Catholic Activity: Religious Scrapbook for Preschool Children
Keeping a scrapbook is a fabulous idea to reinforce the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year to the preschool child. Each month your child can paste a picture relating to the featured feast of the month. The author gives some guidelines on how to set this up, and what pictures to seek.
DIRECTIONS
January Get a good strong scrapbook — loose-leaf or any kind you like — and a pot of paste. Let the child paste in one holy picture a month — this month a picture of the Three Wise Men. Tell the story of the Wise Men who came from far-off lands to look for the Baby King. Show how the Wise Kings believed they would find the newborn Saviour. Show that they loved God and so trusted Him to show them the way. If you explain this you will have given the child the first idea of the great virtues of faith, hope and charity. If the child is old enough, read the story of the Wise Men from the New Testament (St. Matthew, Chapter 2).
February For the scrapbook, pictures of any of the feasts mentioned can easily be obtained from Catholic stores or magazines. There are wonderful pictures of the Purification painted by great masters. One by Giotto shows the Baby Jesus holding out His arms to His mother in most lifelike fashion.
March There is a vast amount of material for this month.
Everybody loves Fra Angelico's "Annunciation." That and a picture of St. Joseph should be added to the scrapbook.
April Pictures of the Resurrection will of course be added to the scrapbook; and, for those who want them, there is the whole series of the Passion.
May In the month of May several pictures of the Blessed Mother should be added to the scrapbook. Any sort of picture can be used here, except those of the Nativity, which should be saved for Christmas.
June Emphasize daily the things to show love. Of course, add a picture of our Lord showing the Sacred Heart, to the scrapbook.
August We all are happy on this day of the Assumption which celebrates the reward that was given to our Blessed Mother for her perfect life. As we think of her entrance into Heaven, we want to rejoice with her. How shall we let the little ones have an extra happy day in her honor?
For the scrapbook you must try to get a picture of the Assumption.
September September 8, Birth of Mary, we always give birthday presents and what shall we give to our Blessed Mother? In the scrapbook paste a picture of our Lady as a child.
October A picture of the Angels by Fra Angelico would be lovely for the scrapbook.
November Of course the lesson about saints leads straight to the altar. Kneel down and say little prayers to the saints you know (namesakes, for instance) and then ask God to let the relatives go quickly to Him from Purgatory. It would be good to find out how many saints the children know, and to say a word of greeting to each on this, their general feast day. And then, of course, name all the dear dead relatives.
And remember a picture of saints for the scrapbook.
December For the scrapbook get a picture to be pasted in, a Nativity by a great master: Fra Angelico, Correggio, Botticelli, or Da Vinci.
Activity Source: Religion in the Home: Monthly Aids for the Parents of Pre-School Children by Katherine Delmonico Byles, Paulist Press, 1938
