New
New
Year 3

Christian rites of passage : confirmation and believer's baptism

I can explain why rites of passage are important to different Christians.

New
New
Year 3

Christian rites of passage : confirmation and believer's baptism

I can explain why rites of passage are important to different Christians.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Some Christians have a ceremony of confirmation to make the promises themselves to live as a Christian.
  2. Many Roman Catholic children have a ceremony to mark their first communion. This is a big event for the whole family.
  3. Some Christians baptise older children and adults who choose to commit to the faith themselves.
  4. We can better understand different Christian attitudes to baptism and confirmation by talking to different Christians.

Keywords

  • Faith - belief that is not based on proof

  • Confirmation - a ceremony where a person chooses to confirm their Christian faith and make promises to live as a Christian

  • Believer's baptism - a baptism ceremony for older children or adults who choose to be baptised as an outward sign of following Jesus

  • Commitment - a promise or decision to stick to something, like staying faithful to Christian beliefs

Common misconception

Christians all celebrate the same ceremony to mark adulthood.

There are a variety of ceremonies different Christians might experience.


To help you plan your year 3 religious education lesson on: Christian rites of passage : confirmation and believer's baptism, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Invite a local Christian to share their experiences of baptism, confirmation, or first communion. Show short video clips of people talking about what these rites of passage meant to them. You can also share stories from people of different Christian denominations to highlight diversity of beliefs.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What is a rite of passage?
a type of church building
Correct answer: a special event showing life changes
a Christian holiday
Q2.
Some Christians welcome a into the Christian faith through baptism or dedication.
Correct Answer: baby, Baby
Q3.
Who can have infant baptism or dedication?
only boys
only girls
Correct answer: boys and girls
Q4.
In infant baptism, the priest gently sprinkles on the baby’s head.
Correct Answer: water, Water

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Match each word to the correct meaning.
Correct Answer:Confirmation,Ceremony where a person chooses to confirm their Christian faith

Ceremony where a person chooses to confirm their Christian faith

Correct Answer:Believer’s Baptism,Baptism ceremony for people who choose to be baptised

Baptism ceremony for people who choose to be baptised

Correct Answer:Commitment,A promise or decision to stick to something

A promise or decision to stick to something

Q2.
Roman Catholic children first receive and wine at their first communion.
Correct Answer: bread, Bread
Q3.
What does believer’s baptism show?
That a baby has been named
That a person has finished school
Correct answer: That a person commits to following Jesus
Q4.
All Christians celebrate the same ceremony to mark adulthood.
True – all churches follow the same steps
Correct answer: False – Christians have different ceremonies
Only Roman Catholics have special ceremonies