Whether you homeschool, are involved with Church School, or just want Orthodox resources to supplement your child’s education… well, you’re in the right place! We’ll break it down by age, but first we’ll start with some options that are great for all ages.
Coloring! Whether you want coloring books, printed coloring sheets, or digital downloads of coloring pages, we’ve got it! Our favorite “all ages” coloring books are Seasons with the Saints and Beautiful Days, while the packs of 20 assorted saints/feasts coloring pages are great for pulling out at quiet time or during read alouds. We also offer a digital download of coloring sheets for all of the great feasts (and it’s just $5!), which is helpful if you need to print multiple copies for Church School classes, co-ops, or just to have at home!
Orthodox Pebbles learning sets! These felt sets are an interactive learning tool to help kids better understand the feasts and icons that they represent. You cut out the pieces from a sheet of felt (I’ve done it, and it took me about 30 minutes), and use them to act out or piece together the elements of the icon. You can use these year after year, and as a bonus you can find printable activities on her website that go with each learning set (you’ll find a code to access them on the back of the card that comes with the learning set).
Books! We love ALL the books we offer, but the Children’s Synaxarion set from Potamitis Publishing is a wonderful resource to use as part of your homeschool day, in Church School, or just to add to your home library. They feature a saint for everyday, and include a short biography, map, and fun facts. They are full color, beautifully illustrated, and true treasures! Other favorite books are 101 and 102 Orthodox Saints from Ancient Faith, and the Elder Cleopa series from St Sebastian Press.
Feast Day Fun card set! Each set comes with 78 cards that detail the icon, name, date, Troparion, and Fun Facts of each great feast plus Pascha. Families can use these cards to play matching games, Go Feast, or band together to put the feasts in order chronologically (it’s harder than you think).
Tea Time with the Saints! Written by a priest’s wife, these sweet books have 5 bite-size bits about a saint for each week, designed to be shared daily with your family over a cup of tea. We also love the icon studies that they include, and you get a pack with a couple of icon cards to display, quotes from saints, and themed recipes. These are available as printed books and packets or as a digital download, and each volume is 2 months at a time.
Now let’s talk preschool and early writer resources! For learning the alphabet, favorites are “Teaching the Alphabet Using Orthodox Christian Terminology, Saints, and Images,” “O is for Orthodox,” and “My Saints’ ABC.” “Today My Priest Wear White” and “The Orthodox Search and Find Book Jr” are perfect for practicing colors, while “My First Church Counting Book” is great for practicing numbers! If you’re ready to practice writing, “Little Saints Book” is a copywork book, and the Early Writers version has Scripture, saints’ quotes, and poetry for the child to trace, and you can choose a spiral bound version or a digital download to print your own. “Orthodox Kindergarten” is a sweet book for preschoolers with simple activities to read together.
For lower elementary kids, “I Believe” (also available as a digital download) and “The Creed Coloring Book” are wonderful resources for memorizing the Creed. “Wisdom of the Saints” and “Little Saints Book” (lower elementary, printed and digital download versions) both provide edifying options for copywork. The Orthodox Basics activity book can be enjoyed by itself, but also pairs with the series of videos that Orthodox Pebbles created for Ancient Faith Kids’ youtube channel. The Family Prayer Journal provides a sweet opportunity for the child to practice writing and drawing, while creating a prayer book that you can use daily and is personalized for your family!
Upper elementary kids can start their day with the “Prayer before school” from Pray Always. Royal Saints is a wonderful coloring book for older kids, with detailed drawings of saints who were also royalty in addition to a short biography surrounded by a hand drawn border to be colored! “Little Saints Book” is also available for upper elementary students, as both print and digital download versions. The study journals from Family Chotki are incredible resources for deep dives into the feasts. They way that they are written and arranged (more like someone’s journal with lots of illustrations) make them easier for kids to read rather than just blocks of text.
Now some resources for the incredible people who facilitate the learning… the teachers! For the classroom, this poster of the Liturgical Calendar of the Orthodox Church is beautiful and educational. “Accessible Church School” shares wisdom and practical advice about setting up a classroom and preparing lessons that enable children with many learning differences to fully engage and learn. “Since God Loves You and You Know It Sing Out Loud!” is a fun book with text for songs about the Bible, Saints, and Orthodoxy, set to tunes you already know like “Old MacDonald had a farm”! “Into the Flames” (plays about saints) and “Old Testament Games and Relays” take the work out of coming up with engaging activities. “A Walk Through Acts” is a full year of Church School curriculum (and we’ll be carrying the new curriculum coming from Ancient Faith and Illumination Learning this summer!). We also offer a brand new Vacation Church School curriculum (that is a digital download) all about St Herman of Alaska!
There are also wonderful, FREE resources, like Illumination Learning, Sparks 4 Orthodox, Orthodox Pebbles, plus art tutorials, videos about saints, and catchy songs on Ancient Faith Kids Youtube channel. If you know of a great resource that we’re missing, let us know by e-mailing hello@drawneardesigns.com!
