Why We Love Handouts Over Textbooks
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Parents don't do well with books!All our research shows us that when you hand the parents a book, they usually feel it's "just too much." Giving them everything at once can be intimidating. But when you give them a manageable handout with the material for a single session, they jump in quickly!
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Children learn better with handoutsChildren need to handle, color, and write on the resource, but this is not very economical with books. But if children only read the text, it remains cognitive - a sort of head trip which is easily forgotten. That isn't real formation. BUT, when they mark it up, color it, and really use it, they can integrate it.
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Handouts are less expensiveWhen we deliver handouts to you electronically, you don't have to pay us for printing or postage, and can print them yourself inexpensively within the parish.
Parents can't attend every sessionThey often miss, due to the circumstances of daily life. When they do, you send home the resource for that lesson only via either email or postal mail. If you send home a book, they (1) can't find their way through it, (2) often misplace it, and (3) don't see the session-to-session flow of the preparation process.
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Handouts serve diverse families betterMany families have parents who don't live in the same home but are still involved with their children's education and faith formation process. With a handout format, you can easily provide both parents (even when they're divorced or separated) with the resource so both can take a role in preparing their children.
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Handouts can always go homeBecause the handouts each have the content for only the current lesson, they can always go home. With books, you end up having to collect them or worry about families forgetting to return them for the next lesson (and/or saving them from year to year). Since handouts can go home, children can complete any unfinished activities, show other family members, review, etc.
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Handouts bring faith into the homeAt-home activities are so important for building households of faith that continue to grow after the sacramental preparation period. If we get families to practice praying, reading the Bible together, faith-sharing, serving and forgiving each other, learning about their faith, etc. in between sessions, some of that will stick. If books go home, they may be forgotten there. But our handouts--with their at home pages--can stay home.
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