For Schools
For Parishes
Grow in Love
for Schools
A Fresh Approach to Religious Education
Grow in Love is the Religious Education programme for primary schools in Ireland. It follows the Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland.
This series uses engaging, child-friendly methods to teach Christian doctrine, Scripture, morality, and prayer. Through stories, poems, art, drama, and music, children explore their faith in meaningful and creative ways. Designed for both classroom and home use, each weekly lesson in the pupil's book features different pages for use at school and at home, thereby encouraging parents/guardians to see and be involved with what their children are learning at school.
Available for Junior Infants - Sixth Class (Primary 1 - Primary 7)
I nGrá Dé
All eight Grow in Love textbooks are also available in the Irish language.
The I nGrá Dé series is available for children attending Irish language schools and in Gaeltacht areas.
Grow in Love for children with special educational needs
This programme for Second Class/Primary 4 SEN children addresses three levels of need:
• Mild needs (Book A)
• Moderate needs (Book B)
• Severe needs (Book C)
Each child will receive a pack with
three components:
• The adapted version of the Second
Class/Primary 4 Grow in Love
Children’s Book for children
with either mild, moderate or
severe learning needs
• A Social Story book,
containing a story for First
Reconciliation and a story for First
Communion
• An Activity Book, with
activities for First Reconciliation
and First Communion
There are online Teacher Notes and Lesson Plans, as well as videos, music and additional online resources, to accompany the student texts. These are free to schools who order the student textbooks.
Souvenir of My Confirmation Year
This colourful, fully illustrated journal contains activities and reflection exercises that will help to consolidate what the students are taught in the Grow in Love programme during their Confirmation year. You may choose the book relating to either
Fifth Class/P7 or Sixth Class, depending on which year your class is celebrating Confirmation.
Souvenir of My Confirmation Year for Fifth and Sixth Class is also available in Irish - Cuimhneachán ar mo Bhliain Chóineartaithe.
Multi-Class Guide
Grow in Love for Multi-Class Situations. A guide for teachers who are teaching in classrooms with children from more than one class level.
Visitation Guide
Grow in Love, Connecting Parish and School is a guide for priests and other parish personnel visiting schools.
There are outline suggestions provided for five visits to the various class groups during the year, each one specifically tailored to tie in with what the children will be learning in Religion class at that particular time of year.
A sample ‘visit plan’ for each of these five visits is also provided, along with a blank template that may be filled out before each visit.
Grow in Love in the Parish
A Parish-Based Companion to the Grow in Love School Programme
Grow in Love in the Parish complements the Second Class / Primary 4 Grow in Love programme used in primary schools. It strengthens the Home–School–Parish partnership by involving children and their families in parish life during the year the children prepare for First Communion and First Reconciliation.
The programme is designed to help children:
- Experience a deeper sense of belonging in the parish community
- Develop a greater appreciation for the Church and its traditions
- Find their place in Sunday Mass, as active participants in the faith
Parish Newsletters
The newsletters, distributed at a monthly Mass, are designed to run in parallel with the Grow in Love for schools programme and reinforce key concepts and mirror the themes, providing a bridge between home, school, and parish.
The programme includes engaging prayer activities for children and reflective faith questions for parents to encourage discussions at home.
The newsletter has four common features:
- "This Month's Feature" which is linked with the topics covered in the Grow in Love school programme. Example; October - The Rosary
- "With your child this month" highlight aspects of the Grow in Love programme that helps parents open discussions with their children based on their in-school learnings
- "For Parents" written in a more approachable language for adults, for parents to read and enrich their own faith.
- "Prayers" introduce, each month, a new prayer, designed to be cut out and displayed on the child’s poster, helping to establish a regular family prayer rhythm.
Parish Leader Notes
The Parish Leaders' Book is designed for priests and parish leaders, providing speaking notes that align with the key themes of each month’s newsletter and can be incorporated into the homily. It also includes a short note for the parish newsletter to raise awareness of the preparation programme for children celebrating Communion and Reconciliation.
In addition, it offers practical tips for setting up a prayer space in the church and preparing materials for use during Sunday Mass, as needed, such as Holy Water in January.
Its main purpose is to help foster a shared language of faith among parents, children, and the parish community.