| Author | |
hobbitmom
Forum Rookie
Joined: March 29 2007
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 58
|
| Posted: April 12 2007 at 1:45pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Wasn’t sure whether to put this here or in the Loving the Little Ones forum… Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on celebrating the church year with the under-3 crowd?
My printer is begging for mercy, what with all the fantastic ideas you’ve given me for what to do with the children when they’re older. But what can we do in the meantime, since my oldest is only 22 months (and his younger sibling is still in the oven)? Am I expecting too much to ask for really anything we can do, liturgically speaking, with children so young? For instance, even an Easter egg hunt, not exactly a specifically Catholic tradition, didn’t mean much to ds last week. He was more interested in dumping the eggs out of the basket, taking all the plastic ones apart and putting them back together, and then wearing the basket on his head!
On the other hand, I know that they always absorb more than we think they do... we did take him to the Cathedral in DC for Easter Mass, and the beauty of the place and the music had him spellbound. (His little head was bent so far back, staring up at the dome, that he would have fallen over backwards if he hadn’t been leaning against his father.)
Am I being over-anxious to bring the Church year home, or are there things we can do that aren’t way above his head?
Amy
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: April 12 2007 at 2:07pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Take him with you.. involve him in everything *at an appropriate level for him*.. but don't expect an adult reaction or concern over any significance anything has. Immerse him in the life and he'll learn the *what* and when he's older and ready.. you'll get more *why's* than you know what to do with 
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Maryan
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 02 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3145
|
| Posted: April 12 2007 at 2:31pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My little guy is 26 months... We do some Montessori/CGS type stufff (see that thread for suggestions) and then we just try to do the colors of the liturgical year, instill a sense of the sacred by kissing statues, rosaries, etc. and use a lot of sacred picture books.
So far Michael likes to carry sticks and sing a lot...I'm sure he's the crossbearer at Mass. And last night during the rosary, he started using the rosary as an incenser and was chanting (presumably from Holy Thursday or Easter Sunday Mass). So even though as Jodie says... you won't get any reaction necessarily -- you're definitely right that you never know what's going in that little active mind of theirs!
__________________
Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: April 12 2007 at 3:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I agree with Maryan And Jodie. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has some good material and ideas. At this age you don't need to do formal presentations, but some hands-on material would be good.
I made a flex binder of coloring pages for the liturgical when my son was two, 2 pages each, one for me, one for him, that we would talk briefly about the feast or saint.
Playing Mass is a big thing...imitating and talking about Mass. I bring a picture missal to help him follow along, seeing the pictures correspond to Father's actions. Like Maryan's Michael, all sticks are crosses. Brooms and other tall things go up in the air.
I put it in the other thread, but using picture books is huge, and you start your collection now (use Catholic Mosaic as a starting guide, and WhipperSnapper Books have some more suggestions. Let the pictures do the teaching.
I'd love to create a photo albums of holy cards (laminated for this age) for the Liturgical Year.
Sing hymns. I sing hymns as part of the bedtime routine, some reflecting the Liturgical Year.
But the biggest thing is doing your family traditions that are meaningful to you, and let him see. Cook foods for the feast days, pray together, go to Mass...talk about the feast. Just live it...don't worry about "doing" extra.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
isjalu0826
Forum Rookie
Joined: March 19 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 80
|
| Posted: April 13 2007 at 10:03am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I ditto all the wonderful suggestions here. My son is 4 now and is picking up more and more everyday, but when he was smaller, I used alot of picture books and said prayers with him every night. (He could say the Our Father and Hail Mary before he was 3---it was wonderful, and I remember how the children in the 1st Communion class I taught years ago struggled to learn those two prayers---some had never heard or said it before!)
I can't say I spent a lot of time on the Saints when he was 2. But we talked often of the Blessed Mother and I made sure to always address her in a way that helped him learn that she was everyone's Mother and takes care of us. Now I am trying to incorporate special saints' days in our daily round.
One of the best memories I have is when my son was just 2 and was asked at Christmas time 'who' was coming soon, and he said Baby Jesus instead of Santa Claus!!! It melted my heart and I knew things were sinking in.
Good luck and have fun!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Meredith
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 08 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2355
|
| Posted: April 13 2007 at 10:48am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Ditto here too for everything the others have said.
For our family, living the Liturgical year begins at birth with going to Mass as a family, then Baptism, and then just being part of all family prayer activity, from grace before meals, learning the sign of the cross, and family rosaries, looking at board books of the Saints, Jesus, Mary and Joseph and then gradually picture books.
My youngest is just about to turn two and he is the toughest child so far during Mass, but we do the walk-pace-walk thing and switch off, so that he's still part of the Mass without being a colossal interuption for the other parishioners. That being said, it isn't all roses for this age, but the immersion effect has sure made a difference for our children. They know about reverence at an early age and what it means to pray for others by watching the older children and (hopefully) seeing it modeled by my dh and I 
Blessings to you and your little one as you discover our beuatiful faith through his eyes!!
__________________
Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
alicegunther
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1992
|
| Posted: April 13 2007 at 10:50am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I wrote about something you might find interesting. It is a post about how we taught our under three year old The Sign of the Cross: The Sign of the Cross for the Cradle Set.
Amy, this is one of my favorite thread titles ever!
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
    
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Caroline
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 04 2006
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 706
|
| Posted: April 13 2007 at 12:35pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
JennGM wrote:
I bring a picture missal to help him follow along, seeing the pictures correspond to Father's actions.
|
|
|
Can you post a link to the one you have?
__________________
Devoted Wife to and Mama to three beautiful boys and another little boy due in September , and two beautiful souls in heaven
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: April 13 2007 at 1:01pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Caroline wrote:
JennGM wrote:
I bring a picture missal to help him follow along, seeing the pictures correspond to Father's actions.
|
|
|
Can you post a link to the one you have? |
|
|
Nothing fancy or expensive. We use these two from the St. Joseph Picture Books:
My Picture Missal
Mass for Children
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
hobbitmom
Forum Rookie
Joined: March 29 2007
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 58
|
| Posted: April 13 2007 at 1:26pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks, everybody, for the ideas and encouragement. Meredith, you're right... I think I'm learning even more than he is right now, just by trying to teach him! I feel so inadequate when trying to talk to him about God. You all are such a support.
Alice, Catherine is beyond adorable. They do make some pretty crazy versions of the Sign of the Cross when they're this small, don't they? A few days ago I took a tiny icon of the Trinity off dh's dresser for ds to look at while I changed his diaper. He was fascinated. "See," I told him, "there's the Father, and there's the Son, and there's the Holy Spirit." He looked up at me, and very seriously said "Ah-muh," (his rendition of Amen). Then he waved his arm across his chest so wildly I feared he'd fall off the table!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Meredith
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 08 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2355
|
| Posted: April 13 2007 at 5:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I love that!! For Sean-Paul, I have a St. Joseph holy card tucked into the light switch plastic thing (?) and we always say "St. Jospeh, pray for us." whenever we're doing our business there. He counts on it now and when he sees the card he'll automatically say it, but I think he really identifies with it too.
When he was around 12-14 months, when we would pass one of our statues of Mary or Jesus that we have scattered throughout the house, he would have to kiss them. He has a devotion growing already, it's very special!
Blessings again!
__________________
Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: The liturgical year for tinies
