James had the heart of an artist. If I had let him, he would have spent the entire day in my preschool class drawing or painting. His art was full of color and imagination – purple trees, flying red dogs, and squirrels reading books.
One day another teacher came into the room and noticed the children making art, some creating collages and others using crayons or paint. She leaned over James’ shoulder as he was putting the final touches on his tree of many colors and reminded him, “Leaves should be green, not purple.”
James looked up at me with a worried look on his face. I picked up his picture, smiled at him, and said to the teacher, “I think it’s absolutely wondrous!” I then proceeded to hang the picture in the middle of our art gallery wall.
If I were still teaching today, I would have a picture of a rainbow squirrel, the Indian Malabar squirrel, hanging up in my classroom. Painted by the hand of the Artist in bands of purple, indigo, and orange, they are a testament to the wonder of God’s creation. I can only imagine how delighted James would have been to see something he had only imagined in his mind to actually be alive and running through the trees.
Our spiritual and religious selves are built through experiences and through wonder.
To be curious about bugs under a rock or fascinated by how water flows from a faucet over our hands are steps to learning about the world God created. Wonder leads to questions and other opportunities to learn about and appreciate the gift of creation – lessons in math, science, communication, and faith all rolled in to one.
Right now, families continue to try and navigate meeting the educational, social, and emotional needs of children, often while trying to work from home. It may help to eliminate some worry if, rather than trying to educate our children, we become co-learners and co-discoverers, inspired by their curiosity.
Many years ago, when I was studying the Montessori method of education, I read a quote from Dr. Maria Montessori that stayed with me: “When the child was very small it was enough to call him by name for him to turn around. Now we must appeal to his soul. To speak to him is not enough for this; it is necessary to interest him. What he learns must be interesting, must be fascinating. We must give him grandeur. To begin with, let us present him with the world.”
The end of every day of discovery is the perfect time for us to model for children what it means to pray for the world they live in. Grace at mealtime, prayers of gratitude for the wonders of God’s creation, love for family and friends, and healing for those who are sick or who have suffered loss are opportunities for children to develop their relationship with God and unity with others.
“Prayer,” said Pope Francis during his May 27 General Audience, “sows life —simple prayer. That's why it's very important to teach children to pray.”
He acknowledged, “It hurts when I see children and say, 'Make the sign of the cross.’… They don't know how to do it correctly. Teach them to make the sign of the cross. It's the first prayer. Children must learn to pray. Maybe they'll forget or choose a different path, but that prayer will remain in their hearts, because it's a seed of life, the seed of dialogue with God.”
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.
Product Suggestion
Catholic Prayers and Practices for Young Disciples
Designed specifically for young learners, this new booklet will help young disciples grow in their prayer life and Catholic identity as they learn about the prayers and practices of our Catholic faith:
- Sign of the Cross in American Sign Language
- Traditional Catholic prayers
- Blessing prayers
- The Commandments and the Beatitudes
- The Rosary and the Stations of the Cross
- Sacraments
- "A Visit to Church," which provides a brief description and illustration of a baptismal font, paschal candle, ambo, altar, and crucifix
- Order of Mass
- Engaging artwork and larger font size for better readability
- Liturgical Calendar for children to color
and much more!