Usually children learn how to pray starting with “Theotokos”. And they rightly do so. Because Theotokos is the Mather of the entire Christianity. And as “mother” and “father” are the first words in children’s vocabulary, in a similar way his first conversations with God should start with “Theotokos” and “our Father”. In the same time they should learn for their dear ones, and with prayer children will learn how to cross themselves.

Saint John Chrysostom advices mothers as follows: “Mothers, first of all, teach your children how to cross themselves, even before they are able to do it on their own: you do it for them. When they will grow up, watch that do it properly on their own, with no rush”. 

(Translated from Nikolaj Evgrafovich Pestov, Cum să ne creștem copiii: calea spre desăvârșita bucurie, traducere din limba rusă de Lucia Ciornea, Editura Sophia, București, 2005, p. 44)