How to Teach the Rosary
There are many ways parents and teachers can introduce and teach the praying of the Rosary to children. Most children like to hold the Rosary in their hands, finger the beads, look at the cross; so often times it is best to begin by giving each child a Rosary to hold onto and to become familiar with the Rosary.
When teaching the Rosary to children it is always good to tell them about the prayers that are needed to pray the Rosary and on what beads the prayers are said. This gives the teacher an opportunity to review the prayers; pray the prayers out loud with the children, get them to recite the prayers together as a class and then ask individuals to recite the prayers. Once they know what prayers are said on what beads, introduce the history of the Rosary and begin to discuss the Mysteries of the Rosary. Find out what they know about the life of Jesus. Once they start stating some of the events in the life of Jesus, begin to apply them to the different mysteries of the Rosary. Invite them to look at some of the events in their own lives and relate their experiences to that of the life of Jesus in the Mysteries of the Rosary. Once this is done you can begin to pray the Rosary and can begin to include the reflections on the Mysteries of the Rosary.
One of our most popular resources is the program Think Good Thoughts. This program gives the history of the Rosary, how to pray the Rosary and an explanation of the Mysteries of the Rosary using plastic eggs, stones and yarn. Members of our mission department go out to schools, parishes, youth groups, and organizations using this program to teach the Rosary. It is also available on a DVD with a teachers’ instruction section.
Other resources available for teaching the Rosary are: Once Upon a Mystery, Learning the Rosary, Praying the Rosary and the Father Peyton Prayer Book. There are a number of DVDs on the Life of Christ and on praying the Mysteries of the Rosary which are excellent guides to assist with praying the Rosary.
Hopefully these resources will assist you in teaching the Rosary and may encourage families to gather together to pray. As Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC always said “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together ™.”