For most children, the concept of “one week” is a difficult length to comprehend. Trying to explain to a small child that Lent lasts for 40 days is nearly impossible. Instead of asking them to commit to an activity for 40 days or ignoring the season all together, try picking one small activity, act of kindness/giving, or moment of prayer to explore with your family for each day or week of Lent. Here are some ideas!
I will post tutorials and pictures as we get to them this season…
Ash Wednesday
- Print out pictures of faces (yours or random internet images) or color a picture of a face and draw crosses on the forehead with ashes or charcoal.
Lent (General)
- Add a purple cloth to table or mantle and discuss the purpose of purple during Lent
- Bury the Alleluia since it won’t be sung again at church until Easter
- Sacrifice/Kindness necklace (add a bead for every intentional sacrifice and kindness)
- Buy and deliver food for a local pantry or shelter
- Say a prayer for someone else
- Go around the house and point out things for which you are thankful, tallying 1¢ for each thing (donate at church or charity).
- Make “stained glass windows” with mess free fingerpaint or tissue paper crafts
- Pick up trash (with gloves) on your street, school, park, etc
- Cross puzzle (make a cross out of cardstock, cut the cross into pieces, and put back together)
- Give up a favorite food/item/habit for 1 day
- Go on a garden walk and talk about the Garden of Gethsemene
- Do an Easter Scavenger Hunt around your neighborhood
- Witness a sunrise/sunset
- REALLY dress up for church as a family
- Make a crown of thorns
- Visit a soup kitchen
- Place flowers in a colander and discuss the beauty of nature
- Attend daily mass or a service during the week
- Watch an Easter-related show
- Learn a new Bible verse
- Shop for Easter clothes
- Light a candle at church for a prayerful intention
- Read an age-appropriate Saint’s story (great opportunity for parents to get creative since most of these stories can be very graphic)
- Visit your church’s adoration chapel or explore your church’s worship areas you don’t ordinarily use
- Make a prayer chain
- Buy and deliver gifts for children in hospital or at a shelter
- Make pretzels (discuss their symbolism for this time of year)
- Fill bag of clothes and toys to donate
- Make a rosary (beads, edible, etc)
- Decorate your house for Easter
- Learn a new prayer
- Buy new Easter books and read them as a family
- Grow grass seeds in egg shells
- Dye, blow, and/or paint Easter eggs
- Make a kid-friendly Stations of the Cross
- Allow kids to play a Lent-themed app (we love this kids’ Bible app)
- Prepare and enjoy a nice dinner as a family
- Easter or Lent coloring pages (here’s one for Holy Week)
- Easter or Lent sticker projects
- Carnations craft
- Make temptation cookies (basically any cookie, but no one can eat them until the next day)
- Visit a nursing home
- Dress in purple
- Pay for someone else’s meal while out
- Look at the Stations of the Cross at your church
- Make a labyrinth and “pray” it together (you could also find one locally and walk it with your kids)
- If St. Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day fall during Lent, consider reading the stories of the saints (abridged for maturity level of your kids) and celebrating the holidays with a mind towards “sharing God’s love” (St. Valentine) or “sharing God’s Word” (St. Patrick).
- Lentopoly–While probably intended for older kids, it can be adjusted for younger children too!
Fridays (if abstaining from meat)
- Go out for filet o’ fish sandwiches, fish tacos, pasta, or any other meat-free meal (this is one of my favorite childhood memories from Lent)
- Prepare and cook a meatless meal as a family
Holy Week
- Wednesday/Thursday: Prepare a Passover seder
- Thursday: Weather permitting, play outside in bare feet and the wash each other’s feet
- Friday: Carnations craft (while you could do this anytime during Lent, I love doing this craft on Good Friday)
- Saturday: Make Resurrection cookies and/or rolls
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