Praying the Rosary as a family is one of those things that sounds beautiful in theory, but can end up being kind of chaotic in practice, especially if you have small children!
My good friend Valeria has managed to get her four young children into a great habit of praying the Rosary as a family every Sunday. I asked how she and her husband do it, and she shared a few of the beautiful tools they use to make their family Rosary more peaceful.
For babies and toddlers
She gives her youngest children a Chews Life rosary and some sturdy saint toys to play with, so they can be involved in the family Rosary in their own sweet little way.
For preschoolers
For her three-year-old, she sets up a wooden Mass set from Almond Rod toys on the coffee table so he can play Mass nearby while his parents and older siblings pray.
"We only bring out the Mass set on Sunday afternoons, so it feels special and holds his attention for a while," she told me.
For older kids
For her children who are ages 5 and up, they like to look at this Rosary in Art book.
"We own a copy for each child, and each has their own rosary that they got to pick out on a visit to a shrine with a gift shop," she said. The reflections in the book are a little long so they usually skip them, but she said, "The pictures are great to look at and hold my kids' attention fairly well."
This book of art for the Rosary is a nice option too.
Of course, none of these things are strictly "must have" items, but she has found them very helpful.
"We didn't just sit down and buy all this stuff at once, but rather gradually added things to our home with time as our kids grew," she said. In the same way, "Praying the Rosary is a habit that will grow easier and more doable with time and practice."
I asked her if she had any advice for families wanting to start a Rosary tradition with their young children.
"The Rosary is worth praying but it can be intimidating to try with little kids," she said. "Think of these as tools to assist your family in building a Rosary routine. They're not necessary but they certainly make it easier to keep kids' attention!"
