INSIDE: A guide for using the Baltimore Catechism with ease in your Catholic homeschool! Includes quick-start printable so you can get started right away!
Let’s talk about something near and dear to my heart – the Baltimore Catechism. I get a little gleam in my eye every time I talk about this tried-and-true method of handing on the tenets of the Catholic faith!
The first year of homeschooling, I was your typical beginning homeschooler, pouring over books, catalogs, and the internet to learn more about how to best educate our children.
The thing I most eagerly sought after was the “right” curriculum to teach the Catholic faith. After all, giving our children a solid grounding in their faith was the main reason we had chosen to homeschool.
We knew our children needed more than just Bible verses and beautiful stories in their hearts. Oh, those are important too! They inspire our children’s hearts, but they are not enough.
Our children need a deep understanding of the fullness of truth held by the Catholic Church. Catholics need reason to support their faith and to refute other’s mistaken notions. Where was I to find a curriculum to give my children such a strong foundation?
I had heard of the Baltimore Catechism and so I picked one up on a whim at the local bookstore. The $5 price tag spoke to my thrifty heart.
Perusing its pages later, I knew God had answered my prayers. Here was the solid foundation I so wanted for my children!
Our reasons and pillars of the Catholic faith were all there in the vintage black and white. No fluff, no distractions, no Catholic-faith lite (do you know what I mean?).
We have used the Baltimore Catechism almost daily for the last four years (starting as early as preschool) and it has become something I recommend to all my Catholic homeschooling friends.
(UPDATE: We now have used the Baltimore Catechism as the cornerstone of our Catholic homeschool religious education for 9+ years. )
We have the catechism as a family and independently: incorporating it into Morning Time, discussing, learning, and reviewing it as a group OR individually one-on-one.
Most Catholic homestudy programs (like Seton, Mother of Divine Grace, and Our Lady of Victory) use the catechism directly or workbooks/books based on the Baltimore Catechism.
For my oldest son, I assign a chapter to read independently and then working through the exercises and memory work together over the course of a week or two; however long it takes him to fully absorb the material.
If you are looking for that perfect religion curriculum, I encourage you to take a look at the Baltimore Catechism. There are so many reasons to love it!
Reasons to LOVE the Baltimore Catechism:
#1 Solid Teaching
The Catechism does not water down the teachings of the Catholic faith. There is no fluff, just pure reasoning and knowledge of the faith. I like to cut to the meat of the subject and the Catechism does just that!
#2 Economical
The books can be purchased for under $5 and used for many children or the questions and answers can even be downloaded for free here. It makes this mama’s thrifty heart sing!
The purchased book will give you a bit more explanation and other reviewing resources with each chapter.
#3 Simple, Easy to use Format
It is very simple and straightforward (my style of teaching), but you could supplement it with crafts, supplemental essays, and activities if that’s your thing.
#4 Spine for Schooling Multiple ages
The catechism can be catered to almost any age. In fact, I start teaching my little ones some of the basic catechism questions as soon as they can speak.
It is so sweet to hear them parrot back “God made me to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world, and be happy with Him in heaven.”
Dive into the first few chapters in preschool and kindergarten and then move into the other chapters in early elementary.
Guide to using the Baltimore Catechism:
Day 1
- Read explanation/ intro
- Discussion questions
- Read through the entire set of questions and answers together.
Day 2
- Work on memorizing 2 sets of Q &A
- True or False questions
Day 3
- Work on memorizing 2 sets of Q &A
- Fill in the blank
Day 4
- Work on memorizing 2 sets of Q &A
- Discussion questions
Day 5
- Work on memorizing 2 sets of Q &A
- Complete Bible readings (optional) and liturgical/faith practice
Days 6-?
- Work on memorizing 2 sets of Q &A (until desired Q&A are memorized
- Spend 5 minutes reviewing previous Q & A
- (This is a great time to supplement with resources listed below)
PROCEED WHEN CHILD HAS A FIRM GRASP ON CONCEPTS AND Q & A
You can find a FREE printable Baltimore Catechism teaching schedule to help you on your way (along with GADS more Catholic inspired printables) in the Subscriber Printable Library.
Which Level of the Baltimore Catechism Should I Choose?
First Communion Catechism (#0)
The First Communion Catechism is an abbreviated version of #1. Feel free to skip right to #1 if you want (which is what we do). You’ll find the First Communion Catechism features more pictures (and with color).
Baltimore Catechism #1
#1 is an abbreviated version of #2, so again, you can skip right to purchasing #2. I find #1 to be appropriate for my elementary students (Grade 1 – 5).
Baltimore Catechism #2
Especially appropriate for upper elementary to middle school (6th – 9th) or confirmands. It contains all the questions and answers in #0 and #1.
Baltimore Catechism #3
Again, this editions covers the same questions and answers as the above (#0-#2) but has more explanations and questions and answers. Helpful for high schoolers (grades 10-12) or adults. At this age, one may prefer to read from the Catechism of the Catholic Church instead.
Baltimore Catechism #4
“An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism can be used as a reference work, teacher s manual for the original Baltimore Catechisms. It is often used as an advanced textbook. It s fascinating explanations of many little known questions pertaining to our Faith will reward the questioning reader.”
I personally like to use #1 with my elementary kids and #2 with my middle schoolers. The simplified formats allows the books to be easier to use in your day-to-day homeschooling.
What does the Baltimore Catechism cover?
- Catholic prayers
- The Creed (tenets of our faith)
- Ten Commandments
- The Sacraments
- Catholic beliefs on the Trinity and Persons of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
- Sin (original, mortal, venial, forgiveness of, redemption, temporal punishment, indulgences)
- Prayer
Supplements to the Baltimore Catechism
(While your child works on internalizing the material and memorizing the questions and answers, incorporate any of the following for a more rounded Catholic religious education.)
Saint Biographies
Cater this to the age of your student. These can be read alouds, independent reading, or assigned reading.
Work on creating an Intentional Catholic Booklist for your student
Angel Food for Boys and Girls
Each book in the 4 volume set is filled with are sweet 3-4 page children’s homilies from a by-gone era that beautifully illustrate our beliefs. Many of the homilies coordinate beautifully with the catechism lessons (free download to help you do just that!).
Bible study or history
Catholics should be even more proficient in the Bible than non-Catholics, as it is the gift of the Catholic Church to the world!
As soon as your child is an independent reader, get them their own copy of the Bible and set aside some time for them to read it daily. This may be a children’s Bible at first but transition to a real Bible as soon as they are capable.
Here are a few of our family favorite Bibles:
Great for emerging readers (non-Catholic)
Kid’s favorite (non-Catholic but AMAZING!)
Perfect for upper elementary
Great for middle school and above (The Great Adventure Catholic Bible)
Memorize the books of the Bible
We sing the New Testaments memory song to the tune of Amazing Grace.
Memorize scripture verses
Fill those little hearts with God’s Word! This is great to do as a family.
Spiritual reading and inspiration
The list of wonderful Catholic Books for kids is growing longer every year.(Here is a list of our family’s must reads for young Catholics!)
Live the Liturgical Year
There are so many amazing ways to do this: cook liturgically inspired meals, decorate a family altar/feast table, read liturgically appropriate books, crafts, etc.
Importance of memorizing the questions and answers?
Do I make my children memorize every question and answer set. No.
I like to build discipline through memorization and also fill my children’s hearts with truth and beauty, but I think we can take it too far.
In having our children memorize everything, they may miss the essential.
Some question/answer sets are more intuitive, so we spend time learning the essence of them, not memorizing them verbatum. My children’s answer to the question is a good indicator of whether they understand the concept or not.
Examples of questions/answer to understand but not memorize:
Q: “Did Adam and Eve obey the commandment of God?”
Q: “Did all the angels remain faithful to God?”, etc.
The answers to these questions are obvious to anyone schooled in the Catholic faith and Bible, so we spend time focusing on questions that are essential to our children’s faith memory.
Examples of question/answer to memorize:
Q: “Why did God make you?”, A: “God made me to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in the world and to be happy with Him in the next.”
Q: “What is mortal sin?”
Q: “What is actual sin?”
These are questions whose answers will help their faith stand the test of time, especially with some of the heresy we see floating around these days.
Resources to use with the Baltimore Catechism
Our Lady of Victory Elementary Religion series: Each grade has a bookwith chapters that begin with stories that reflect the catechism’s teachings and end with reviewing/memorizing the questions and answers of the catechism, as well as other projects and review.
We have been using this series to supplement a bit of our Baltimore Catechism studies, but they are not essential.
St. Anne’s Helper: Lots of free printables on the catechism here including handwriting and more!
Teacher Pay Teachers: Catechism worksheets and more!
Why all the memory work?
In learning the catechism with my children, I am amazed at how the nuggets of truth we’ve memorized together come to mind when I need them.
It is a lot like memorizing scripture. When we file truth away in our mind, it is there to be recalled by the prompting of the Holy Spirit at moments when we need it most.
I can contemplate how I am made to know, love, serve God in this world and to be happy with Him forever in heaven. This to me is one of the most powerful truths in the catechism and I am filled with awe, thanks, and love when I consider it!
The Baltimore Catechism is such a gift to our homeschool and I know it will be for you as well!
What has been your favorite tool to hand on the Catholic faith in your homeschool?
“There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church…”
-The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
I love, love, love the Baltimore Catechism!!! It was one of the things that really solidified the choice of MODG for us! I’ve also begun (with the approval of our DRE) supplementing our CCD curriculum with it with my 5th grade class. I really wish we wouldn’t have deserted it’s use post-conciliar (but I’m pretty old-school, also reflected in my appreciation of the classical curriculum).
I also used the Baltimore Cat. in our CCD class when I taught a couple years ago. I’m old school too, but sometimes we shouldn’t mess with a good thing! Right?
Thanks. I have used the St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism in my homeschool / co-op classes for years. My daughter is also using it now, and I’m creating a study series to use with her in the fall and making it available on TpT. I’m basically providing a week’s worth of activities based on each lesson. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Week-1-St-Joseph-Baltimore-Catechism-I-Worksheets-Lesson-Plan-Answer-Key-3108891
Lesson 1 is a free sample. The rest will be available in the fall.
This is such a great idea! Thank you for having this available. You did an excellent job it looks like!
So do you start even preschoolers with Baltimore Catechism #1? Do you use the first communion catechism at all? 🙂
I started my first with #1 because I didn’t know at the time there was a First Communion edition. The First Communion edition has colored pictures which is a nice addition, but if you have #1, the First Communion is not necessary. Everything from the First Communion edition is in #1. Mother of Divine Grace starts the children on the First Communion edition. I guess it just comes down to preference.