Explaining Baptism (Catholic) to a 4yo

[busymama77]

Sunday is DS2's Baptism and DS1 asked me what it was all about this morning. I told him who was going to attend, where it was going to be held, what DS2 was going to wear (he saw that it was a 'dress' but I told him that he wore the same outfit and so did DH) that DS2 would have some water sprinkled on to his head, etc., But to go in to more detail and explain further, what should I say?

[bax]

When our second was being baptized, I did a little "lesson" with our first. We read the story of Jesus's baptism in her children's Bible and made a poster board with an icon of Jesus's baptism on it and photos of her own baptism. We made a cut-out of a dove with paper feathers pasted on and a font with curliques of paper water. I showed her the baptismal gown and her candle. We poured water on a baby doll so she could feel the water. As far as the meaning of baptism, we talked about how baptism joins us to God's family in a special way, and it's a time that we are named and called "beloved" by God, the way that Jesus was at his baptism. Like a PP, we did not talk about sin (she was 2 1/2), but we may have talked about having a bath and then being clean and warm and happy and wrapped in a towel and hugged--that baptism is like that.

[lilyka]

Oh! such beautiful explanations.

[BeanyMama]

Congrats to you!!

I would start very simple, saying something like baby is joining the Church through this super special bath from Father and then let DS lead the rest of the convo with questions, if he has them.