Ideas for the Family: Lent, Easter, & Resurrection
What would you like your children to take away from this Lenten season?
Before you read on, take some time to think about how you hope to shepherd your family in this season. What stands out to you about the Lent season? What is God teaching you? Maybe there is a way the Holy Spirit is guiding you to press in during this time.
Below you will find some ideas of how to engage with Lent as a family. This is not exhaustive nor would we recommend doing them all. Choose one activity or prayer that feels doable for your family with your aged children. This is not a season based upon doing more or performing, instead it is about slowing down, intentionally creating space to meditate on Jesus, come with our needs, and rest in God’s love and grace
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Consider creating a space designated for Lent. This could be a small table covered with a purple cloth, a closet with string lights, or a windowsill or small box to hold some lenten elements. In this space you can have a place to hold prayers (see prayer activities), a bible or picture book (some ideas can be found at our Lent Resource Table) or some other Lenten symbols. You can house your Lenten activities here and have it be a reminder in your living space about the journey you are going through as a family.
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Paper Chain: Create a over the course of lent by adding one link every day. You may choose to add a prayer or a memory from that day to the chain as you add them. Once complete, the chain can be a part of your Easter festivities.
Witness Growth: Lent is about transformation. To help make this idea more concrete, consider planting something during lent. Simply plant a seed and keep it in a visible place, taking care to water it and watch it grow. You could keep a journal of what you observe over time. Take note of how a seed and dirt transform over time.
Family Journal/Smash Book: Place a blank journal in your Lenten Space (or on your dining room table). Each member of your family can add to the cover, with pictures, words, or cut out images. Throughout the Easter season, take turns creating pages inside. These may contain prayers, doodles, notes, photos, poems, memories, highs and lows. Let the journal unfold with the season, try not to put too many parameters around the journal letting each member of your family use their creativity. If you need more guidance, choose a lenten word for the day and let that inspire you (words include: dust, grow, transform, release, create, rest, wait, free, light, shadow, journey, resurrection)
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Candle Prayers: Lighting candles to represent prayers is a tradition that spans many centuries. Candle flames are a simple way to make the prayers of our hearts visible. A few ways to do this: 1. As you light a candle say “The light of this candle represents God’s love for us and for all people. Whenever we pass by, we will remember God’s love for all”. 2. You can write specific prayer requests or people you want to pray for under the candle. As you light the candle pray out loud “God, this candle is my prayer for _____.” When you extinguish the candle say “Hear my prayer. Amen.”
Easter Egg Prayers: Fill an Easter basket with open plastic eggs. Encourage family members to write or draw their prayers on slips of paper and close them up in an egg. Once the basket is full, take time to sit together and open the eggs and read the prayers.
Beads for Prayers: Use different colored beads to prompt different types of prayer (i.e. pink for gratitude, yellow for self, green for others, and purple for the world). Make a strand of a mix of these beads and use them during prayer time to help you guide through prayer together. Or have children draw beads (or jelly beans!) and have the color dictate the prayer for that day.
Additional Resources for You and Your Family
Lectio 365 Lent Series | Online devotionals ideal for adults and teens.
Little Way Chapel | Devotionals and guides for families to do together. Ideal for children and little ones.
The Sinner/Saint Lenten Devotional | Explore the gift of repentance that turns us back to Christ and his finished work. Ideal for adults.
Trusting God in the Wilderness | An invitation to journey like Jesus did in his 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. If we desire God, the wilderness is where transformation occurs. Ideal for adults.
Faithful Families: Lent, Easter and Resurrection | Find dozens of fun and easy practices for celebrating the Easter season as a family. Ideal for families of all ages and stages.
Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter | Help children experience the true meaning of lent, cultivating generosity, and preparing their hearts for Easter.