{"id":146909,"date":"2015-09-16T08:15:34","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T13:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=146909"},"modified":"2015-09-14T10:03:50","modified_gmt":"2015-09-14T15:03:50","slug":"making-rosary-fun-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/making-rosary-fun-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the Rosary Fun for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s never too early for children to learn how to say the Rosary. Here&#8217;s some documented evidence:<\/p>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<div class=\"embed-vimeo\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/121286808\" width=\"500\" height=\"893\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That was my younger daughter when she was just two-and-a-half years old. I didn&#8217;t know how (or have any desire) to say the Rosary until well into my 30s, so let&#8217;s not make the same mistake with the next generation of Catholics.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnews.com\/services\/englishnews\/2015\/family-prayer-time-can-start-with-small-simple-gestures-pope-says.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">recent reflection<\/a>, Pope Francis reminded us of the importance of family prayers, no matter how little time we think we have:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Our families need to ask for the gift of the Spirit! Through prayer, even in the busiest times, we give time back to God, we find the peace that comes from appreciating the important things, and we encounter the joy of God\u2019s unexpected gifts. Through daily prayer may our homes become, like the house of Martha and Mary, places where Jesus always finds a warm welcome.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The first step to getting youngsters excited about the Rosary is getting them actively involved. Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">Walking Rosary<\/strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.3em\"> &#8211; This is perhaps my favorite way to involve my entire family in saying the Rosary as it can help strengthen both your spiritual and physical health. All you have to do is walk around while you&#8217;re praying. In my household with two small children, we do walking Rosaries in follow-the-leader style. Whoever is leading at the decade at the time will mix in a few other actions while leading the walk, such as sitting on the couch and quickly standing up again or spontaneously doing a jumping jack in the midst of the prayer. Then everyone in line has to follow along. The kids love it, usually. Some parishes have Rosary gardens which is a great way for children to follow along as they hop from one bead to the next.<\/span><br \/>\n<strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\"><br \/>\n<\/strong><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">Singing Rosary<\/strong> &#8211; Sure, it would take quite a long time to sing an entire Rosary. But from time to time to keep kids interested, you can mix in some singing by letting them create their own tune for the Hail Marys, or borrowing from an existing hymn such as <a style=\"line-height: 1.3em\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/m.youtube.com\/watch?v=85tfBBmbuMc\" target=\"_blank\">Hail Mary Gentle Woman<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">Drawing Rosary<\/strong> &#8211; There are endless possibilities here. Children may enjoy drawing their own Rosary beads and using their creations to follow along during the prayer. Or as youngsters start to learn the mysteries they can draw a picture depicting each one and then use their pictures while families reflect upon each mystery. And it&#8217;s always a joy to have children draw pictures of Mary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;text-align: center\"><a style=\"margin-left: 1em;margin-right: 1em\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-xG7Jy2OahLA\/Ves8dCFmMCI\/AAAAAAAACRY\/0eFpN_ZHl_Y\/s1024\/Photo%25252020150905140256836.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"blogsy-1441730297560.3586\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-xG7Jy2OahLA\/Ves8dCFmMCI\/AAAAAAAACRY\/0eFpN_ZHl_Y\/s500\/Photo%25252020150905140256836.jpg?resize=500%2C644&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"644\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">Rosary Toys<\/strong> &#8211; This one used to keep my older daughter happy during the Rosary when she was a toddler. Just grab ten small toys and children can line them up and use them to help keep track of the Hail Marys.<\/p>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;text-align: center\"><a style=\"margin-left: 1em;margin-right: 1em\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-x2JKS_IAr-s\/Ves8gcEeTuI\/AAAAAAAACRg\/pGCu1LM90Z8\/s1024\/Photo%25252020150905140257100.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"blogsy-1441730297568.8528\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-x2JKS_IAr-s\/Ves8gcEeTuI\/AAAAAAAACRg\/pGCu1LM90Z8\/s500\/Photo%25252020150905140257100.jpg?resize=500%2C255&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"255\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">Living Rosary<\/strong> &#8211; This works well if you have a larger group of children such as during religious education classes. If you have at least ten kids, they can line up and say a Hail Mary when it&#8217;s their turn. You can use a large ball as a bead and they can pass it to each other to keep track of whose turn it is.<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">Rosy Rosary<\/strong> &#8211; This is another one that works well in a larger group. Buy enough roses or other flowers so that children can take turns placing them in front a statue or image of Mary for each prayer or at least each decade.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;text-align: center\"><a style=\"margin-left: 1em;margin-right: 1em\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-7eIcgrv3Ybk\/Ves8jJCTxTI\/AAAAAAAACRo\/ezaBl8UzWZQ\/s960\/Photo%25252020150905140257326.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"blogsy-1441730297583.757\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-7eIcgrv3Ybk\/Ves8jJCTxTI\/AAAAAAAACRo\/ezaBl8UzWZQ\/s500\/Photo%25252020150905140257326.jpg?resize=500%2C667&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"text-align: left;clear: both\"><strong style=\"line-height: 1.3em\">Traveling Rosary<\/strong> &#8211; This one is great for both kids and adults. If you are going to be stuck in the car for a long time, why not pray the Rosary at the same time and let your little ones help? It can be more appealing if you keep a couple of child-friendly sets of Rosary beads on your rear view mirror.<\/div>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"text-align: left;clear: both\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"text-align: left;clear: both\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;text-align: center\"><a style=\"margin-left: 1em;margin-right: 1em\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-qSUzBWCnFps\/Ves8mpJBb9I\/AAAAAAAACRw\/R7B45rAYYpc\/s1024\/Photo%25252020150905140257641.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"blogsy-1441730297564.2727\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-qSUzBWCnFps\/Ves8mpJBb9I\/AAAAAAAACRw\/R7B45rAYYpc\/s500\/Photo%25252020150905140257641.jpg?resize=500%2C667&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>There is always a delicate balance when praying the Rosary with my kids because I still want to maintain a reverent and respectful demeanor while in prayer. But if having a little fun at the same time is what it takes to involve and interest the children, then of all people, our Blessed Mother in Heaven will understand.<\/p>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;text-align: center\"><a style=\"margin-left: 1em;margin-right: 1em\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-p1NdMZ6Us4o\/Ves8qDSjI0I\/AAAAAAAACR4\/dNNgtzRq_to\/s1024\/Photo%25252020150905140257888.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"blogsy-1441730297573.471\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-p1NdMZ6Us4o\/Ves8qDSjI0I\/AAAAAAAACR4\/dNNgtzRq_to\/s500\/Photo%25252020150905140257888.jpg?resize=500%2C667&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s never too early for children to learn how to say the Rosary. Here&#8217;s some documented evidence: That was my younger daughter when she was just two-and-a-half years old. I didn&#8217;t know how (or have any desire) to say the Rosary until well into my 30s, so let&#8217;s not make the same mistake with the&#8230;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/making-rosary-fun-kids\/\">[Read&nbsp;More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[90],"tags":[127,165,1505,932,96],"class_list":{"0":"post-146909","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-faith-blog","7":"tag-children","8":"tag-parenting","9":"tag-pope-francis","10":"tag-prayers","11":"tag-rosary","12":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":155538,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/friendship-with-mary-teresian-prayer-and-the-rosary\/","url_meta":{"origin":146909,"position":0},"title":"Friendship with Mary: Teresian Prayer and the Rosary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"October 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The rosary has been a part of my spiritual life since I learned it from my first husband, Blaze, during our courtship, years before I was ever Catholic (or Christian at all.) It became a natural part of my daily life over the years and has grown and changed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rosary made by Shawna Marcontel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/IMG_1177-e1444105559518-127x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":158944,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/joyful-mysteries-of-the-rosary-audio\/","url_meta":{"origin":146909,"position":1},"title":"Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary [Audio]","author":"ATX Catholic","date":"October 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Join us in the Joyful mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Each mystery is led by one of our contributors. [powerpress] The First Joyful Mystery THE ANNUNCIATION - Shawn Chapman The Second Joyful Mystery THE VISITATION -\u00a0Brit Echtenkamp The Third Joyful Mystery THE NATIVITY -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Podcast&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Podcast","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"JoyfulMysteries","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/JoyfulMysteries-550x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/JoyfulMysteries-550x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/JoyfulMysteries-550x275.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":966959,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/06\/blessed-isidore-bakanja-martyr-of-the-brown-scapular\/","url_meta":{"origin":146909,"position":2},"title":"Blessed Isidore Bakanja &#8211; Martyr of the Brown Scapular","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"June 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Blessed Isidore Bakanja is the first martyr of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel whose feast we celebrate on Monday, July 16th. \u00a0Isidore Bakanja was a young black teenage martyr from the Boangi tribe in Zaire, Africa with plenty of zeal, valor, and faith for the gospel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Column&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/image1-116x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":422224,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/pray-with-me-the-luminous-mysteries-of-the-rosary\/","url_meta":{"origin":146909,"position":3},"title":"Pray with me: the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"June 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Opening Prayers for the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary \"In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy well beloved spouse, and Queen of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Luminous-Mysteries-550x138.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Luminous-Mysteries-550x138.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Luminous-Mysteries-550x138.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":190019,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/street-evangelization-in-austin\/","url_meta":{"origin":146909,"position":4},"title":"Street Evangelization in Austin","author":"Robert Lindberg","date":"January 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently, I attended training for street evangelization. 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Moore CC BY-SA 3.0.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Sixth_Street_Austin-550x413.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Sixth_Street_Austin-550x413.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Sixth_Street_Austin-550x413.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":181178,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/in-the-spirit-of-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":146909,"position":5},"title":"In the Spirit of Advent","author":"Ablaze Ministries","date":"December 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year during Advent, the Johnson clan leads a church-wide food drive.\u00a0 We ask our church community to draw a family from our sister parish in downtown Houston and pray for them, give them boxes of food, and maybe get them a present or two.\u00a0 Then two Uhauls get filled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Faith&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Advent-CCFM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Advent-CCFM-550x366.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Advent-CCFM-550x366.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Advent-CCFM-550x366.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146909\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}