With children home from school for summer vacation, many parents seek ideas to keep them busy, often believing they need to entertain them with a movie or listening to Disney songs, said Nancy Bandzuch, whose Catholic Sprouts ministry seeks to teach kids about Catholicism.
“There’s a time and a place for that, but it’s amazing how going back to calm (can be good), and how prayers are really powerful,” she said, even for children who don’t yet know the words to the prayers.
Nancy Bandzuch
Bandzuch, a parishioner of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to offer ideas for summer activities and resources that can help children grow in their faith.
A mother of six, Bandzuch said she has learned to go back to basics and keep things simple — and not just hand her children something, but sit down and engage with them, she said. “That is really what I see light up my kids the most,” she said.
Some faith enrichment activities might be coloring pages picturing the ABCs of the Church: “a” is for altar, “b” is for baptism, etc. She suggests parents color with their children and, while doing so, tell them a baptism story. Share simple conversations that are fruitful, she said.
A dose of beauty by looking at art is a good option, too, she said, “because we all need the beautiful.” She plans to take her children to some of the beautiful churches in the archdiocese they have not yet visited. “It’s a reminder that this is how for centuries, people learned the faith by looking at statues, by looking at stained glass windows,” she said, and by looking at a church’s architecture. And there’s often a playground next to the church, she said.
Bandzuch described a recent road trip she took in a large van with a “mom friend” and their combined 10 children. She discovered that turning on an “audio rosary” during the drive was “a game changer.” The children who need to fall asleep will, she said, and those who need to take a minute and evaluate fighting with their siblings will do so. “It’s like a different carload after you do that,” she said.
Bandzuch said it’s “paramount” for parents to pray with their children every day, any time of year. In her household, books are available including a book of the saints that describes them and their struggles. Or she suggests reading children a story from a child-friendly Bible for five minutes at a time.
To learn more tips and to hear the full interview, tune in to the 9 p.m. July 8 “Practicing Catholic” show, which repeats at 1 p.m. July 9 and 2 p.m. July 10 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. To find Catholic resources offered by Catholic Sprouts, including coloring pages and other activities for children and families, visit catholicsprouts.com. Bandzuch said the Catholic Sprouts podcast is carried on all podcasting platforms.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with JoAnn Marshall, president of the nonprofit organization “Choose Life Minnesota,” who describes her mission of promoting “Choose Life” license plates; and Father Tom Margevicius, director of worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, whose “Mass Class” topic this week is the Liturgy of the Word.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
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