: Angel in the Waters; The Saving Name of God the Son; The Weight of the Mass; Picture Book of Saints; and allllll those volumes of paperback saints books. We go for the Saint Joseph’s Baltimore Catechism and this beauty that AA reads to them.
Ignatius Press has a beautiful selection of children’s books via Magnificat Children’s Books and we love the looks of the Missal for Little Ones (web price special), and really like reading My First Catechism which gets gnawed on by the baby and pawed over by the toddler. They were kind enough to send over Tell Me About the Catholic Faith which we are LOVING! {giveaway to one lucky person at the end of all this}.
6) Going to mass and talking about what’s happening before, during, and after.
Yes, we whisper during mass and sit relatively close to the front so the kids can know what’s going on. We try not to disturb people around us but frankly, I’d rather my kids be in the loop even if they’re crying and screaming periodically.
Mass this weekend was really a treat. Everyone cried. The baby had a rare mid-morning blowout. Everyone had to leave the pew multiple times. There were trips to the bathroom to allegedly “go potty immediately.” But we were there. And we tried.
In the car ride on the way over, we all discuss who we’re going to offer our mass for, and inevitably after mass I always remark, We are so lucky to be able to go to mass freely and receive all those graces.
7) Playing mass & nun convent at home.
Vocations to the priesthood, nunnery, and religious life are standard fare talk when discussing what they could do when they grow up. My friend Cynthia hand makes these gorgeous vestments. We’re partnering to do a full review & giveaway soon, but in the meanwhile, grab one for your son before the fabric you love is gone.
Stack a few boxes up and you’ve got an altar. Throw a piece of fabric around her face and you’ve got a nun. Basic but so fun for their imaginations.
The kids’ closet is also a convent, apparently. And a monastery. They do this nonnnnnnn stop.
8) Explaining God in terms of love, mercy, and choice.
It’s really sad to me when people tell me they’re recovering from their upbringing replete with “Catholic guilt.” I don’t get it. I mean, it’s certainly valid for them and where they’re coming from, I just haven’t had that feeling. Guilt because I’m not living according to my conscience? Um, yes, absolutely. But something imposed on me from the outside that feels like a conspiracy from Rome to make me feel bad? No, not my experience and hopefully not the experience of raising our children with a particular religious faith either.
We talk about God loving us, wanting us to be close to Him, and finding Him in whatever is true and beautiful. When God is Love, then we must choose to be loving to be near Him. When we choose to be cruel or mean, that’s choosing to be far away from Him. It’s both empowering and edifying for conscience building. Choose God? Choose Love. Choose Love? Choose God.
//
Resources? Fav ways to naturally just be Catholic in your home? Fill me in! Did you see Kendra’s post on a similar topic? Or Lacy’s on her curriculum for religious ed that talks about the book we’re giving away?
GIVEAWAY of one of my new banners & Tell Me About the Faith & a Rosary Bracelet from Shannon. Hop on over.
*I contacted these companies and was glad to receive special concessions for my readers on patronizing their shops* And as always, if you buy through Amazon via me, I get a sliver at no additional cost to you*
I would love The Illustrated Acts of the Apostles.
I love your Elephants and Polkas banner. There are so many great items on Organic Mamas shop, but my fave is the Our Lady of Lourdes rosary bracelet.
From Ignatius Press, I think both of the 24 Christmas Stories books look great. I struggle so much that time of year to shut out the “mall version of Christmas” and focus my heart (and family) on the arrival of Jesus. These look like a great daily reminder for my little one.
I love your teal boats and foxes banner. So cute! But, the elephant love was a close second fave.
And, I love Organic Mama’s rosary bracelets. I think you might have posted a photo of you wearing one sometime last fall because I remember scouring the internet trying to figure out where I saw those rosary bracelets I liked around Christmas time. I’ll have to remember for this year!
I just love seeing how families keep a Catholic home. It’s such a fun (and big!) responsibility, raising these little ones in the faith! My 3 year old loves that saint sticker book. The sticker’s aren’t the easiest to reuse though in his. Are yours? His may have gotten baked in a hot car causing the issue!
We’ve been eyeing the Ignatius Children’s Bible! My friend used it in our preschool coop last year and it was great.
Oh dang it – I need to read all the options before I finish my commenting!
I love the rosary teethers that Shannon has now. I was so impressed by them at Edel!
And your banners! Nell – they are beautiful! I love them all but I think the chevron and polkas are my favorite. 🙂
I love the Confession book for children from Ignatius Press 🙂
I would love to purchase “A Missal for Little Ones” from the Ignatius Press website. It would be perfect for my young children.
I love the Blues and Baseball banner. I have three boys and it would be perfect for them!
And last, but not least, I think my favorite item that I would love is the chewable rosary. Everything is so beautiful from Organic Mama’s Shop.
I’d pick the Chevron and Polkas Modern Colors banner. It would be a sweet decoration for birthdays!
The Chews Life soft rosary from Organic Mama is so sweet!
Missal for Little Ones for sure!
Pinks and Aqua would go perfect in my girls’ room!
Love the Lady of Lourdes rosary bracelet!
Love this whole thing! I am starting to think more and more about this now that the our oldest is 2! She says her prayers well, but I don’t she is really grasping the whole Jesus loves you thing yet. Especially when I tell her Jesus loves her more than mommy and daddy do, and she says no mommy you love me…work in progress!
I love your banners, a boy themed one like the Foxes and Boats would be so cute for my LO’s room! And he would love a chewsie Rosary too! He already loves my Organic Mama’s nursing necklace.
And the little Missal for kids would be great!
What a great post! I am lapping this stuff up, such great ideas! I would love to get a copy of the children’s missal from Ignatius press- I think it would be great for my son. And you’re killin it with those banners- I love the elephant one! And I think I’m going to have to get one of those gorgeous novena bracelets. Such good stuff!
I love this, thank you! Slowly but surely the decor and hangings on our wall are turning to icons and Catholic inspired artwork quotes which I love so much for myself and look forward to my children learning and understanding these things. This post is also great for Godparents, tons of great gift ideas 😉
Such a great post, thanks for all the good tips!
For older kids, we love these LEGO rosaries: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MementoMoose. I can’t say enough great things about the seller, who has always been so helpful, quick to respond and accommodating. My son (now 9) loves his LEGO rosary and it certainly motivates him to pray it! It’s now our go-to gift for First Communion.
Blessings,
Carly
Awesome on the lego rosaries! have you also seen the Catholic lego sets? He’s a Minnesotan as well 🙂
I am loving Organic Mama’s Chews Life rosary (and I’m sure my LO would too!). Your Pinks and Aqua banner has to get my vote as those are the colors for my LO’s first birthday party coming up! And since my LO is only 1, I am slowly building up our collection of religious books for her so basically I want them all! But if I had to pick one, I would go with A Missal for Little Ones.
The Catholic Saints for Children book! Love saints books. Thank you for all the great ideas for bringing our beautiful faith into our homes.
Love this! We frequently read stories about the lives of the saints from My Little Golden Book of Saints, as well as color from every single coloring book from Seton Press.,also, Mass. Every week, no matter how stressed or tired or out of sorts we are.
I love the chewable rosary and the rosary bracelet!!! <3
I also love the Blues and Baseball banner, and the 24 stories of Jesus for Christmas!
24 Stories to Welcome Jesus looks adorable!
So cute, Nell! I think I’d go with the Sailboat and Dots one.
The Our Lade of the Woods Rosary bracelet is beautiful!
I LOVE Ignatius Press’ Book of Saints for Children. We read through it daily! They have such beautiful children’s books.
Your new banners are fantastic! I especially love the Pinks and Aqua!
I’ve been eyeing Organic Mama’s rosary bracelets for a while now — so hard to choose between the Mystical Rose and Our Lady of Fatima!
Out of the Ignatius press books for children, I think A Little Missal for children looks really cool. I’m into anything that keeps little ones interesting mass!
I love the elephants and polka-dots banner!
I love the Our Lady of Lourdes rosary bracelet sooooooo much!
I love Ignatius Press kids books! I’ve had A Missal for Little Ones and Catholic Saints for Children on my “wish list” for awhile. And I just looked at An Extraordinary Friend today. It sounds perfect for my oldest!
All your banners are so beautiful! I’m currently planning a sports and Cinderella themed birthday party (We’re going to have a ball! Get it?) for my two oldest. Your Blues and Baseballs Banner would be perfect for the occasion!
I have a teething 17 month old who would love a “CHEWS LIFE” ROSARY! Thanks for hosting this great giveaway Nell! And I really enjoyed all your suggestions!
how do you play nun convent?
She wraps a yard of fabric around her, grabs a rosary, and whacks all her dollies who aren’t obeying her in the closet on the floor. Apparently she’s a mean abbess?? There are a bunch of pics of nuns taped up on the walls of the closet and then she aims to get her older brother to come and say mass for them!
I love the birds and brights! It would look so lovely over our school table!
I love the idea of the Missal for Little Ones. Our church has a few vintage St. Joseph’s books, including one about the Eucharist, which I love having for my baby. I’m just hoping someday someone will make a board book missal for all the teething babies that are still learning what’s going on!
I love your new banners! I’m digging the green and yellow one right now – perfect for this fall-y weather we’re having!
Drooling over the Zoe ring sling – I’ve never worn M in a sling, and would love to try.
So many new books since I last looked on Ignatius Press! I am thinking the Adventures of Loupio series will be making it under our tree this year.
I’ve really wanted to start building a good collection of books about saints for our kid(s) to dig into as they get older. There are so many great stories to choose from, but I think I’d start with the Catholic Saints for Children book.
Simon is currently into all things that move/drive, especially boats and cars. So your lovely red and orange boats and cars banner would be perfect!
And I love the colors of the Immaculate Conception rosary bracelet. Gorgeous!
This might be one of my favorite blog posts I’ve read in a while! I love how practical this is, and how relatable you are, Nell! I hope the BIS brunch went well, I’m sure the women that were able to go had a wonderful time. Thank you for sharing your (Catholic) life with us!
LOVE A Missal for Little Ones. So sweet.
This is so good! I had the same anxieties about passing on the faith, but was relieved to find that it’s just part of our way of life, and he soaks it all up as we go… mealtime prayers, bedtime prayers, weekly Mass, lots and lots of sacramentals, books and toys around the house… Our son, now 21-months, is obsessed with the candles and the “big cross” that the servers carry in the processional/recessional, and he loves to walk around the house holding up his little crucifix and singing “alleluia.” He asks almost daily to go to church to see the “big cross” (and I am ashamed to admit that I can rarely squeeze a daily Mass in to our schedule, something I need to work on!). It makes my heart almost burst with joy to see how much he’s growing to love our faith, and I pray that it continues!
My favorite item at OrganicMamasShop is the Chews Life Rosary! In fact, I just ordered 3 a couple weeks ago!
I love your teal boats and foxes banner!
From your shop the aqua and pink banner is my fav
Our Lady of Good Counsel Snowflake Jaspar is beautiful from Organic Mamma’s shop!
From Ignatius Press, I’d love to have the “St. Francis: Poor Man of Assisi” picture book for my little George Francesco. 🙂
This is so great! I’ve been thinking about this topic all week. Among other things, we have a little atrium shelf set up with a statue of the Good Shepherd, a chunky rosary, an Icon or Blessed Mother, and some holy water. Mostly Jesus takes a lot of rides around the house in the cart. Sometimes he gets kisses.
I think we’ll eventually add colored “altar” cloths for the liturgical season and special things for advent, Christmas, lent and Easter. Any ideas on a great nativity set for not $$$?
I would love A Missal for Little Ones.
I like the Immaculate Conception rosary bracelet.
The blues and baseball banner would be perfect for my boys.
I love this! I have a blog, would it be ok to share this??
I’ve been wanting Catholic Saints for Children. We have a few Life of a Saint books & love them!
Red & Orange Boats & Cars. Love these for my twins 1st birthday next year.
I’ve been wanting the Chews Life Rosaries for my twins as well. Thank you for the sale!!!!!!!
Just ordered 2 Chews Life rosaries for my twins. I cant wait!
Hurrah!
“Catholic Saints for Children” looks pretty cool. 🙂
“Catholic Saints for Children” looks pretty cool. 🙂
[If this posts multiple times in bizarre ways, blame a computer glitch. Ah, the joys of technology.]
I gotta admit I’m not really into banners, but if I had to choose, I’d pick the nature one.
I dig the chewable rosary for babies. 🙂
There are so many I would love, but the one that popped out to me first was A Little Book about Confession for Children. (I also like ALL the saints books!
The green and yellow nature banner caught my eye.
Although my girlie has already had FHC, the Girls First Holy Communion Decade Rosary Bracelet looked darling!
I really want Kendra’s confession book!
Teal Boats and Foxes!
I would love to put that chew rosary in my littlest one’s stocking this Christmas!
I can’t choose between the book of saints or the missel. They both look amazing.
I like all from Maite Roche, but also would love the The Illustrated Parables of Jesus
I like the Teal Boats and Foxes Banner
I like the “CHEWS LIFE” ROSARY
Also, may I ask where how you came to have your relics?
Ignatius: They all look so good! I’d love Kendra’s book on confession, and also the Saints one and the Missal. All the Catholic books!
I have 3 sports-loving boys, so I feel obligated to choose the baseball banner.
I have teething necklaces and a teething rosary, but I do NOT have a rosary bracelet (yet). I love the Our Lady of Lourdes Rosary Bracelet!
I love Shannon’s Our Lady of Fatima Rosary bracelet. (I just got one of her Chews Life Rosaries – it is the best!! Silicone beads for the win!)
I like the missal for little ones from Ignatius
I love the rosary bracelets!
The Kitchen Madonna from Ignatius Press!
And the green and yellow nature banner from your shop. The banners are so cute!
I like the elephant love banner
the Christmas stories for kids sounds very cute. I think we will get that this year!
Can I like all your banners because they’re all so cute. The more brightly colored the better though!
Pretty bracelets at the Organic shop! I would probably get one of those.
I want to get An Extraordinary Friend: Adventures of Jamie and Bella. It sounds like something my oldest would love to read!
My favorite banner is the green and yellow nature banner 🙂
I love the Our LAdy of Grace green rosary bracelet.
I also really love all of your suggestions in this post. We do lots of these things at home, but some of these are things I need to do a better job of, like talking about the Mass before and after. Thanks for the ideas!
I would love the book about confession for children. That can be a tricky thing to explain!
The pink and aqua banner is pretty. I have 3 girls!
I’m a rosary addict! Those are beautiful. My favorite is the rosary bracelet with the detachable piece so you don’t lose your place. Its difficult for a Mamma to say a rosary uninterrupted. Brilliant!
I like A Missal for Little Ones.
I like Birds and Bright Colors
I like the OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL ROSARY BRACELET- BROWN SNOWFLAKE JASPER
I would love to get A Missal For Little Ones!
My favorite banner is the Pinks and Aqua Banner! 🙂
From the organic mama’s shop, I love the Chews Life Soft Rosary!
I love your ideas! We do several of them with our girls already.
1. So I’m a sucker for books and couldn’t pick just one….A Missal for Little Ones, The Way of the Cross, & Tell Me About the Catholic Faith.
2. Those banners are adorable! My favorite is the Pinks & Aqua.
3. I have always wanted a rosary bracelet (specifically the Immaculate Conception one). However, I love the Chews Life Soft Rosary.
Thanks for holding the giveaway! We have a few of the Ignatius Press books but there are several others I’m interested in! Catholic Saints for Children looks like a great one.
Achh, don’t make me pick just one banner! Alright, fine. 😉 The Teal and Foxes one is lovely! Also, don’t know if anyone already mentioned this but these would be so cute to put up during a Poetry Teatime …
And lastly, the Chews Life soft Rosary is really cute …
From Ignatius Press, The Adventures of Lupio series. My middle son was just complaining about not having a series to read that he really liked, and he loves comic books. These would be perfect for him!
I like your Chevron and Polkas Modern Colors…my boys’ favorite colors.
I love the colors in the Moss Agate Rosary.
The Catholic Saints for Children book from Ignatius looks great!
The Pinks and Aqua banner is my favorite 🙂
Love the Immaculate Conception rosary bracelet!
A Missal for Little Ones looks amazing! (From Ignatius Press)
My favorite banner is the Elephants and Polkas!
My favorite item from Organic Mama’s Shop is the Our Lady of the Woods Novena Bracelet.
I love Kendra’s book on confession for kids & buy it for all of my CCD students.
The nature banner would be perfect in my son’s nursery.
I love the “chews life” rosaries from organic mama