Children's Lent Activities

Lent, the 40-day period leading up to the resurrection of Jesus in Christian practice, is a time set aside for reflection and prayer. Many people mark Lent by fasting from certain foods or by giving up something else in order to deepen their spiritual understanding. Concepts like this may be difficult for young children to understand when explained in a dry manner. Fortunately, there are a number of great Lenten activities out there that you can use with children in your family, Sunday school class or parochial school to help convey to them the meaning of this time of reflection.

If a child is being encouraged to give up something for Lent, the period can seem like an abstractly long time. By creating a Lenten calendar, you can help your children to realize the importance of each day of Lent as an opportunity for spiritual growth and giving to others. On the calendar, you can mark each day of Lent or day of the week during Lent with a different prayer. For example, maybe on the first Thursday of Lent, you can encourage your children to pray a special prayer for the sick, or each Sunday, you could suggest that they pray for peace throughout the world. Encouraging your children to say these different prayers will help them to understand the number of people that are suffering in the world but also grasp the power of God to intercede in their lives. Another good thought associated with the calendar is to choose a charity for each day or week (or one charity for the entirety of Lent). Each day, have your children count their blessings, either all together or divided into categories, like family members, friends or pets. Have your children donate a certain amount of money (as little as a penny is fine) for each blessing that they can think of. This activity will help them to see the value of responding to the blessings God has bestowed on them by giving to others.