7 Ways to Share the Season of Repentance and Salvation With Young Hearts| National Catholic Register

Our traditional Lenten practices can certainly be shared with the younger members of the Church, helping us to pray together as parishes, schools and families.

Each year the whole Church is invited into the wilderness on a Lenten journey. These 40 days of penance and preparation help us to turn our hearts back to God and remind us that Jesus is the source of our salvation. Our traditional Lenten practices can certainly be shared with the younger members of the Church, helping us to pray together as parishes, schools and families. 

Here are some ideas for sharing the season of Lent with kids:

1. Find practical, kid-friendly ways to pray, fast and give. The days of Lent can seem daunting to a small child. Maybe instead of committing to one Lenten sacrifice for the whole season, make a list of practical ways that your family can pray, fast and give. The items can be seemingly small but could bear much fruit over the course of the season: Pray a decade of the Rosary on the way to school, fast from TV or music for a day, or clean out closets to find items to donate. Then, throughout Lent, check items off the list as you complete them.

2. Pray the Stations of the Cross together. While many parishes have scheduled times to pray the Stations of the Cross, did you know you can also pray them together at home? Look for a book written specifically for children to pray with. For very young children, you could also make a hands-on set of Stations of the Cross with objects representing each moment of Jesus’ walk to Calvary, like a bandage for each of his falls, a tissue for the weeping women of Jerusalem, and a cross to hold for the Crucifixion. Your family could visit your parish outside of regular Mass times and slowly walk the Stations of the Cross, giving the children time to look at the details in the art while talking about Jesus’ great love for us.

3. Try some new Lenten recipes. We often think of Advent as a time when families bake and cook together, but Lent can bring its own specialties to the kitchen. You could bake pretzels, a traditional Lenten snack. Pretzels have long been shared during Lent since their simple ingredients follow fasting regulations and because their shape reminds us of a common prayer posture, crossing your arms over your chest. Lent is also the perfect time to try out some new meatless meals on Fridays, maybe even making your own recipe collection to use as a family.

4. Highlight the “smells and bells” of the season. Lent is full of opportunities to pray using all five senses. From receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday to waving palm branches on Palm Sunday, Lent gives children many unique ways to participate in the liturgy. Point out the covered statues on Passion Sunday, the use of light and darkness during the Triduum, the importance of holy water at the Easter vigil, and the smells of incense and Easter lilies on Easter morning. 

5. Model repentance and reconciliation. Lent is a season for returning to the Lord. As a family, this can look like intentionally modeling forgiveness to one another, as well as being mindful of being reconciled with God, just like the story of the Prodigal Son. Set aside time to talk together about how to ask for forgiveness as well as how to extend it to another. If your children are old enough, help them to prepare and then receive the sacrament of confession.

6. Share the stories of the saints of Lent. We always look to the saints as witnesses of the Christian faith, and there are some special people to highlight during Lent. Of course, we can tell the stories of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the apostles, telling their role in the events of the Gospels. We also can share about St. Veronica, who wiped the face of Jesus or St. Simon of Cyrene, who helped carry Christ’s cross. But your children might also enjoy learning more about some lesser-known saints, like St. Dismas, the Good Thief, who was crucified on Jesus’ right, or St. Longinus, the soldier who pierced his side. While little is known about these holy men and women, we still have much to learn from them about following Christ, just as they did during Holy Week.

7. Walk through Holy Week with the Gospels. Each day of Holy Week highlights the events of Jesus’ final days on earth. Even if your family can’t make it to Mass each day or attend the full liturgy of the sacred Triduum, you can read the daily Gospel together. Through these stories, we chronicle Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. Each day, we can help children see that every action by Jesus shows his great love for us, leading to his perfect plan for our salvation.

LEARN MORE

You can find more details about these traditions and ideas for implementing them in your home in Katie’s newest book, All about Lent & Holy Week: Sharing the Seasons of Repentance & Salvation with Children. Filled with kids-friendly information and illustrated by Shari Van Vranken of CatholicPaperGoods.com, this book can walk your family through the whole season of Lent and into the season of Easter.