Guide

What does a weekly catechism schedule look like?

A good weekly catechism schedule takes one new question each week and spends about ten minutes a day on it, five days a week: hear it Monday, say it Tuesday, write it Wednesday, review it Thursday and show it Friday. The Lord's Day adds nothing new, and every tenth week is for review.

Household Theology Press, a project of Michael Tribett · Last updated November 15, 2026

How does the weekly schedule work?

The schedule teaches one new catechism question each week in about ten minutes a day. Each weekday has one job: hear, say, write, review and show. The Lord’s Day adds no new work. Every tenth week is a review week with no new question, so older answers stay fresh.

Print the one-page version at /printables/weekly-catechism-schedule/ and put it on the fridge.

What do you say each day?

Each day has a short script you can read aloud as written. The examples below use question 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Swap in any question. The scripts take five to ten minutes, and the time limit matters more than finishing every step.

Monday: hear it

Read the question and answer twice, slowly, while the children listen.

“This week’s question is: What is the chief end of man? The answer is: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Listen again.”

Then pick one word. “What does ‘chief’ mean? It means the main one, the first in importance.” Finish by looking up one proof reference from the question page together, such as 1 Corinthians 10:31. Read it from your Bible and ask, “How does this verse fit the answer?”

Tuesday: say it

Use call and response. You ask, the children answer.

“What is the chief end of man?” (Children answer with you.) “Again.” (Children answer alone.) “One more time, as fast as you can.”

For a long answer, teach it in phrases. Say the first phrase together until it is solid, then add the next. The guide How do you help children memorize the catechism? shows how to split a long answer.

Wednesday: write it

Hand out the copywork page from the question’s page. Children trace the answer on the first line, then copy it on the line below.

“Say each word as you write it. Take your time. Neat and slow beats fast and messy.”

Children who cannot write yet can trace a few words, or say the answer while you write it for them. See What is copywork? for ages and session length.

Thursday: review it

Pull this week’s memory card and the four before it. Shuffle them.

“I’ll read the question. Whoever knows it, raise a hand. Then we’ll all say it together.”

Keep the pace quick. If a card is shaky, set it aside and do it twice more at the end.

Friday: show it

Each child recites the answer alone. Then ask one family discussion question from the question’s page.

“Who would like to say this week’s answer first?” (Each child recites.) “Well done. Now, here is a question to think about…”

Let the discussion run as long as it is going well. Friday is the best day for real conversation, because the words are already learned.

The Lord’s Day

Do no new work. At a meal, ask the week’s question once and let anyone answer. That is all. A child who answers well at the table on Sunday has finished the week.

How fast will you get through a catechism?

At one question a week with a review week every tenth week, the Westminster Shorter Catechism’s 107 questions take a little over two years. The Catechism for Young Children’s 145 questions take about three years at one a week, or about half that for older children taking two a week.

Suggested starting points, offered as suggestions and not rules:

• About ages 3 to 8: the Catechism for Young Children. Older children in this range can take two questions a week: introduce both on Monday and handle them together each day.
• From about age 8, or when a child reads well: the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

These totals include the review weeks. In a review week, skip Monday’s new question and drill the last ten cards each day instead.

How do you use the schedule with several ages at once?

Run one ten-minute time for the whole family and adjust each child’s part. You can keep everyone on the same question, with older children doing more, or run two catechisms side by side, with little ones on the Catechism for Young Children and older children on the Shorter Catechism. Both work.

One catechism for everyone. Everyone learns the same question. Older children answer alone first, look up the proof reference themselves and copy without tracing. Younger children answer with you and trace only part of the page.

Two catechisms side by side. Ask the young children’s question first, while the little ones are fresh. Then ask the older children’s question. Let the little ones listen. Some will pick up parts of the longer answers just by hearing them.

Some practical adjustments:

Letting an older child run Thursday’s drill gives them review and gives you a breather.

What should you do when you miss a week?

Pick up where you left off. The schedule is a list of questions to work through in order, so a missed week simply means the same question next week. Do not try to double up to catch up. Two rushed questions in one week tend to leave both of them shaky.

If you miss a single day, skip that day’s job and carry on with the next day’s. If you miss several weeks, use the next week as a review week: drill the last ten cards every day, then start the new question the week after.

A missed week is ordinary. Illness, travel and new babies interrupt most families sooner or later. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 pictures God’s words talked about through the ordinary rhythms of home life, and a schedule that bends with those rhythms will last longer than one that breaks.

Where to go next

• Print the weekly catechism schedule.
• Print memory cards and copywork in sets of ten from the Shorter Catechism printables or the Catechism for Young Children printables.
• Start with question 1 of the Catechism for Young Children or question 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.