The Little Way of Catholic Parenting

100 Simple Ways to Share Your Faith with Your Kids

Whenever I’m with my Catholic mom friends, we inevitably start talking about our kids. We share our struggles, our joys and our deep desire to pass on our faith to our kids. 

But let’s be real, in today’s world, raising strong, Catholic kids can  feel pretty overwhelming. It’s easy to wonder if we’re doing enough or if we’re even doing the right things.

But maybe it’s not about the big, grand gestures.

Maybe it’s the little, everyday moments that really plant those seeds of faith in our children’s hearts, the ones that will bear fruit long after they’re out on their own.

I’ve put together a list of 100 simple things we can do to help nurture their faith. These are ideas I’ve gathered from friends, family, and other Catholic moms who are in the same boat as us.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to do them all (I certainly don’t!). But if one or two ideas resonate with you, maybe give them a try this week and see how they fit into your family’s rhythm. 

1. Say morning prayers as a family
   
   
2. Listen to Christian music when getting ready in the morning
   
   
3. Use holy water before your kids head out the door
   
   
4. Pray the Hail Mary when you hear an ambulance
   
   
5. Pray the St. Michael prayer at night to help your kids feel protected while they sleep
   
   
6. Pray the Guardian Angel prayer in the morning or at night
   
   
7. Pray a decade of the rosary on your way to school
   
   
8. Pray to specific saints for different intentions (e.g. the St. Anthony prayer when something is lost; St. Sebastian before athletic events; St. Christopher when you travel, etc)
   
   
9. Light candles at church and say prayers for your loved ones
   
   
10. Pray for the souls in purgatory
    
    
11. Host friends for brunch after Sunday mass
    
    
12.  Sing/Play Christian music together
    
    
13. Enthrone The Sacred Heart of Jesus in Your Home
    
    
14. Meet friends for daily mass and then play at the park afterward
    
    
15. Establish a “virtue of the month” and post on your fridge
    
    
16. Let your kids see you pray
    
    
17. Listen to Hallow Kids Prayer programs
    
    
18. Attend mother/daughter or father/son retreats with older kids
    
    
19. Plant a Mary Garden in your backyard
    
    
20. Give a spiritual bouquet (promised prayers) for loved ones
    
    
21. Take a tour of your church
    
    
22. Play Catholic Charades
    
    
23. Celebrate your child’s patron saint’s feast day
    
    
24. Every Sunday, celebrate the Sabbath with dedicated family time/activities
    
    
25.  Put up pictures in your kids’ rooms of their favorite saints
    
    
26. Pick a Bible verse of the week and post it in your home
    
    
27. If kids can memorize the verse by the end of the week, celebrate with a small treat
    
    
28. Create a family gratitude journal
    
    
29. Subscribe to Catholic Family Crate and enjoy monthly faith-inspired activities
    
    
30. Fill a jar with names of friends and family; pull 1 out each night to pray for them
    
    
31.  Discuss current events through a Catholic lens (make it age-appropriate)
    
    
32. Go to adoration as a family
    
    
33. Go to confession as a family
    
    
34. Find a kid’s examination of conscience to help your child prepare for confession
    
    
35. Celebrate each sacrament milestone with parties/gifts for your child
    
    
36. Make a sacrament keepsake box for your child 
    
    
37. And/or, create a sacrament scrapbook (or both!)
    
    
38. Celebrate feast days with a special treat/meal/activity
    
    
39. Read about the saints together
    
    
40. Read through a children's Bible together as a family
    
    
41. Cozy up with Catholic blankets
    
    
42. Get your child a scapular to wear
    
    
43. Collect holy cards and keep them in a book
    
    
44. Watch faith-inspired movies as a family
    
    
45. Read Christian books aloud with your kids
    
    
46. Cook saint-inspired meals together
    
    
47. Pray before meals
    
    
48. Have a priest or religious over for dinner
    
    
49. When you travel, visit local Catholic Churches
    
    
50. At dinnertime, have everyone share their Joy, Junk & Jesus for the day
    
    
51. Take a meal to a priest or religious
    
    
52. Have a priest over to provide a house blessing
    
    
53. Pray the rosary at night together
    
    
54. Pray spontaneous prayers together before bed
    
    
55. Pray novenas together for special intentions
    
    
56. When your child is having a problem, start with, “Let’s pray about it.”
    
    
57. Listen to the Saints Alive podcast
    
    
58. Attend Sunday mass as a family
    
    
59. On the way to mass, read the mass readings ahead of time
    
    
60. On the way home from mass, discuss the homily together
    
    
61. Attend daily mass together when you’re able
    
    
62. Make sandwiches for the homeless and donate to a local shelter
    
    
63. If you see a homeless person, stop and pray for them
    
    
64. Visit nursing homes as a family and/or with friends
    
    
65. Shop and donate items to St. Vincent de Paul
    
    
66. Do yard work for an elderly neighbor
    
    
67. Have your kids pick a charity and help them tithe their own money to that charity
    
    
68. Play Catholic games together
    
    
69. Have friends over for pizza and a rosary
    
    
70. Attend stations of the cross
    
    
71. If available, attend a Catholic family retreat together
    
    
72. Sign your kids up for Catholic clubs, or start your own if you don’t have one locally
    
    
73. Have your kids attend a Catholic camp during the summer
    
    
74. Sign up your kids for Vacation Bible School at your parish
    
    
75. Color Catholic Activity Books
    
    
76. Decorate your home with religious decor 
    
    
77. When they complain, ask them to tell you something they’re grateful for
    
    
78. When they fight, have them say something nice to one another
    
    
79. Then, teach them to say “I forgive you” to one another
    
    
80. Say a blessing over each child at night, such as: “May almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you my child for time and eternity, and may this blessing remain forever with you.”
    
    
81. Throw a party with your kids’ friends for their favorite Saints Feast Days
    
    
82. Celebrate your child’s baptism day with cake
    
    
83. Create a family prayer box and have your kids add prayer requests
    
    
84. Do Catholic crafts together
    
    
85. Make a pilgrimage to your Cathedral (or a nearby basilica or pilgrimage site)
    
    
86. Go through your clothing and toys and share with a young family or donate to a local charity
    
    
87. Go on a hike and pray the Rosary
    
    
88. Pray the Rosary around a campfire in the backyard
    
    
89. Attend pro-life events together
    
    
90. Stay up late and pray under the stars
    
    
91. Play with Catholic toys
    
    
92. Create a home altar/prayer space in your home for everyone to use
    
    
93. Read about Eucharistic Miracles together
    
    
94. Pin Catholic medals inside of their backpacks 
    
    
95. Put Catholic stickers on their school supplies
    
    
96. Add a Catholic keychain to their backpack
    
    
97. Mark the sign of the cross on their foreheads before they go to sleep
    
    
98. When you see them demonstrate a virtue, acknowledge it and name it (i.e. “That was so charitable of you.” or “I’m so proud of your perseverance in school.” etc. )
    
    
99. Pray for your kids
    
    
100. Remind them that they are loved by God, no matter what
     
     

Have an idea that you don't see here? Please comment below so we can all learn from one another!