Catechisms, printables and guides for teaching the faith at home

Where should we start?

Start with your child’s age. A three-year-old can learn the Catechism for Young Children one short answer at a time; a confident reader is ready for the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The start-here page gives a simple path for each age, with ten minutes a day as the goal.

• Ages 2 to 4First answers, songs and short prayers
• Ages 5 to 7Young Children’s catechism and tracing
• Ages 8 to 11The Shorter Catechism with proofs
• Ages 12 and upProof texts, copywork and discussion

Which catechisms are here?

Two historic catechisms, both in the public domain, each with every question on its own page. Every page gives the answer, a short explanation for parents that stays inside what the answer says, questions to ask your children, and links to print.

• Westminster Shorter Catechism

  107 questions, written by the Westminster Assembly in 1647, with the Assembly’s Scripture proofs quoted in full. It begins with “What is the chief end of man?”

  For about age 8 and up, or once a child reads well

• Catechism for Young Children

  145 short questions by Joseph P. Engles, 1840, written as an introduction to the Shorter Catechism. It begins with “Who made you?”

  For about ages 3 to 8

What can I print?

Every question has a fold-over memory card and a copywork page made by the site itself: press Print and you get a clean sheet. Print one question at a time or ten at once. There is also a one-page weekly schedule for the fridge. All of it is free for home, church and co-op use.

See all printables · Shorter Catechism sets · Young Children sets

How do we actually do this?

The guides answer the practical questions: how to begin family worship tonight, what to do with toddlers, how children memorize a catechism, and how to fit it into a homeschool week. Each one is short enough to read in one sitting and ends with something to do.

• How do you start family worship?

  How to do family worship: Bible reading, prayer and singing, a 10-minute order to use tonight, a first-night script, and what to do when it goes badly.

• How do you do family worship with toddlers?

  A five-minute family worship plan for toddlers: what little ones can do, sample orders for ages 1 to 2 and 3 to 4, and what to do with a baby in the room.

• How do you help children memorize the catechism?

  Practical ways to help children memorize the catechism: call and response, short phrases, review loops, memory cards, copywork, singing and patience.

• What is a catechism?

  What a catechism is, where the word comes from, why Reformed families use one, a short history, and how a first catechism leads into the Shorter Catechism.

• How do the Westminster Shorter, Heidelberg and Baptist Catechisms compare?

  A fair side-by-side comparison of the Westminster Shorter, Heidelberg and Baptist catechisms: dates, authors, structure, tone and baptism.

• What does a weekly catechism schedule look like?

  A weekly catechism schedule: one question a week, ten minutes a day, with a script for each day, help for several ages and what to do after a missed week.

All 11 guides

Where else can we find good free resources?

The resource directory lists trustworthy free and public-domain material elsewhere: the confessions and catechisms, metrical psalters, classic children’s books and free curricula, each with a one-line note on what it is good for.