Friday, June 26, 2015

Adoration with Kids [printables!]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing
"During a Holy Hour we grow more and more into His likeness."
~Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Christ asked us if we "could not wait one hour with Him?".  A Holy Hour is a dedicated response of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  I have been to lots of Holy Hours hosted by many different parishes that are set up for kids or advertised as family-friendly.  Taking kids to Adoration can be intimidating for parents and teachers- the silence, the ritual, the importance- but I am a huge advocate of getting kids there in the Presence of our Lord. 

Here are some of my favorite things to see at a Holy Hour that is welcoming to children:
  1. Reverence- the beauty and truth of the Sacrament is not lost.  We can bring children to this without watering it down.
  2. Proximity- kids are able to draw close to the Sanctuary and even pray on the floor in front of the steps or invited to sit in the very front pews.
  3. Breaking up the Silence- kids make noise, and that noise is ok.  They also are not trained contemplatives, so expecting mental prayer for an hour isn't an option.  Great Holy Hours for kids DO have silence, but also have appropriate Scripture readings, reflections from Saints,a decade or more of the Rosary, etc.
  4. Music- having a musician lead the songs for Exposition and Benediction is awesome, and then even better is to have them pepper the silence with a few songs that kids can sing along with.  Singing is a powerful form of prayer.
  5. Teaching- having a priest that is comfortable with kids and their developmentally appropriate learning styles is awesome.  I love when a priest talks to kids at their level and teaches them with words meant just for them, always pointing back to the True Presence of Jesus.
I also like for kids to have resources available to help foster their prayer as appropriate.  Children's Bibles, a journal, a Rosary devotional with images to meditate on, a book about a favorite Saint, children's books of prayer, etc. can enhance and not detract from this time of prayer.  So on that note, I put together a few resources that I think could help kids both with the logistics of Adoration, as well as help them enter into prayer.
First up, an 8-page Adoration booklet that could be taken into a Holy Hour.  (We had this available at the Fulton Sheen Family Day last weekend).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing


There is a page with some explanations/definitions:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing
And a page with the words to Adoration Prayers/Songs:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing
And a page with some Adoration info/questions:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing
Then there is room for kids to actually use the book by writing or drawing what they would like to pray about.  Matching the other ACTS prayer activities that I have created (see them here and here), the prayer prompts and Scripture verses lead the kids through four kinds of prayer: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing
It's a great little printable that would be an asset for prayer time with your own kiddos or a Holy Hour with a classroom or CCD Program.  Click on the image below for the link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMREs1ZkFtX2xlVmc/view?usp=sharing


And, always one to want options, I have a couple of other printables too! 

This page could be perfect for repeat visits to Adoration (instead of printing a booklet for each time) and would be a great addition to a notebooking project or prayer journal.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMeU8zcThjWmdqVXc/view?usp=sharing


And adding to the collection of Fulton Sheen Coloring Pages, here is the matching art from the prayer pages with a favorite quote:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ETRkL51fhMWjQ4UWJ2SVVIaWc/view?usp=sharing

I'd love to hear how you make Adoration fruitful (with one kid or thirty!) and what your favorite resources for fostering prayer are!

Linking up with Blessed Is She's theme on the Power of Prayer.  Check out the other posts by clicking on the image below:

24 comments:

  1. I just finished coordinating a one-week VBS event at our parish. After taking a good long nap, I came upon your post and noticed this Holy Hour Adoration Booklet for kids. Our VBS was on the 7 Sacraments, and we did speak about Holy Hour. I think your resource is a much-needed one. Good to know it's here to come back to when I need it. - Laura G.

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    1. Congrats on your awesome VBS! Sorry that this resources wasn't available sooner, but I am glad you will have it for later!

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  2. This is great, Katie! I have yet to brave adoration with my kids, but I am planning to start with my eldest soon. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will put it to use :)

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    1. Yay, Amy! I'm glad that you like it and I hope that it leads to fruitful prayer with your girls!

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  3. Thanks for sharing these. I love your blog and have bookmarked for future use. God bless!

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  4. Awesome! I have long wanted to create something for Adoration other than flinging books in a bag, but I have no time or energy so this is such a nice blessing. At my parish we have Adoration the fourth Tuesday so I take the kids during the school day since we homeschool. It doesn't last long as my youngest is 3, and even my oldest (10) comes up to me after a few minutes saying he prayed. :)

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    1. Hopefully this will be a great resource, Nicole! Thanks!

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  5. How should these be copied/stapled?

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    1. Hi! The booklet is four printed pages. Print pages 1 & 2 two sided and 3 & 4 two sided. Stack in that order and fold in half, staple down the middle. Once folded, the intended page order is the cover, the page that starts "What is Eucharistic Adoration?", the page with words/lyrics, then prayer pages Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication, and then the page that starts "What do you do during Adoration." It isn't a super big deal if they are not in that order, but if you are having trouble, you might want to check your printer settings. Some printers are automatically set to print in reverse order or to flip doublesided on the short end instead of the long end. All of those factors will change how it prints. Also, some pages look upside down so that they will print correctly in the book so that when kids open the book, both pages are facing the same direction. Hope that helps!

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  6. God Bless you for designing this! I am attempting to coordinate Adoration at our Catholic School for K-8th grade! My thought is to first teach a lesson to each grade about Adoration is (age appropriate) Then, each class will spend time in the Adoration Chapel starting at 10 minutes for K-3rd grade and increasing up to 1/2hour for 8th grade. Any suggestions or other sources you have would be sooooo appreciated!

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    1. Hi Cyndi! I'm so glad you found this. God Bless YOU for coordinating such an important time of prayer for all those kiddos. The five things that I listed above are my favorite advice for Holy Hours (or a Holy Ten Minutes) with kids. As for practical resources, I would recommend googling Fr. Antoine Thomas. He is a Brother of St. John, and has some online resources and videos for children about the important of Adoration, even for (especially for!) little ones. I hope that helps. Good luck! :)

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  7. These are beautiful. I look forward in sharing them with my children, family and friends. Thank you.

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  8. These are incredible resources!!! I am teaching our CCD kids are going to be going to adoration for the first time ever and i had a speaker lined up to talk to our 70 kids but the speaker got sick last minute so i had to find something else very quick. This is awesome! You are a life saver! May God Bless You Abundantly

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    1. I'm so glad that it help fill that need! I hope your time of prayer was beautiful! :)

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  9. Thank you for this beautiful resource!

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  10. We are bringing our VBS campers to Adoration next week. They had a wonderful experience last year. I am thankful for these resources you created and I will use them this year. It will be nice to send home with them so they can share with their families. God bless you.

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  11. Would it be possible to get your Adoration book with O Saving Victim and Down in Adoration Falling in Latin (O Salutaris, Tantum Ergo)?

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    1. A good request! I'll add it to my list to create.

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  12. I am so grateful for this. Thank you.

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  13. Lovely resource. I just shared with our Middle Schoolers who are joining with the Parish for first Friday adoration tomorrow for the first time. Thank you and God Bless!

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  14. Hi! I have an adoration idea I need help developing for ages 7-9 years old. I bought 4 sand timers of different lengths (1 min - 5 min). I would like to create a adoration chapel out of a cardboard box that fits a child or a blanket over a table that fits only ONE child. I would label this area the Practice Adoration Chapel. (I already received permission from my parish priest to pursue this idea). Before entering this space, a child would pick the timer they desire/would like to challenge themselves. Once in the practice adoration chapel, they would see a small altar with two 4 inch battery lights and a bronze 8 inch monstrance. Inside the monstrance, I would place a paper image of Jesus (not a host). I would also put a crucifix on the wall behind it. The child would sit in this box until the sand timer ran out...practicing sitting in this presence. I see your printables on what is adoration that i could share with the kids beforehand, but what else do you think is needed for this practice adoration chapel to work? This idea came to me in adoration and I am scared to try it without completely thinking through everything. I think I just need to try it. Thanks in advance!

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    1. Hi Nicole- This sounds like a really cool idea! Sending you a longer reply via email. :)

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