Students love learning about Catholic saints, especially ones they can relate to. Keep reading to discover the top 3 reasons you should be teaching a monthly Saint study this year!
A saint study benefits students in many different ways, both spiritually and academically. Read below to find out why you should consider adding a monthly Catholic Saint study during Back to School Season:
Spiritual Growth
Learning the stories of real men and women who became saints can help inspire children to lead more virtuous lives. Talk about their examples of humility, courage, love, perseverance, compassion, and more.
Introducing children to a variety of saints from around the world helps them find role models that they can relate to and recognize that there is more than one way to live a life focused on Christ.
Consider the cultural backgrounds of your students’ own families, their hobbies, and interests as you decide which saints to highlight throughout your school year. Help them connect the lives of the saints with their own!
Religion curriculum
You can teach so many concepts through the stories of the saints! Use their stories to introduce or review Church teachings, virtues, the works of mercy, vocations, missionaries, sacraments, the Holy Trinity, Marian apparitions, the Rosary, incorruptible saints, early Christianity, the papacy… a quick internet search can help you find Catholic saints that exemplify each unit of your curriculum throughout the year.
Cross-Curricular Connections
The stories of the saints provide a huge opportunity to connect your religion curriculum with other subjects you teach. One of the easiest connections to make is with Social Studies and history. Practice map skills while locating where saints lived, discuss the culture of their countries and cities, and dive into the time period and historic events taking place during their lifetimes.
Use the content of your saint studies to practice skills in language arts classes. Practice handwriting by copying quotes or prayers. Apply ELA skills while writing summaries about the lives of the saints, reflections on their lives, or intercessory prayers.
Interested in a low-prep monthly saint study that is already prepared with activities for your students? Check out the bundle below for printable booklets that contain a biography, map, drawing and writing reflections, prayers, and more about a Catholic saint each month.
This 12-Month Collection of Catholic Saint Booklets, ideal for 2nd – 4th grades, includes the following studies:
January – Saint John Bosco
February – Saint Valentine
March – Saint Patrick
April – Saint Bernadette Soubirous
May – Saint Damien of Molokai
June – Saints Peter and Paul
July – Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
August – Saint Rose of Lima
September – Saint Teresa of Calcutta
October – Saint Faustina Kowalska
November – Saint Cecilia
December – Saint Nicholas
Also, you get a BONUS resource with your purchase of the bundle… a printable poster for each saint to display in your prayer space, reminding students to pray intercessory prayers through them each month!
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