No-Stress Family Lent

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Linking up with Rosie’s Just Because blogging revival.

Advent is an easy buy-in for kids. There are presents, lots of smaller feast days to celebrate, and finally 12+ days of partying as we celebrate Jesus’ birth. The cheerful decorations and family gatherings add to the excitement. We’ve gotten into a routine of liturgical living for Advent that feels special and meaningful.

Lent? Not so much. While I’ve come to appreciate the spiritual reset that Lent offers as an adult, it’s still sort of a tough sell for kids. Having accessible resources makes it easier, so thanks to my previous self who has chronicled our Lent plans from previous years. Here’s a compilation of what we’ve done in the past and hope to do moving forward.

Books

I reviewed The Easter Storybook last year and am excited to bring it out again this year!

Amon’s Adventure will be a new read for us, so I can’t recommend it yet.  We’ve read two other Advent books by the same author, and the insight they provided into the setting of Jesus’ birth was phenomenal.  (It was an uncertain time, filled with violence and injustice, so best for older and less sensitive readers.  Like you need to be able to handle hearing about an ear getting cut off without getting too upset.  #RomanEmpireProblems ) 

Have you seen Monica’s new book? It would be a wonderful read for Lent, giving specific, easy ways to grow in prayer. While the ideas can work for anyone, it is especially for those living the busy mom-life. Growing in prayer is my #1 goal this Lent, and Prompt Me to Pray is going to help me meet that goal.

(Image is from Amazon, but if you’re going to order, check out Monica’s website!)

Traditions

Stations of the Cross
In years past we’ve had good luck making our own and hanging them up around our house. We’ve printed these out (for free!) for years now. (EWTN has these poster Stations available, if you want something more formal.)

At the start of Lent we’ll sit down and color them as a family, each of us coloring one or two stations. Then we’ll tape them up around the house. If our flashlight is not MIA, we’ll do the Stations of the Cross with a flashlight shining on the current station. Since we always have had littles, we just announce the station and then say, “We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world,” and move on to the next one.

I did pick up a Stations of the Cross CD for kids last year, but we never got around to using it. Maybe this year we’ll use it to change things up.

Resurrection Eggs
We have a homemade set that is about 8 years old, but there are ready-made sets here, too. (Edited to add: A reader let me know that she has this set and had to do some editing about The Last Supper. So keep that in mind if you go with a ready made set.)

Some families space out their eggs to do two per day, leading up to Easter, but we do them all in one sitting, usually on Good Friday or Holy Saturday. Catholic Icing has some good ideas on making your own.

Spy Wednesday
Wednesday of Holy Week, we’ll hide some nickels and dimes, and kids will argue as they search for them. Then we’ll talk about Judas’ deal. Kendra has all the details.

Symbolic Lenten Lunch
On Good Friday we will do a Lenten Lunch like here and here, except substituting raspberries for chocolate kisses and pickles for vinegar potato chips. (It’s hard to think of chocolate and chips as being penitential…) Since all the foods are meat-free, it’s perfect for Good Friday.

Movies

Brother Francis’ Easter Movie
This is a great intro for young kids.

LEGO Passion of Jesus on Youtube
We will watch the LEGO Passion of Jesus since the regular Passion is too much for my crowd.

The Miracle Maker
This claymation story of Jesus has become a family tradition. We have the DVD, but it looks like the full version is available on youtube. It’s a little hokey, but my kids like claymation and Jesus, so it’s a win.

Would Like To Find

• Resurrection Set
  We love our children’s nativity, but Fisher-Price doesn’t make a Resurrection Set, unfortunately. I am on the lookout for the Lenten version of a nativity, if you have any leads. (This is sort of what I mean…but something with a cross, too.)
• A Place for Giving
  It would be nice to find a new organization to bless this season. We want to cultivate hearts for generosity and service in our kids but need a reputable place with an easy-to-understand mission. Any suggestions???
• Accountability partner(s) for Prompt Me to Pray.
  Anyone interested in going through it together from a distance?
• Decor
  Having the Advent wreath and candles on the table is so nice. I’d like to find something Lent-ish. Maybe some rocks and a cactus? A ring of thorns and a candle? One year we did a salt dough braid and toothpicks to make a crown of thorns, but our current iteration of toddlers would not do well with that. Do you have any Lenten decor that helps you embrace the season?
• A tour of the Holy Land video
  After our success in travelling to Assisi through the TV, it would be great to find a video to take us around the Holy Land.
• Wooden Eggs
  The older kids would love to try painting in the traditional style of pysanky eggs, but I don’t know if we’ll get to it this year.

A Quick Note

Blessed Is She is running a sale (for how long…I don’t know!) on their Lenten devotional for 2021.

For $25 you can get the Set A Fire study. Or for $27 you can get the Set A Fire Adult + Kids Bundle! That’s a Set A Fire + a whole other book for just $2 more! Thanks for using my affiliate links if you plan to order. <3

What are your Lenten plans? Any resources to recommend?