My First Holy Communion Notebook

Some of my fondest homeschooling memories are preparing my children for First Holy Communion. A special one was when my oldest and I created a First Communion Notebook alongside Seton’s second-grade religion book, my favorite textbook we publish.

Notebooking

Notebooking was a fun, creative part of our homeschool. To help Katie prepare to receive Our Lord reverently, we made a special notebook together—a tradition each of my children later enjoyed as part of their second-grade religion studies.

A quick note about the photos—they’re nearly 20 years old, taken long before phones had fancy cameras. Thanks for understanding the nostalgic, pre-digital charm!

To begin with, I made a list of the pages we would include. Keeping this simple and being flexible is the key to success in this project.

Some notebooks included more or less content, especially from boys less interested in the craft—and that’s okay. The pages use The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism, reinforcing key concepts for First Communion.

Start by gathering materials. I spread the project out over a few weeks, doing a page every few days. Eventually, I kept everything in a basket for easy access when it was time to create.

For some of the projects, I used a 12×12 scrapbook, and for others, I used a one-inch binder and 8.5×11 paper with page protectors. Either will give you a lovely book.

For each page, we’d chat about what they wanted to include, and I’d share a few ideas too. Then, we’d come up with a design together. On the angel page, for example, I’d ask them to say the guardian angel prayer, then they’d either copy it, write it themselves, or glue on a printed version. We’d color an angel, cut it out, maybe add some stickers—and that was it! Most pages took about fifteen minutes. Helping with the writing kept things from feeling overwhelming and let them focus on the fun and the meaning behind it all.

On the big day, we displayed the notebook with their baptismal candle, flowers, prayer book, and other accessories of the day. Relatives celebrating with us enjoyed looking at the book and admiring the pages. It is a happy memory.

If you create your own First Holy Communion notebooks, we would love to see pictures of your project. Send your photos to: rhibl@setonhome.org. You might see your project in an upcoming issue of the Seton Magazine.