1. Weekly Celebration and Gospel Activity

For Parents

To prepare yourself for introducing the January Gospel stories to your children, watch the two videos from The Gospel Project. 

Week One: Epiphany - Three Kings, January 6, 2019 

Symbol of the Week

Take the statues of the three kings, the baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph from your creche and create a centerpiece on your table to remember the Epiphany story all week. 
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

Sunday Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010619.cfm

Read a children's version of the Sunday Gospel Story: www.dltk-bible.com/cv/the_wise_men.htm

Do a coloring page together for Epiphany.
epiphany_coloring_page.pdf
File Size: 66 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
three_kings_coloring_page.pdf
File Size: 97 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Week Two: Baptism of the Lord Sunday, January 13, 2019

Symbol of the Week

Place a bowl of water and the baptism candles of your children and create a centerpiece on your table to remember the Baptism of the Lord story all week.
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." 

Sunday Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011319.cfm

Read a children's version of the Baptism of the Lord: www.dltk-bible.com/cv/jesus_is_baptized-cv.htm

Do a coloring page together for Baptism of the Lord.
baptism_of_the_lord_coloring_page.pdf
File Size: 71 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Family Activity: Your Baptism Day

Share with each of your children the story of their baptism day to celebrate their new life in Christ and embrace their relationship with God as their Father and Creator. 

  1. Say this prayer aloud to begin.
    Dear God, thank you for the gift of __________ being part of your family through his/her baptism. We are thankful for your parental love. We ask that you bless __________ and all of us today as we remember and celebrate his/her baptism. Amen.

  2. Plan a special meal and/or a special dessert. Light their baptism candle, or another blessed candle, to use as a centerpiece.

  3. Gather around the table for dinner and share the story of the child's baptism day:
    • What was the date? How old was the child?
    • Who are the godparents, and why were they chosen?
    • What did the child wear?
    • What church? Who was the presiding minister?
    • Did the child cry? Laugh?
    • What was the child's reaction to having water poured on their head?
    • Who attended the ceremony, family and friends?
    • Was there a party or reception?

  4. Share any mementos from the day (photos, cards, etc.).

  5. Say the following prayer before blowing out the candle.
    Dear God, thank you for this celebration of __________'s baptism. Please continue to shower __________ with your love and grace to help him/her grow in holiness every day. Amen.
    ​
  6. Variation: Consider making this an annual event on the anniversary of each family member's baptism.

Week Three: The Wedding Feast at Cana, January 20, 2019

Symbol of the Week

Please one or more clay jars on the dinner table or central place in the house.

Have a special meal during the week.  Celebrate with wine for the adults and grape juice with the children. Tell the story of Jesus turning water into wine, watch the video, and draw a color page. 
Sunday Gospel: John 2:1-11: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012019.cfm

Take a few moments as a parent to reflect on the Gospel of The Wedding Feast at Cana: www.americanbible.org/resources/lectio-divina

Read the Sunday Gospel Story together: John 2:1-11

Do a coloring page together for the Wedding Feast at Cana.
wedding_at_cana.pdf
File Size: 272 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
wedding_feast.pdf
File Size: 144 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Watch a video together of Jesus turning water into wine. (From ShareFaithKids)

Week Four: Jesus on a Mission, January 27, 2019

Symbol of the Week

This week place a Bible open to Luke 4 at the center of the table. Read the Gospel story of Jesus' mission several times during the week. ​Use a children's Bible if possible. 
Parent Preparation: To familiarize yourself with this Sunday's Gospel from Luke 4, watch the Luke 4 section from Chapter 3-9 video from The Gospel Project. Go to the "Just for Parents" page. 

Sunday Gospel: Luke 4: 1:1-4 and 4:14-21: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012719.cfm

Take a few moments as a parent to reflect on the Gospel of The Wedding Feast at Cana: www.americanbible.org/resources/lectio-divina

Read the Sunday Gospel Story together: Luke 4:14-21

Do a coloring page together for Luke 4:14-21.
spirit_of_the_lord_coloring_page.png.pdf
File Size: 282 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Family Activity: A Family Mission Statement

Inspired by Jesus' mission as presented in Luke 4:14-21, develop a family mission statement using the guide from Bruce Feiler's book, The Secrets of Happy Families. Post the mission statement in a prominent place in the house. 

2. Reflecting on the Day
Begin a tradition of guiding your children to reflect on their day using these questions. Find a good time toward the end of the day, such as dinner time, story time, or bedtime.
  1. Ask them what made them happy over the past day.
  2. Ask them what made them sad over the past day.
  3. Ask them what they look forward to tomorrow.
  4. Remind them to thank God for what made them happy, ask for God’s help when they are sad, and pray for God’s presence in the coming day. 

3. Praying through the Day
Use these simple prayers to begin a daily routine of prayer with your children. Check-out the suggestions and article below to assist you in praying with your children. 

Sign of the Cross
Begin all prayer with the Sign of the Cross: In the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Prayer in the Morning
Oh Loving God I give you this day
All that I do and say.
I give you my love with Jesus your Son.
Today I will try to love everyone. Amen

Prayer at Meal Times
Begin meals with a short thanksgiving prayer. Here are two blessings that you can use. 

Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your goodness through Christ our Lord. 

Bless our home. Bless this food. Feed our spirits with the bread of life, and help us to know your peace at this table, then as we work and play and sleep.

​Prayer at Bedtime
Use bedtime to begin a daily prayer and blessing ritual. There is no age too young for a blessing. Begin to bless your children at bedtime for the very first day of life!

Say to you child, Mommy or Daddy is going to say a night time blessing now. Place your hand on the child's head and shoulder and say a short blessing. Use one of the examples or create your own.
  1. (Child's name), may God bless you and keep you. May God be kind and gracious to you. May God give you peace tonight and every night. Amen.
  2. (Child's name), may the pace of God, which is bigger than anything we understand, fill your heart and your mind, and may you know God's love always. Amen. 
  3. (Child's name), may the God of hope fill you with joy and peace, not only tonight, but tomorrow and the next day and all the days of your life. Amen.  

Additional Prayers

For Parents: Teaching Toddlers & Preschoolers to Pray
  1. Demonstrate for them how easy it is to talk to God – When a child of any age hears their parents talking to the God they believe in for themselves, it is already instilled in the child that simple talking is how we pray.
  2. Encourage your toddlers to pray with you – Our three year old loves to pray at our meals and bedtime. We haven't always understood the words, but we loved the demonstration of growing faith of the God we serve.  Just the other day, as we finished up praying together at bed time, he said to me for the first time, “Mommy, I want to see Jesus.”  My heart skipped a beat because he wants the relationship to be face to face now.
  3. Introduce the stages of prayers – Thankful for things from the food we eat, the gifts we have and the gorgeous day.  You know when you toddler or preschool has this one covered, because they want to thank God for everything and I do mean everything!  Teach them to pray for healing by praying over their hurts, pain and sicknesses. Teach them to pray for forgiveness, by helping them to pray when they have sinned.  Teach them to pray for others by sharing prayer request with them and praying together.
When your day has prayer throughout it and it includes your children at their earliest age, this alone will be the tools needed to teach your toddlers and preschoolers to pray on their own.
(From: www.joyinthehome.com/how-to-teach-toddlers-and-preschoolers-to-pray)

Check out the article: Creating A Rhythm of Prayer in the Life of a Preschooler at orangeblogs.org/firstlook/creating-a-rhythm-of-prayer-in-the-life-of-a-preschooler. 

4. Learning our Faith
Here are a variety of learning activities that will help your children grow closer to God throughout the month. When you have 10 or 15 minutes experience one of these activities. 
​

I L-O-V-E G-O-D

​Parents introduce their toddlers to a world filled with letters, numbers, and other foundational education tools. Use the flashcards below to engage your child and family in learning the foundational language of faith.

  1. Read this prayer to and with your child to begin.
    God, I love you. Thanks for your love. In Jesus' name, Amen.
  2. Color the cards with your child. You can choose to do one card a day or a lot of them at once depending on your child's cognitive ability and age.
  3. Take time to look at the letters of each card and read the words out loud as you color together.
  4. Once the cards are printed and ready there are many ways to use them as introductory methods to faith-filled words.
           - Review these cards at the same time as other learning occurs.
                           Spell it out on a white erase board
                           Draw it in sidewalk chalk
                           Put it on the refrigerator
                           Talk about the word at dinner
           - Take one each day and look at it at bedtime or mealtime. (You could use the same one for several days.)
           - Find a scripture or story that uses some of the words and read it with older children.
           - Make another set of cards and play a matching game.

​(By Olivia Bryan Updegrove)
i_l-o-v-e_g-o-d_-_toddler_faith_sight_words_1.pdf
File Size: 104 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Purchase a Storybook Bible for Your Children

The Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David - every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation - and at the center of their Story too.​​

Purchase The Jesus Storybook Bible.
​
The Beginner’s Bible® is where a child’s journey towards a lifelong love of God’s Word begins.
Millions of children and their parents can’t be wrong. The bright and vibrant illustrations enhance every word to produce one of the most readable and memorable Bible experiences a young child can have. Kids will enjoy reading the story of Noah’s Ark as they see Noah helping the elephant onto the big boat. They will learn about the prophet Jonah as they see him praying inside the fish. They will follow along with the text of Jesus’ ministry as they see a man in need of healing lowered down through the roof of a house. Parents, teachers, pastors, and children will rediscover these beloved parables and so much more as they read more than 90 stories in The Beginner's Bible, just like millions of children before.

​Purchase The Beginners Bible.