Baptism Teaching and Learning Strategies

Early years

1. Make connections with the theme of Belonging using children’s literature

books.
2. Identify special celebrations e.g., birthdays, weddings, anniversaries.
Students describe some of the actions and symbols of different
celebrations. Complete a class strategy – what do you already know, what
you want to find out and what you have learned about Baptism.
3. Display pictures of a Baptism. Focus on Baptism as a celebration and as a
special time when people become members of the Church.
4. Students create a Baptism Touch Table with items from their Baptisms
such as photos, cards, candles, white robe, small container of water, small
container of oil.
5. Students re-enact a Baptism using props and symbols.
6. Children participate in 3 learning stations based on the Multiple
Intelligences strategies.
Station 1: Body Smart – try out different oils and creams, record what
they felt like.
Station 2: People Smart – Draw a picture of an important person and
write what that person might say about you at your baptism.
Station 3: Self smart – Write a list of 5 ways we can show love for others
and some people who might show that love. (see RE module:
‘Sacraments and Lives of Believers Level 1/2’ p14) Children will be
assessed on their participation and application of knowledge to complete
these activity stations.
7. Students complete the following table:

symbol every day sacramental

water washing cleansing
cleaning life-giving
drinking
swimming
Oil cooking strengthening
healing Protecting
moving
soothing
white garment special dress for special Putting on Jesus and living
occasions as Jesus wants us to live.
candle lighting light of the world - Jesus
warming

8. Invite children to interview their parents about their own Baptism, find
out who baptised them, the date and who their godparents are. Children
not baptised could interview their parents about what celebrations
happened when they were born.
9. Ask children to bring in items from home of their Baptism, e.g. photos,
baptismal candle, baptismal certificate. Allow the children to share their
baptismal stories with each other. These could be incorporated ‘Morning
Talk Time’.
10.Children write sentences for display: My name is...I was baptised at...My
godparents are...
11.Children display photos of their Baptism with the caption, I belong to the
Parish family of ...
12.Design a Who’s Who of people involved in the celebration of the
Sacrament of Baptism e.g. priest, child, parents, godparents, family
members, Church family.
13.Use scripture Isaiah 43: 1 ‘I have called you by name, you are mine”
during class prayer time. Children can write their own name on a card and
decorate. During prayer time focus on the Sign of the Cross and remind
the children that they are baptised in the name of the Father, in the name
of the Son and in the name of the Hoy Spirit.
14.Discuss with children the importance of names and naming. What do their
own names mean? Have the children named anything, such as a pet? In
religious traditions, the naming is powerful and binding activity and one
tht binds together the person doing the naming and the one named.
15.Look at the children’s names in the class and find out the meaning of their
name. Complete a worksheet using the following structure:
My name is _______ which means _______. I belong to the ______
family. I belong to ________ school and am in __________ house. (refer
to Expressions by M. Ryan, Book 1, p67)
Possible websites to assist with this exercise:
www.behindthename.com
www.babynamesworld.com
16.Celebrate with the children a Liturgy of the Word which includes a simple
renewal of Baptismal promises.
17.Students explore the concept of initiation by comparing their ideas and
experiences of becoming a member of the class and /or a new student
being welcomed into the school. Using a Y chart students compare their
experiences of first being a member of the class. They record in words
and pictures what it felt like, sounded like and looked like
18.Students create a Welcoming Faces, Welcoming Actions, Welcoming
Words mobile using information from their Y chart.
19.Students create a Welcome Collage depicting elements of welcome e.g.
words of welcome – hello, do you want to join me, let’s play together, do
you want to sit with me...
welcome actions - hugs, handshakes, smiles, helping hands...
welcome feelings – happy, safe, excited, thankful, generous, caring...
20.Students jointly construct a class welcome chart. They identify how to
recognise a visitor, appropriate words to welcome a visitor to the class,
appropriate actions etc...
21.As part of the teaching of this topic, it may be helpful to conduct an
excursion with your class group to the local Catholic church. Some
preparation prior to the excursion will be necessary to explain some of the
 fixtures the y will see as well as guidance on appropriate behaviour
required in the church.
22.Students can (using Bloom’s Taxonomy)
 Tell a story of the visit to the church
 Make a model of the church using a shoebox
 Label the objects found in the church with their correct name.
 Compare objects found on the inside of the church with the ones
found in the outside area.
 Compose a story of someone who comes to participate in a Baptism
23.Make a Baptism garment – design, make and decorate their own Baptism
garment.
24.Designing cards
Use symbols to decorate a birthday card. Place a different birthday symbol
in each square of this birthday card.

Now design a card for a friend’s Baptism by drawing a symbol for Baptism in each
square of this card.
 Baptism

We Belong – Baptism

Faith Theme
Baptism makes us sharers in divine life and joins us to Christ and the church
community.

Ritual
Blessing with Water
• Celebrate the ritual action of blessing ourselves with water.
• Reflect on how water is part of daily living.

Scripture
The Baptism of Jesus: Matthew 3:13-17
• Tell and discover the meaning of the story of Jesus' baptism by John the
Baptist
    in the Jordan River.
• Discover the connection between Jesus' baptism and our baptism.

Doctrine/Liturgy
Sacraments of Initiation
• We become full members of the Church by celebrating the three sacraments
of Christian initiation.
    Baptism makes us sharers in the new life of Christ.
• Confirmation seals us with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Eucharist joins us most fully with Christ and all the members of the Church
and strengthens us to live as sons and daughters of God.

What Difference Does This Make in My Life?

• Discover and choose ways to live as a follower of Christ.

Together as a Family
• Recall and talk about your child's baptism.
• Identify and choose ways to live the faith of the Church as a family.
• Review the meaning of the Sign of the Cross and include its praying in
family prayers.

.
The Ritual of baptism

The ritual of Baptism in the Catholic Church is rich in symbols. A consideration of

these symbols provides some ideas for the range of teaching and learning activities
that can be presented in this topic. It should be noted that the form of baptism
referred to in this section is infant baptism. The ritual of baptism of infants includes
the following elements:
 The naming of the child
 Tracing the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead
 The liturgy of the word
 Anointing with oil of the catechumens
 Renunciation of sin and profession of faith by parents and godparents on
behalf of the child
 Immersion of pouring of water
 Anointing with chrism
 Clothing with white garment
 The lighting of the candle form the Easter candela
 Plus, other prayers and blessings.