1.First you pick out a catechism to use. Our church has three catechisms that we use as a church. a. The Shorter and Larger Westminster Catechisms. These were written in the 1640s to be used by the Presbyterian and Reformed churches on England and Scotland. The Larger Catechism has more thorough answers and was meant for Pastors while the shorter catechism was written to be used with families. These catechisms along with the Westminster Confession of faith are part of the governing documents of our church. b. The Sovereign King Family Catechism- This is a simplified version of the catechisms mentioned above that includes some additional questions and answers on topics such as the family, biblical masculinity and feminity, and the order of worship. This is the catechism found in the family worship guide.

2. Pick a time to work on Catechism questions. If your children are old enough to talk, they can work on these questions and answers. This does not take a lot of extra time. A great time to work on it is just to add it to your family worship routine. Family worship does not need to be long and drawn out. Sing a song, read a bible passage, have the kids recite the question and answer a couple of times from the catechism, give a brief thought from your bible passage or catechism, and then pray. Depending on the age of your children, family worship can be as brief as ten minutes. If you homeschool, you can make the catechism questions apart of the curriculum. Have the kids not only memorize the questions but look up the answers in their bibles. Bedtime is another great opportunity to work on catechism questions. Pick one or two questions a week and have them say them before you tuck them in and kiss them goodnight. It only takes a few seconds, but it will really help with memorization. 3. Consistency and memorization are the keys. Remember that there is a long-term plan in mind. You do not have to give lectures on each question, nor do you need to worry that there might be some hard concept that your littlest ones do not understand. Part of learning anything is building up a vocabulary on the subject. Have your children work on memorizing the questions and answers even if they cannot fully grasp the concept will help them develop a vocabulary. It will help them develop a foundation upon which to build. As the children grow in maturity then you move from memorization to being able to talk about the concepts in greater ways. Then you look not only for recitation but communication of the concepts. The key to this is consistency. Try to establish some schedule some rhythm to your teaching. It is better to pick one or two times that are the same every week and are set in stone to do catechism time, then to do it every day one week and then not do it for a month. Slow and steady as she goes.

- 4. Repeat and Review- Repetition helps lock in the memory. As your children memorize the catechism questions and you move on to new ones, from time to time come back and go over the old ones.

5. Have faith. God has given you this responsibility to teach your children. You are showing them the wonderful truths of God and preparing them to be able to give a defense of the hope of Christ. Have faith in Jesus. He is the one who must work to save your children. Rest in him. Pray often for your children. Pray that God would use the catechism time to build a lasting foundation that will carry your children throughout their lives.