Crafting Faith: Knotted Rosary Bracelets for 13-Year-Olds

Activity for 13 year olds

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Early teens want to interact more with peers than with family. So the perfect type of activity is the one they can use their hands and socialize at the same time.

It is key to reiterate the importance of faith during this stage, since children become adolescents which means "hurting" because they break their innocence and parent-led upbringing to find themselves and start shaping the adults they will become. It is of utmost importance to do our best as parents to keep them walking alongside Jesus Christ because only God can lead them in the right direction.

One craft that can be related to arts and crafts, religion, spiritual growth and socialization is making knotted rosary bracelets. This is a simple way of joining manual labor with faith and it will be better received and performed if it is encouraged to schedule social meetings to work on these.

You will need a piece of string or easily-knotted cord. I recommend twine #18 which you can find here, tape, scissors, and a lit candle/lighter/or/matches.

The sequence is very simple: just make the Our Father (1) and Hail Mary (10) knots, close the bracelet with an adjustable type of knot, and make the cross.

Here is a tutorial I found on YouTube that explains the process and even links you to the basics of knotting to make sure your Hail Marys and Our Fathers are different types.

These can be made as a personal prayer tool, a gift, party favors, volunteering hours to give to church (like a mother's/father's day gift, first communion detail, etc).

Focusing in a manual activity allows your brain to develop patience, hand-eye coordination, attention to detail, memory retention... it will also spark a sense of pride, and for this activity in particular, a sense of fashion, enthusiasm towards faith and church activities, more socialization times without the pressure of carrying conversations since it is all based around this art, etc.

As you can see, a simple bracelet can be a great tool to guide our teens and help them with their formative years.

If you have any other ideas, suggestions, or comments, don't hesitate to write them below so we can all grow in this homeschooling community.

Thank you for reading and God Bless.

Maria Ignacia