In his 2002 apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Most Holy Rosary), Pope John Paul II described the Rosary as “a treasure to be rediscovered.” He commented: “It is also beautiful and fruitful to entrust to this prayer the growth and development of children.”

There's no time like the start of October, Month of the Rosary, to reflect on what the devotion means to our children as well as ourselves — and to renew our commitment to pray it as a family every day.

Before becoming a full-time mother, I taught a class of Catholic 7-and 8-year-olds in the months running up to their first holy Communion. My experiences during this time brought home to me how much children can gain from praying the Rosary. It also gave me the chance to “rediscover the treasure” for myself, and to “Behold, your Mother!” in a way that is unfamiliar to many contemporary Catholics.

Experience has shown me that children benefit from being taught the traditional prayers associated with the Rosary. Even if they only gain a glimpse of an understanding, it may come back to them in later life, perhaps when they are in desperate need of help and comfort.

A wonderful message for children is to liken each Hail Mary they say to sending an imaginary rose to Mary in heaven. The more thought they put into the words, the more beautiful the flower will become. I know this might sound overly sweet and sentimental, but from what I have seen, that is exactly what children respond to.

The Rosary is a disciplined method of praying; it graces us with time to think and reflect. This goes far in helping children to understand that praying is not the same as making wishes. As one girl in my class put it after her sister failed an exam she had been praying to pass: “It would not have worked out for the best this time. It's like a driving test, and if she'd passed she would have crashed the car.”

In our classroom we had a special board so the children could write their prayers on Post-It notes and stick them on. We would try to spend five minutes at the end of the day saying a decade of the Rosary for all the intentions on the board. Of course, there were the usual things you would expect from little children — prayers for sick hamsters, lost toys and such.

However, there were also others, more serious, that left a lasting impression on me. One child asked the Blessed Mother's intercession for two girls who had gone missing and were believed to have been abducted by a stranger. Another asked simply, “Mary, please look after Jesus because he died on the cross.”

Through learning with children I had the chance to “discover with Mary the face of Christ.” In the words of one child: “It's like I know Mary is holding me tight at night and keeping me safe. All of them who are in heaven warm me like a fire on a cold day.”

I hope other parents and teachers of my generation will seek out similar opportunities to share the Rosary with children, for blessings will be sure to come not only to the children — but to the parents and teachers as well.

Rachel O'Brien writes from Gateshead, England.