Youth Faith Formation

Jesus is the heart of a Catholic home! A very important and special part of your relationship with Him is prayer. Prayer is a conversation with God that St. Therese of Lisieux described as “a surge of the heart.” Having a special place where parents and children gather to pray will go a long way toward helping you make prayer a regular part of your family life.

If you do not already have a dedicated place set aside for your family to pray, create a simple prayer space this month. Set up a “prayer corner” in your kitchen, family room, or other space in your home. It can be on a mantle, a small table, or simply a special shelf in a bookcase. When creating your prayer space, include items such as a crucifix, Bible, Catechism, rosary, statues, and religious images. Consider having each family member pick a religious image from online that speaks to them. Then print them to hang in the prayer space.

Once you have created your prayer space, pray together as a family! Recite the Our Father together or even a Rosary. You will come back to this prayer space throughout the year for Family Week activities. Then, send me a picture of your new (or old) prayer space for our Family Week compilation.

This year, Kindergarteners are learning about the Good Shepherd! They will develop a relationship with Jesus by coming to know Him as a loving friend and Lord. An important aspect of this is learning about the Mass. 

During family week, help your student to learn about some of the items used at Mass with these coloring sheets. The goal this week is for students to become familiar with the vocabulary and to recognize each item. In the coming weeks, students will learn the significance of these five items and their purpose in the Mass. 

When you go to Mass this weekend, be sure to point out the five items to your student. If you would like, your student can complete the Scavenger Hunt (located at the end of the coloring sheets) while you are at Mass.

COLORING SHEETS

Learning Targets: 

By the end of this lesson students will…

• Understand that Heaven is the place God has made for us, and where He lives. They will understand that it is a place of perfect happiness that will never end.

• Be able to make the Sign of the Cross.

• Realize that Jesus is present at Mass.

Materials Needed:

• Our Heavenly Father Activity Book (Plain blue cover)

• Our Heavenly Father Textbook (Picture of God on the cover)

• Focus 2 Talking Points (see PDF below)

• Writing Utensils (crayons, pencils, etc.)

• Stickers (optional)

Activity Instruction:

1. Read Lesson Two out loud to your student (pages 11-13 in the textbook). 

   1. OPTIONAL: If your student would like to complete pages 5 and/or 6 in the Activity Book, they may.

2. Using the Focus 2 Talking Points, discuss the importance of the Sign of the Cross with your student.

   1. Have your student practice making the Sign of the Cross in front of a mirror. It may help to place a sticker on the left shoulder to remind students to touch that shoulder first when saying “and of the Holy…” The left shoulder is touched saying the word “Holy” and the right shoulder is touched saying the word “Spirit.” At the word “Amen,” the hands are brought together in a posture of prayer.

3. When you are at Mass this weekend, remind your student that Mass is a foretaste of Heaven because we are with all of the Angels and Saints worshiping Jesus. This will be an excellent opportunity for them to practice making the sign of the cross and to remember Jesus died in order to open the Gates of Heaven for us.

Learning Targets: 

In this lesson students will learn that…

• God reveals His love in creation and that they were created to give thanks, praise, and glory to God in all that they do.

• Every person is made in the image and likeness of God and that every human life is a gift. 

• Because they were created in God’s image, they desire to be one with Him.

• God, in His love for man, offers the gift of grace.

Materials Needed:

• A bible

Activity Instruction:

1. Explain to your student that all creation reflects the glory of God and teaches us about the wisdom of God. We were made to praise our creator. 

2. Explain that God created things out of nothing, things that man could never make, like water. Whereas man made things are things that have been made using God’s creation to make something else, like using trees to make wooden boards for houses. 

   1. Brainstorm with your student some other examples of things we make using God’s creation.

3. Ask your student, “Why did God Create?” The answer is that He loves us and wants us to be happy.

4. Explain that we can learn about the qualities of God through creation. For example:

   1. Flowers are beautiful, so God is all beautiful.

   2. Rivers are powerful, so God is all powerful.

   3. Men are wise, so God is all wise.

   4. Seasons are good, so God is all good.

5. OPTIONAL: Take a nature walk, pointing to things that God created. Ask your student how they can give glory to God for His creation.

6. Read Genesis 2 out loud to your student.

7. Explain that because we are made in the image of God, we are like God in some ways. For example, we have grace - a share in God’s own life - in our souls. With God’s life in us, we desire to be with God. God made us so that we will be happiest when we are with Him. 

Learning Targets: 

In this lesson students will…

• Become aware that God reveals Himself out of love.

• Come to know that Jesus reveals who God is.

• Learn that Jesus founded His Church on earth and that the Church is entrusted with God’s revelation (aka the Bible).

• Learn about the parts of the Bible.

Materials Needed:

• List of Parables (see PDF below)

• Blank paper

• Coloring utensils (markers, crayons, etc.)

• Bible

• TV, tablet, phone, computer, etc (optional)

Activity Instruction:

1. Explain to your student that we can know God exists by using our reasoning and the world around us. For example:

   1. Oceans, waterfalls, thunderstorms, and earthquakes show the power of the Creator.

   2. Flowers, sunsets, and rainbows show the beauty of the Creator.

   3. Growth and seasons of living things/tides/spiders’ webs show the wisdom of the Creator. 

   4. A bird caring for its young shows the goodness of the Creator.

   5. Clear water that reflects your face shows the truth of the creator.

2. Explain that God does not only reveal Himself through Creation. He also chooses to reveal Himself through the prophets such as Moses, Elijah, and Isaiah. 

   1. A prophet is a man who prepared the people for the coming of a savior. 

3. Explain that God also chose to reveal Himself more directly through His Son, Jesus Christ. God wants us to know and love Him. He wanted to communicate with His people in the best way possible. God invites us into a deeper relationship which requires that we know Him better. We can get to know God through the parables Jesus told. A parable is a story that teaches a lesson.

   1. Have your student choose one of the parables from the List of Parables and read it out loud to them. 

   2. Using the blank paper and coloring utensils, illustrate the parable and write out the lesson at the bottom of the page. 

   3. OPTIONAL: Watch an episode of “The Jesus Stories” on FORMED Catholic streaming service for free.

4. Explain to your student that the bible is God’s “letter” to us. It contains His Word and messages to us. Although the Bible was written by many men, it is God who inspired their writings.

5. Show your student that the bible is made up of two parts.

   1. The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible and teaches us about creation, our first parents, and the long wait and preparation of God’s people for the savior.

   2. The New Testament is the second part of the Bible and tells the story of Jesus and how the Church began. It teaches us that the Church is our ladder to heaven.

6. Review with your student how to look up Scripture verses in the Bible. (Book name, Chapter: verses XX-XX). Do not use page numbers!)

   1. Practice opening the Bible to the parable you read in Step 3.

List of Parables

Learning Targets: 

By the end of this lesson students will…

• Learn that in Baptism we enter into a personal covenant with God, and we are called to continue always to deepen our relationship with God through prayer and learning to trust Him.

Materials Needed:

• Jesus Our Guide Activity Book (Plain brown cover)

• Jesus Our Guide Textbook (Picture of Jesus on the cover)

• Writing Utensils (pencils, etc.)

• List of Baptismal Promises (see PDF below)

Activity Instruction:

1. Have your student read pages 24-27 in their textbook.

   1. After reading, have your student complete page 16 in the Activity Book.

   2. OPTIONAL: If you would like, your student can complete pages 13-15 in their Activity Book.

2. Tell your student that we entered into a covenant with God when we were baptized. In our covenant of Baptism, the promise is eternal life, the conditions are the Ten Commandments, the Sacrifice is Jesus Christ, and the signs are the seven Sacraments.

   1. Every year, we renew our Baptismal vows at Easter. We also do this at every Baptism we attend. Take a moment to renew your Baptismal Vows with your student by reading from the List of Baptismal Promises.

List of Baptismal Promises

Each month, there are two momeory verses which students in grades 1-11 study. One verse comes from the Bible and the other from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. September's verses are inspired by St. Pio of Pietrelcina and the manner in which he served the suffering.