6 Reasons for Teaching Children the Rosary

Why is it so important to dedicate the time to pray the rosary during class? My wife and I both capitalized on October, the month of the rosary, by teaching our students how and why we pray the rosary. These are the reasons we feel so strongly about praying the rosary with your children or students:

1. They learn their prayers. One of the coolest things about the rosary is that you knock out six prayers in one. In order to pray the rosary, children must learn the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, the Fatima prayer, and the Hail Holy Queen (not to mention the Sign of the Cross). Learning these prayers in the classroom will help them in their personal prayer and prayers in Church. And who says the current generation doesn’t know their prayers?
2. It is an opportunity to build community. We usually had students share intentions before praying. This establishes a purpose to praying the rosary giving them something to think about while they pray. An extra perk of this activity was that it was very successful in building a sense of community among the class. Students began to know and care about each other on a more personal level as they shared with one another.
3. It teaches them to be quiet. Children of all ages rarely get time to quiet themselves. Saying the rosary can be an opportunity to slow down, be quiet, center themselves, and focus on God. Repetitive prayer can be a very effective way to center oneself.
4. It helps them become comfortable with intercessions to Mary. As more and more people become uncomfortable with intercessory prayer to Mary and the saints, it is important that you share with your students how important this kind of prayer can be when they are very young. To put this simply: we ask Mary for prayers just as we ask each other for prayers. The difference is her very special relationship to her Son through whom all prayers are offered.
5. It teaches them about the Scriptures. Many people do not realize that praying the rosary is meant to be a meditation upon the life of Christ and Mary in the Scriptures. Although not every mystery of the rosary can be found specifically in the Bible, the rosary can be an effective way to introduce students to stories from the Bible. By encouraging students to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary, you will be establishing prior knowledge they will be able to use in later lessons about the Annunciation, birth of Jesus, Paschal Mystery, etc.
6. It is important to us. Teachers are at their best when they teach about their passion. I carry a rosary in my pocket every day and pray with it often. I don’t teach others to pray the rosary because I feel like I should; I do it because I know how powerful it can be.

Why do you think it is important to teach children to pray the rosary?

Photo courtesy of miqul/ CC BY 2.0