Lent for Kids – ways to help children understand and celebrate the Lenten season.
Day 6 Lent – How do you do Lent for kids? Today, that’s what we are talking about. Here’s the deal. We are 6 days in to our 40 days of Lent Experiment. If you haven’t started doing anything for Lent – fret not.
Lent for Kids
While yes, it’s 40 days long – this Lenten season is all about honoring God. I’m sure He’d rather you spent 34 days finding ways to honor the time rather than zero.
Another thought on this, these things for lent that we are giving up or participating in shouldn’t be done unwillingly. It’s kind of like tithing.
Kids Lent Activities
Tithing with an ungrateful heart – nobody should want that money. Doing these Lent activities should be something that you are eager and grateful to participate in, or it’s a no.
I feel that Lent should be introduced to kids in a way to better understand what this holy season is about. As a child, being raised catholic – Lent was a bigger deal. (I wrote about being an Ex-Catholic if interested)
While I don’t remember being forced to give up anything specific – I do remember not eating meat on Fridays! There were some Catholic parents that were very strict on their children giving things up for Lent.
Personally, we are using these 40 days to be intentional with our kids. I want them to understand exactly why mom and dad attended Ash Wednesday service.
Lent for Kids – 5 Awesome Ways to Celebrate With Your Family
5 Ways to Celebrate Lent with Kids
Let’s talk more specifics about Lent for Kids – here are 5 ways to involve your kids in this season without forcing it down their throat.
You can always give us something, and if you do – use our Lent 40 days tracker – but if not, here are 5 options for celebrating Lent with kids.
1. Intentional Prayer
I mentioned this back on Lent Day 1 – one of the things that I am really trying to pay attention to is intentional prayer. This is a simple practice you an do with your children.
Rather than reciting the same blessing at dinner or night prayer – ask your kids who your family should pray for and then pray for those people.
Kids and Prayer
Last year, my son’s teacher lost her baby late into pregnancy. It was devastating.
He was in second grade and was so excited to meet his teacher’s baby. Then the teacher went on bed rest and the tragic loss of baby. We had a lot of explaining to do, which with the hell year we had in 2018 – this only added to the list of things our kids had to experience.
All that said, I had asked my sweet boy who we should pray for. He wanted to pray for his teacher, her baby and that God would give her a new baby.
Those sweet words out of an 8-year-old’s mouth made me feel like maybe i’m not totally failing at this parent thing.
Read a Mother’s Prayer
2. Encourage Your Kids to Ask Questions
Like my son did, when we attended Ash Wednesday service – encourage your kids to ask questions. Probing with questions often leads kids to ask more questions. I don’t know about your kids – but my kids, have NO problem with the asking questions thing! Thank goodness for Google!
3. Do a Family Devotional
While I hate bible studies, this family devotional about Lent was well done.
St. Paul’s United Methodist church out of Houston, TX has a fabulous Children’s Guide to Lent. Download it here.
This features readings and a great Lent for Kids explanation.
4. Celebrate Meat-free Days
Abstinence from meat one day a week is a universal act of penitence. Pick a day, as a child we did the Catholic tradition of no meat on Fridays. I still remember those gross salmon patties my mom would make (sorry mom, not a fan.) See our Vegan memes.
See all of our lent memes!
Rather than forcing kids to give up something for 40 days, doing meat-free days once a week allows you to participate in a Lent abstinence activity as a family.
Here is an interesting read on Wikipedia about the history of meat-free during Lent.
Did you know McDonalds Filet-o-Fish started with Lent? Here’s a fascinating read by Mental Floss on the subject. People are looking for alternatives to meat in honor of Lent and fish falls into the meat-free category. Filet-o-Fish fits the bill!
5. Take Your Kids to Church on Holy Days
Even if your church does not celebrate Lent, find a church that does and take your kids to the holy services. Let your kids experience a new way of thinking thru the perspective of another church.
There are 5 ways you can introduce this Lenten season to your children.
Check out these 80 things to give up for Lent. There are sure to be ideas for celebrating Lent with Kids!
Day 6 of Lent
Our family is on spring break this week and we are keeping it boring around here. My husband and I are working and the kids – well they are playing games, hanging with friends and sleeping in all day.
It’s a nice change from the crazy schedules we have managing the lives of 4 kids. I know our dogs appreciate having the kids home all day!
LaCroix Addiction Replaces Diet Coke Addiction
That Coke Zero / Diet Coke addiction is finally over the headache, fatigue point. Though, I will say I was looking forward to saving the extra $15 a week I probably spent on Diet Coke at the grocery store and eating out.
Pronouncing LaCroix
Well, now I am hooked on Coconut LaCroix. Also, if you are LaCroix drinker, how do your pronounce it? Please watch and LOL.
Be blessed, give grace and be kind.
