Catholics around the world recognize a child’s First Communion as a monumental occasion. Not typically done until a child is seven or eight, First Communion symbolizes a child becoming part of the Catholic church. It’s their agreement to the faith and willingness to abide by it. It’s usually done at the Eucharist, which is symbolic of the Last Supper for the Catholic faith. Everyone dresses up, typically in white, and there’s usually a party afterwardespecially in Italian Catholic families. If your child is celebrating their First Communion this year, here are some memorable ways you can congratulate them on their new journey in their faith!
- Send out announcement cards. Announce your child’s First Communion by sending out cards to all your friends and family! While having a large First Communion party might not be an option this year, you can still send out announcement cards as a way to commemorate the event! Send out the announcement cards early so that you can have friends and family mail their First Communion gifts to you.
- Have a small family dinner. Get the people in your household together for a small and intimate family dinner! You can either cook the food yourself or, as a special treat for your kid, order food from their favorite restaurant! They will love getting to eat their favorite meal from their favorite place. It’s a great opportunity for celebration, but it also allows your child to spend quality time with the people who are there to support their religious journey the most.
- Create a theme. Themed parties for kids are best. It helps guide parents in knowing what to get as gifts. Plus, the kids really enjoy all the themed decorations! You can go with a variety of religious themes for your child’s First Communion celebration, including seeds or grapes! The adults you invite to the celebration can then use that theme to purchase personalized Christian gifts to give your child.
- Give them a box of prayers. Reach out to your close friends and family members early on and ask them all to mail you a handwritten prayer for your child. Place all the prayers into a decorative box and then give it to your child on their First Communion! It’s a sweet way to get everyone involved, especially if they can’t be there with you as you celebrate.
- Schedule a photoshoot. Their First Communion attire is importantand so is commemorating the big day. Scheduling a photoshoot with a professional photographer is a great way to memorialize the occasion! Choose an outdoor area, such as a park or beach, and have photos taken of your child in their First Communion wear. You can also talk with the staff at your church to see about doing a special photoshoot right there at the sanctuary. Then, you can get a personalized picture frame, place a photo of your child in it and hang it on the living room wall for all to see!
- Color it out. You can commemorate the event with a coloring book! Spend the afternoon coloring with your child to memorialize their First Communion. Using religious scenes, First Communion coloring pages can help your child continue to recognize the importance of First Communion and process their new journey. Plus, coloring can relieve anxiety, so it’s great for you, too! Grab the First Communion coloring book and get to coloring. You and your child will have so much fun!
- Hang a banner outside. Just because you can’t have a huge party doesn’t mean you can’t let the neighborhood know about your kid’s First Communion! Hang a large outdoor banner on your front porch. Your neighbors can leave congratulations at your door, all for your child! It’s a fun way to get the neighborhood involved, plus it shows how proud you are of your child!
- Host a drive-through First Communion party. Get all your friends and family together safely for your child’s First Communion party this year by having them celebrate with a drive-through party! They can decorate signs and get different party gear to use as they drive down a line along your street. You and the kiddo can stand in the yard to wave at everyone and thank them for celebrating with you. When you can’t have everyone together in your house, this is a great alternative.
- Bake a First Communion cake. What better way to celebrate a milestone like First Communion than with a cake? It’s important you do this together instead of buying one because the process can involve both of you. It takes time and patience, much like their relationship with God. Then, you get to eat cake! Have some fun with the frosting and decorating, too.
- Light the baptism candle. Your child most likely has a baptism candle already, so light it for dinner on the night of the First Communion! Because of First Communion’s significance to your child’s relationship with the Catholic faith, it’s important you incorporate other aspects of the faith to remind them of how everything works together and what their purposes are.
- Give them a religious gift. One of the many traditions of a child’s First Communion includes giving them a gift or two. Give them a religious gift with a religious purpose, such as a personalized Bible or rosary. You can also give them a piece of religious jewelry, or even an ornament for them to hang on their Christmas tree. While they might seem like small gifts, they’re actually very important and practicalboth things that your child will need on their religious journey.
- Make a special breakfast. The whole day is special, so why not make your child a special First Communion breakfast? Go wild with their favorite breakfast meals, or even bring them breakfast in bed! Either way, making the morning before Mass special for them will emphasize the importance of the day. They’ll be very excited, and they’ll probably be up early anyway.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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