Implications

Young children’s capacity and need for love is great. Therefore, catechist/parents will want to announce God’s love through the reading of Bible stories, the lives of saints and other spiritual reading with their children and model God’s love through an attitude of respect for and service to the children. The relationship between Jesus and the child should be nurtured and respected. Parents who themselves take time for ongoing formation in the Faith, model this peace and joy, which is the fruit of a relationship with Jesus.

Wonder and awe can be nurtured in teaching the Truths of the Faith and by drawing attention to and teaching about sacred objects. A deep respect can be fostered through a quieter voice and through the way that the Bible or sacred objects are handled.

Catechist/Parents will want to keep in mind the ability of young children to learn language by speaking carefully and respectfully. Difficult liturgical and biblical vocabulary should be used after brief explanations. Children will remember new words best if they are associated with an experience of the object in question, i.e. “chalice” should be taught when the children can see a real or model chalice or “genuflection” should be taught when the children enter the Church and can see the burning sanctuary candle and know that Jesus is really present in the tabernacle.

In order to foster the prayer life of the child, catechist/parents needs to have a healthy prayer life themselves. A commitment to daily prayer assures a heart to Heart relationship with Jesus Christ. Parents are then witnesses, who speak of the Person of Christ that they really know and love.

As a prime role model for the children, the catechist needs to develop a strong relationship with God through prayer and active involvement with a faith community.

To encourage a positive self-image, the catechist should take opportunities to interact individually with each child recognizing him/her as a unique gift of God.

Children relate readily to symbols and gestures. The catechist can provide religious experiences that involve praising, thanking and celebrating God through various prayer forms.

To develop the sense of belonging to and being responsible for God’s creation, the catechist is urged to encourage in the children an awareness of the needs and feelings of others and to see the entire world as a gift. Opportunities to share time, talent, and treasure help children sense being caretakers in God’s world.

To cultivate virtue in the children, a catechist needs to know and understand the moral virtues and how they work to balance the natural powers of reason, will, and the senses.

A catechist can guide the child in virtue by presenting situations in which a child learns that he/she has a mind (intellect) to know the good and a will to choose. Good actions help to form good habits (virtues).

Because young children’s need for and capacity to love is great, the catechist constantly announces God’s love for us (in creation, the Incarnation, etc.) and models God’s love for us through an attitude of respect for and service to the children. The catechist also respects the relationship between the child and God by nurturing the relationship without putting expectations on it. A relationship cannot be graded or explained.

The calm, deep joy, which is the fruit of this relationship, should be modeled by a peaceful catechist, and not undermined by “childish” or silly songs, activities, or stories.

Wonder can be nurtured by taking slow and thoughtful time with some wonderful gifts of creation, especially those which aid our understanding of God or the kingdom of God (mustard seeds, pearls, wheat, weeds) and those on which deep understanding of sacramental symbol will rest (water, bread, light).

Because of young children’s ability to learn language, the catechist should speak carefully and respectfully without using baby-talk. Difficult liturgical and biblical vocabulary should be used after brief explanations. Children will remember new words best if they are associated with an experience of the object in question, i.e. “chalice” should be taught when the children can see and handle a real or model chalice or “tabernacle” and “genuflect” should be taught when the children can see a real tabernacle in the church.

Because young children learn best by self-directed activity, the preparation of the room and materials for the room are very important. The room should have child-sized furniture and shelves, not change too frequently or radically, and be orderly and beautiful.

The materials should be carefully chosen with the following criteria:

• offer the child the means to meditate on one of the themes of the curriculum

• can be used independently after a brief introduction from the catechist

• are sturdy, attractive, and easily moved from shelf to table

In order to foster the prayer life of the child, the catechist needs to have a healthy prayer life.