In the first post of this series I talked about why it is so important to help children build a strong relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd, why it's important to do this before the age of 6, if possible, and why you - the parent - are the best person to help them do this.
In this post, I will talk about the themes which Cavalletti and Gobbi, who developed Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, observed were most relevant to children in the 3-6 age group.
I've already talked a lot about the image of the Good Shepherd and how this is the primary image of God presented to children in this age group.
In the atrium, we have a wonderful diorama which we use to help tell the Parable of the Good Shepherd, and which children are subsequently able to use whenever they feel drawn to it, to ponder the parable more deeply.
Most of us are not going to have one of these at home, but it is still possible to help the child "enter the sheepfold" and contemplate the message of the Good Shepherd. (In this blog you will find many reflections with different ways of looking at the image of the Good Shepherd, in bite sized pieces, which pretty much summarise what we present in the atrium, and can be used over a number of days or weeks to explore the topic.)
Another theme we ponder with the children is the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, and we use 5 parables for this: The Precious Pearl, The Mustard Seed, The Hidden Treasure, the Leaven, and the Growing Seed. We marvel at how precious the Kingdom of God must be, and how it can seem so small and inconsequential, yet has so much power.
When we look at Baptism and Easter we focus on images such as the light - Jesus the Light of the World, who fills the darkness. Like with the Good Shepherd, we are showing to the children the loving, safe embrace of God. We talk about how we have that light inside us, and how brightly the light shines when we are together. We also mention how the Light went out of the world for a very short time, but now it is with us forever and will never leave again.
In Advent we present the Infancy Narratives. For the 3-6 year olds we have the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Jesus and Adoration of the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, and the Presentation in the Temple.
In terms of liturgy, most of what we do requires miniature versions of what is used at Mass, but you could use pictures to talk about the different articles used at Mass. (I have made some paper-based works for the vestments and will get to the altar articles - I've also developed a 2D felt set for the vestments, and am working on one for the altar articles. Contact me if you would like more information these, or search etsy for masscatechesis.) There is a focus on the tabernacle/ciborium/paten/chalice, but they also learn the names and functions of all the other articles related to Mass, as well as the vestments and liturgical colours. The purpose of this is to help them understand what is happening at Mass, as well as provide things (items or moments) for them to "latch onto" to keep focussed.
We also present some of the gestures used at Mass - isolated moments of particular importance. The Sign of the Cross, Genuflection, Epiclesis, the Sign of Peace, Lavabo, and the Doxology. The children are also shown how to prepare the mini chalice and cruets.
We try to follow the liturgical year as much as possible. There are processions to change the prayer table cloth at the change of liturgical season, celebrations for Easter, Pentecost, Holy Thursday, the start of Advent, and we use the materials we have whenever is most relevant - for example the Walls of Jerusalem is just before of after Easter, so the children have an idea of how Jerusalem was and where various events happened. This can be easily done at home too, talking about what the big feasts and seasons mean. (With the small ones we talk about white being for the Great Feasts of Jesus, such as His birth and Resurrection; purple is for preparing for those great feasts; green is for growing after the feasts, and red is the colour of the Holy Spirit and great love.)
You can also talk about appropriate saints (by appropriate I mean ones without too much gore - that's best saved till their quite a bit older) such as St Therese of Lisieux, St Joseph, the various Marian feasts. If you're not sure, just ask yourself if this saint's life shows an image of God's loving care, or a life of hardship and suffering. Small children don't need to know about hardship and suffering.
In terms of types of prayer, Gobbi and Cavalletti observed that small children are drawn most to prayer of praise and thanksgiving. As adults we are used to asking God for things for ourselves or others (prayer of petition or intercession), and don't often remember to say thank you afterwards! In the atrium we avoid these types of prayer until age 6 or 7, so that children are able to freely express their joy and thanksgiving. It's all about them and God, and God's love, not about asking for things or thinking about other people yet. That will come in its time.
Next time: 6-9 themes.
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