The Rosary With Children

Get your kids involved in the Rosary with this simple craft activity. There is no better time than now to start something beautiful in your family’s prayer life.

Why pray the Rosary?

At heart, the Rosary is a Christ-centered prayer, in which we sit with Mary and contemplate Jesus. Through the rhythmic meditation of the Rosary, we are led to reflect on the events of his life.

Mary is the model of how to love Jesus. She lived her life with her eyes fixed on him. By reflecting on how she loved her son, we can learn how we also can love him and know him.

Praying the Rosary is a wonderful way to communicate with our spiritual parents – our Heavenly Father and our Mother Mary. When we pray the Rosary, we are calling on our spiritual parents to comfort, guide and inspire us. So when family relationships get tense, the Rosary is a powerful way to unite with our heavenly family.

Simple ways to pray the Rosary with Kids

The Rosary need not be boring if you bring some creativity to your prayer. Try these ideas to engage your children.

• Let them make their own beads using the key chain plan or even a full Rosary set. Encourage them to make sets for other relatives and friends.
• Create a sense of reverence and mystery when you pray as a family, by lighting candles or dimming the lights.
• Get the rhythm – for a different experience say the prayers of the Rosary to a rap beat!
• Use visual props, such as pictures of scenes from Jesus’ life, icons or images.
• Have some members of the family lead the prayers, saying only the first half of each of the prayers, with the other members saying the second part.
• When your child feels helpless or frustrated about a situation, get him to offer a Rosary. Intentions for the sick and troubled help us to connect with those in distress and alleviates our sense of helplessness.
• Integrate the Rosary into your everyday life – say it together in the car on the way to school, while you wait for the train, or when doing dishes.
• Don’t just race through the prayers, think about the words. The Hail Mary is based on the words spoken to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel and her cousin Elizabeth. These words express the wonder of heaven on earth – God becomes human in Jesus. Ponder the name of Jesus when you say this prayer.

Download the Free Handout which includes all the prayers and some shorter variations that are great for busy families and parents.

Download handout here

You can also purchase The Rosary Key Chain, it comes in a ready to assemble class-kit. The kit includes 35 complete kits, a video introduction, lesson plans, instructional slides and meditation slides on each of the mysteries. click here

For related activities, check out:

• The Rosary: A Calling Card for Heaven
• Rosary Fruit Skewers