By Susan Ciancio
Can you feel the excitement in the air? It’s nearly the beginning of another school year—another year to learn with your students, another year to see the wonder in their eyes, and another year to take control of their learning environment and make the experience as rich as you possibly can.
You’ve planned out everything for history, science, geography, English, and math, but wait! Something is missing! Don’t forget to weave in pro-life education, too. I bet you’re thinking, How can I add in one more thing? I don’t even know where to start!
Never fear! At the Culture of Life Studies Program, we understand your struggles and your time constraints. We have been there too! That’s why we’ve created our lessons to fit perfectly into many different subjects. And that’s why we’ve created this handy guide for you.
Now is the perfect time to begin a pro-life education with your students. We want to help, so we did all the research for you and created this awesome list of activities, lessons, suggestions, and special days (and ways!) to celebrate with kids of all ages. So plan ahead and dig in! We start with some ideas for September, and with many of our lessons in downloadable form, you have plenty of time to get ready!
Begin the year with an adventure you can make last all year long! Not only does this Spiritual Adoption Activity Book help young children learn about the beauty of preborn babies, but the activities help them dialogue with you about their own in-the-womb experience. If you’re a mom, you’ll will love sharing your pregnancy stories with your little ones—and they will love hearing how they used to kick you, poke you, and sit on your bladder. Our teachers tell us that their students delight at this nine-month journey. This adventure really keeps the conversation going all year long!
September is also Baby Safety Month. Remind students that the easiest way to keep babies safe is to recognize their dignity! Stand up for babies (born and preborn) this month by being active on social media. Older students can get creative by making memes and by posting on Facebook or Instagram the message that baby safety must include making the womb a safe place to live! Our lesson entitled Defend Life: The Beauty of the Developing Human Being will help middle school kids and older understand the value and worth of the preborn baby. Younger students can pray for the safety of babies who are growing in their mommies’ tummies.
Labor Day! Explain that dads and moms—inside and outside the house—work hard for their families and that hard work is something to be proud of. Put away the electronic devices and play a game as a family.
September 5 is the feast day of St. Teresa of Calcutta. Use our lesson to teach your children about this very special saint who cared for the poorest of the poor.
September 8 is the Blessed Mother’s birthday. It’s a great day to go over the concepts in our lesson on Mary and her fiat. There is no more perfect example of pro-life love than our Blessed Mother! Also, check out or blog post Celebrating the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary for lots of pro-life ways to celebrate the Blessed Mother’s Birthday!
The first Sunday after Labor Day is Grandparents Day. Help your young children write a card or draw a picture for a grandparent. Encourage your older kids to initiate a conversation with a grandparent, even if it’s via text. Talk about the importance of taking care of older family members. And don’t forget those living in nursing homes. Many older people have no one to visit them. Read our blog full of tips for making the most of your visit to a nursing home.
September 9 is the Feast of St. Peter Claver. St. Peter fostered a culture of life by taking care of enslaved African Americans, tending to their illnesses, and teaching them about Christ. Read about his life and discuss ways that you and your students can make an impact in your community by helping others.
September 11 is Patriots’ Day! Remind students of the brave men and women who have given their lives so we can all enjoy the freedoms this country has to offer. Make sure to talk about how we must all sacrifice and bravely fight to defend preborn babies, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and others whom the culture of death is attacking.
September 14 is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Read the history of this feast day and talk about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Our lesson on the medieval poem “Dream of the Rood” is perfect for older kids and will help them gain a deeper understanding of this sacrifice.
Now is a great time to start going to the library or bookstore to find some new books. Want to know which are appropriate for families? Check out our free book discussion guides at culture-of-life-studies.myshopify.com/collections/book-discussion-guide.
September 23 is the Feast of St. Padre Pio, who famously said “Pray. Hope. And don’t worry.” Read about his life, his devotion to the sick (he even opened a hospital!), and the fact that he was blessed with the stigmata. Explain the stigmata to your children and help them understand how it is a great blessing. Research other saints (like St. Francis of Assisi) who have also been blessed with the stigmata. Have your children collect gently used toys or write letters to sick children in the hospital.
September 24 is the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. Explain the concept of mercy and help students understand why God has infinite mercy for His children. Pray that God will have mercy on those whose hearts have been hardened toward life and that He will show them the beauty and dignity of preborn babies, senior citizens, and those with disabilities. Say a few Hail Marys or a decade of the Rosary together and ask for the ability to have mercy on the people you encounter in your life.
September 26 is World Contraception Day. While the rest of the world promotes immorality by advocating for contraception, fight back against the culture by engaging your students in a conversation about the contraceptive mentality and how it has harmed families and our culture. Visit Sangervideo.com and help older students learn the truth about Margaret Sanger, the woman who spearheaded the culture of death in America and who brought us contraception and abortion.
September 27 is the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul. Read about his life and about his work with the poor and infirm. Then have your children gather some toys and books they no longer play with or use to donate to a local charity or hospital. Building a culture of life requires that we show respect and love for all human beings.
September 28 is Good Neighbor Day. Help spread a culture of life on your street by doing a random act of kindness for a neighbor. Have one of your teens mow someone’s lawn. Bake cookies for an elderly neighbor. Take fresh flowers to someone. Whatever you do, encourage kids to include a short note that says something like “Dear neighbor, We just wanted to put a smile on your face and remind you that you are special! Have a blessed day!”
Little ones love to color! And sometimes moms need little ones to sit and color! The Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book is a great way to keep little hands busy and to help kids learn the ABCs of Life at the same time. Each page in this coloring book contains an activity for your student and a short sentence that explains an age-appropriate pro-life concept.
All of these lessons and suggestions are phenomenal ways to help build a culture of life in your homes. And by adding pro-life education to your children’s education, you are building a firm foundation that our secular world will have a difficult time destroying. So don’t hesitate! Begin their pro-life education today!