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How do you keep your children quiet during Mass?!
I keep hearing this question asked desperately over and over again by mom after mom. It can be so hard to keep your little ones quiet during Mass and Adoration!
Babies and kids naturally want to "sing", copy all other noises they hear, and just give a (hopefully!) joyful shout to the Lord while in a big echo-chamber-like church. And while that is fine most of the time (it really is!), I also think it's good to help your children to learn how to be quiet and reverent as they grow older.
Over the past year, I've come up with an awesome bag of essentials for when we go to Adoration. It's my go-to for all the quiet times during church: waiting in line for confession, saying the rosary, Adoration, Mass, and more.
Here are our favorites to keep our little ones' hands and lips reverently busy:
This is my #1 essential for Mass! Our youngest loves chewing on his rosary! This and playing with the beads keeps him pretty quiet all throughout Mass. (You can see cute photo evidence of this here!)
Chews Life Bracelets
These bracelets are more for my older kids (although our youngest loves his too). Our 4 year old son has some special needs and "fidget fingers" which he cannot keep still. When he wears his bracelet, he plays with it gently, caressing the beads, turning it around his wrist. It gives his fingers something to do...and I like to think he's praying on those beads!
Eucharistic Adoration Coloring Book
This coloring book is so beautifully done! It is full of symbols for Jesus and the Eucharist - I even learned some new ones! And it goes through tons of saints and their special connections to the Eucharist - all written out as a prayerful litany at the bottom of each page.
Free Catholic Coloring Pages for Kids
My three favorite sites to find free Catholic coloring pages are:
Snowflake Clockwork: scroll down to see her free coloring pages. (She also has many beautiful ones for sale if you click on the tabs at the top of her page.)
Waltzing Matilda: scroll down to see all of her Catholic coloring pages listed by feast day!
Catholic Playground: click on the "Coloring" tab at the top of her page to see all of her options!
One thing my daughter loves to do is then give the picture to another adorer before we leave. It is so sweet!
Chews Life Necklaces
I love these necklaces! They're beautiful and they keep your little one occupied. My 2 year old loves playing with, kissing, and chewing on mine. If your child is sitting on your lap or you're babywearing, this is perfect! (As you can see in the pictures below! #allthehearteyes)
Chews Life Rosary Bracelet
Now, this isn't for your kids, but for you! While at Adoration, you can pray the rosary on your wrist. You can use the movable charm to keep your place when you have to stop to help your child pick up the rosary or crayons they dropped or calm them down when their sibling takes their favorite book. (Which is every single time we go to Adoration!)
The blue and beige necklace in the first picture is Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, and the mint and turquoise one is a Miraculous Medal, but Chews Life has a ton of options! Oh, and the necklace is adjustable too so you can wear it short or long.
My Little Felt Friends Saint Finger Puppets
These cute little saint puppets are soft, quiet, small. They can easily fit in your pocket or purse. And if your little one is in a throwing mood, they do not make noise when they make impact with the pew or floor!
You can get little felt saint dolls at My Little Felt Friends's Etsy shop as well!
Catholic Kids' Books
Of course - books! These 6 are my kids all-time favorite books to take to Mass and Adoration:
Noah's Ark by Lucy Cousins
It has bright colors and tons of animals that my boys especially love pointing out.
Stable in Bethlehem: Countdown to Christmas by Joy N. Hulme
Once again, more animals! This cute book counts down to the Nativity number by number, starting with 12 doves in the stable and ending with 2 parents and 1 Baby.
On Noah's Ark by Jan Brett
Animal books are clearly our go-to! This one follows Noah's grandson on the ark. It has beautiful and intricate animal pictures. There is a lot to look at so it keeps them occupied for a long time.
Saints on the Go by Shining Light Dolls
This is our #1 favorite Catholic book for kids! It is perfect for boys because every saint has an action and some kind of vehicle (or animal being ridden).
The Virgin Mary Around The World! A Pilgrimage of Faith by Shining Light Dolls
This is such a sweet book that shows Mary in all different skin tones and nations around the world.
The Alice in Bibleland Series by Alice Joyce Davidson
I had these as a kid! It's about a little girl named Alice who visits different Bible scenes. It rhymes and has the sweetest illustrations. There are 28 books total. (The Stories of Noah and Jonah are pictured above.)
These are our parent- and kid-approved quiet-time essentials for Church!
What are your favorites for taking your kids to Mass and Adoration?
Please share in the comments below! Have a beautiful Tuesday, friends!
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