I was looking through our customer service email the other day and found this email:

“Our 2.5-year-old LOVES these books. She’ll pour over them herself and when we finish one decade with her will ask ‘can we do another one?”

When I read this email, I realized that this is what every Catholic parent wants–their kids to love the family rosary so much that they ask to keep praying after each decade.

But that isn’t what happens during most family rosaries, is it?

The family rosary is a struggle because:

• Children are interested in prayer, but the Rosary prayers seem…uninteresting.
• The titles of the Mysteries are big words…ominous and abstract.
• The beads are confusing and hard to handle…and getting lost is easy.

The family rosary dilemma: Engage the littlest ones in family prayer time…or at least minimize the distraction to others which they can cause!

The family rosary often seems like an idealized goal that families spend years trying to achieve. With young children, how can you teach and engage them in the rosary without completely losing the prayerful atmosphere or sacrificing your own ability to pray?

This was a question that my own family faced growing up and now, with my own baby, I wonder how it is possible to pray a family rosary.

Enter our research during fall 2019–

We asked hundreds of Catholic mothers what they needed from Holy Heroes to help pray a family rosary. Over and over, they responded that they needed something that would both engage and teach their young children the Rosary.

But how do you teach a small child the meditative purpose of the Rosary?

While we already provide our scriptural audio Rosary led by kids, we know that many families do not have time for a scriptural Rosary every day (psst–we offer a shorter audio version too!).

While we were brainstorming other ways to teach children how to meditate on each bead of the Rosary, the author of So Many Ways to be Holy sent along work done by two of her friends–the original Bead-By-Bead Picture Prayer books.

Rather than trying to “teach” children how to meditate, these books simply allow children to learn how to pray the Rosary by focusing (or mediating!) on a picture for every single bead of the Rosary.

Wow, was this a product that we quickly realized every Catholic family should have!

And we were not alone in realizing how pivotal these books can be in the lives of Catholic families. This is what Catholic moms have shared with us after getting these books for their children:

“I have 4-year-old and 6-year-old boys, and…at night, we do a decade of the rosary before bed using one of the books. They love it! Many nights, they will ask if we can do another decade because they don’t want to stop!” 

“My 4 and 2-year-old grandsons love the Rosary and LEAD decades thanks to these books. I just had a set sent to my goddaughter for her 6 young children.”

These are just a few of the hundreds of reviews we have received over and over again since we began publishing this series. While we are so thankful for the positive feedback, we also are never surprised.

This is what Catholic families have been looking for in order to make their family Rosary fruitful with young children! Rather than spending the time stressed and anxious while restless children struggle to understand the “why” behind the constant Hail Marys, these books help children gain a deep understanding of the beautiful mediative nature of the Rosary.

Now, whether you want to invest in the entire 4-book set for your family or you want to start with your favorite Mystery of the Rosary, this is the time to inspire your children with a deep understanding and love for the Rosary.

Grandparents: can you get these for your grandchildren? We have received several emails and reviews from Catholic grandparents who have gifted these books to their grandchildren to help support their spiritual growth.

Teachers: can you get these for your classroom? We have a 30% discount for Catholic school teachers who would like to equip their classrooms with tools for teaching the faith. Contact customerservice@holyheroes.com to learn how you can get that discount on Holy Heroes products.

If these books have helped your family Rosary, please let us know! We love to hear how families have used our products!