Elementary Faith Development
Catechetical Resources for Parents and Catechists
There are countless resources and publishers of material for faith formation of children. You can find many free on-line resources, and many good Catholic, Christian or other suppliers and publishers. Those listed here come with my recommendation, though I cannot guarantee the quality, suitability (or orthodoxy) of every item! Parents are always "the first and best teachers of your children in the ways of faith" and so your judgment, good taste and knowledge of your own children's needs comes first.
Please report to Jim Hynes any broken links, unsuitable material or suggested additions.
Raleigh Diocese Faith Formation Guidelines - for Elementary age children
Pre-K to 2nd
3rd to 5th
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Prayers and Scripture Passages for Families to Memorize
Pre-K/K
Grades 1-2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
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Vocabulary
Pre-K to Grade 2
Grades 3-5
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Elementary Faith Development Curriculum
Faith First - our basic curriculum
Weekly Calendar - of Faith First lessons
Faith First also offers many resources for families:
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St. Thomas More Parish Resources
Handbook for Parents
Handbook for Catechists
Scripture Resources - for this cycle of the Sunday lectionary
EFD Class Patron Saints
Opening Year Ritual
Resources for Children
The True Meaning of Easter
Danielle's Place - Bible crafts and activities
Just4Kids Magazine - teaching children about God and Jesus Christ
Sharon's Place - Children's Bible stories, Bible activity worksheets, Christian graphics
Ainglkiss - The Christian Place for Kids
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Resources for Adults
The official Vatican website - contains official teaching on many topics
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Catholic Online - hub for many Catholic news sources
The Text This Week - Lectionary materials with commentary, art and movie connections
The Catholic Encyclopedia - Note: 1917 edition, so pre-Vatican II theology
Bible Master
Bible Net
Bible Net Resource Page
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Resources for Catechists and Parents
Bible Word Search Games
Catechist Ideas Exchange - share your best ideas with other catechists
CatholicCatechist.org - lesson plans, games, icebreakers, worksheets and much more
Catholic Parenting
Catholic Prayers
eCatechist - Ideas, books and resources for catechists and parish pastoral leaders
Faith Alive Books - Catholic boobs and book reviews
Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life - from LifelongFaith.com
Christian Crafters
Disability Resources
DLTK's Bible Activities - Bible crafts, games and songs
Resources for Catholic Educators - Countless resources for all ages
Saints and Angels Directory - Name that new baby!
Sunday School Lessons.com - Lectionary based materials (using the Revised Common Lectionary)
Teaching Catholic Kids - from Our Sunday Visitor, includes lesson plans and reproducibles
Sunday School Resources
Children's Ministry
Faithweaver - from Group Publishing
Suite101 - Tips and Resources for the Catholic Religious Education Classroom
Share with your Child the Joy of Giving
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Useful Secular Resources
Billy Bear's Playground - many pictures and holiday themes
Billy Bear's Printable Personalized Award Certificates
ColoringBookFun - contains some religious themes
Sunday School Crafts - inlcudes crafts, activities and recipes
Word Search Puzzle Maker - a useful tool
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Organizations
National Conference for Catechetical Leadership - is dedicated to advancing the Church's teaching mission, especially by promoting excellence in catechetical leaders.
National Catholic Educational Association
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Publishers
Benzinger
Generations of Faith
Harcourt Religion Publishers
Liturgy Training Publications - Publishers of the wonderful circular liturgical calendars as well as other popular resources for learning and teaching about liturgy.
Our Sunday Visitor
Pauline Books and Media
Sadlier
Group Publishing
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Suppliers
Godly Play Resources - Montessori-type toys that teach Liturgy, Parables, and Sacred Stories.
Videos With Values - from Oblate Media & Communication
Wiki for Child and Family Friendly Parishes
PNCEA has launched a wiki (a website that can be modified by many users) to gather ideas about parent- and child-friendly parishes. The website has separate pages to collect ideas related to specific times and places: Sunday liturgy, infant baptism, First Reconciliation and First Communion, Catholic schools and religious education programs, special days and events. Users can post ideas that work for their parish, add to, or modify ideas already listed, and comment on the topic in general. Many good ideas have already been posted. Click on the link to view them and to share your ideas today.
Liturgical Bits and Bites - made available by Resource Publications
Hospitality
Easter - Alleluia
Easter Candle
First Eucharist
Mystagogy
Last Updated: February 26 2010
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