Lent Prep: Teaching Children About Prayer, Fasting & Almsgiving

Lent is just around the corner, and it's the perfect time to start preparing your family for this special season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. As parents, we have the privilege and responsibility of passing on the richness of our Catholic faith to the next generation.

Ash Wednesday: A Reminder of Our Need for Repentance

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and it's a powerful day for both children and adults. Did you know that the traditional way to make ashes for Lent is to burn palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday? If you have any left-over palms from the year before, now would be a good time to burn them and spread the ashes in a yard or garden. (All blessed items should be returned to the earth). Using the ashes of Palms reminds us of what we are preparing for - Holy Week and the Resurrection. For children who may be new to the ashes on their foreheads, it may be helpful to create a craft together where they help draw a picture of themselves and then use charcoal or chalk pastels to smudge a cross on their forehead.

Prayer: Strengthening Our Relationship with God

Prayer is a vital part of the Lenten journey. Teach your children about different types of prayer, such as adoration, thanksgiving, and intercession. Encourage them to set aside time each day to talk to God, whether it's through a simple bedtime prayer, a family rosary, or the powerfully simple 'Jesus Prayer'. A wonderful way to incorporate family in prayer is to create a family Lenten litany of saints whose intersessions are petitioned throughout Lent. Teach children that it is also important to pray for others, you can create a list of people or causes or troubles that are specific to your family to pray for each day or you can use a recourse like our free downloadable 'Lent loops'.

Fasting: Denying Ourselves to Grow Closer to God

Fasting is a challenging but important Lenten practice. Explain to your children that by giving up something we enjoy, we can focus more on our relationship with God. Encourage them to fast from things like sweets, screen time, or other small indulgences. You can also have them participate in age-appropriate fasts, such as skipping a snack or giving up a favorite toy for a day. It is also a great time to begin or reestablish or strengthen the Friday fast. Some families may choose to follow the more ancient fast and abstain from meat as well as sweets. It is important to pair fasting with prayer or an alternative way to turn to God. When we feel the difficulty of the denial of these earthly pleasures, we should use that as a reminder to pray for ourselves or others. One way to help children may be to make a simple ring with notecards of things to do or people to pray for. Whenever a child or teen is feeling the lack, they can take out their ring and find something to do or pray for.

Almsgiving: Sharing God's Love with Others

Almsgiving, or the act of giving to those in need, is a powerful way to live out our faith during Lent. Involve your children in choosing charities or organizations to support, whether it's through monetary donations or acts of service. You can also encourage them to do chores or small jobs to earn money to give away. A simple Lenten activity to encourage almsgiving is to have a special jar and every time a child does something charitable or kind, they can put a penny in the jar and at the end of Lent, the contents of the jar can be donated. If children have an allowance, they may be encouraged to give a portion of it to charity.

As you prepare your family for Lent, remember that the goal is to help your children develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for these important spiritual practices. With patience, creativity, and a focus on God's love, you can make this Lenten season a truly meaningful and transformative experience for your whole family.

We have several free downloadable activities that can be used during Lent as well as several products that would be good for use during Lent, be sure to check it out!