No products in the cart.
Let’s dive into the fascinating Christian season of Lent. Lent is a special time for Christians around the world as they prepare for Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. It typically lasts for 40 days, mirroring the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. During Lent, churches have a wonderful opportunity to teach children and teenagers about the significance of this season.
First and foremost, churches can engage kids and teens by explaining the purpose of Lent. It’s a time of reflection, self-discipline, and spiritual growth. Encouraging them to participate in age-appropriate activities like prayer, fasting, and acts of kindness can help them understand the importance of self-reflection and sacrifice. These activities can foster a sense of empathy and compassion towards others, reminding them of Jesus’ teachings about loving one another.
Secondly, churches can organize interactive events and programs that make Lent relatable and fun for youngsters. For instance, they can arrange special youth-led services where young people take an active role in planning and conducting worship services during Lent. This hands-on involvement allows them to express their creativity and faith while learning about the meaning behind various Lenten traditions.
Blessing of the Backpacks - Free Liturgy →
Here are some great ideas for arts and crafts you can do during Lent:
This activity uses good ‘ole lima beans (or jelly beans) to teach children about sacrifice. Beans are, after all, seeds. This activity helps you plant the seeds for a rich spiritual understanding of Lent.
Since Lent is a spiritual journey, why not take your cue and make this into a fun theme. You can use this idea for Lent or Easter Holy Week (or both!). Your children have their passports stamped for every activity they complete. You could also use this as a way to promote attendance at Holy Week services. Children get a stamp for each service they attend.
There are many ways you could use this terrific craft idea. At the start of Lent, you can have children make a list of sacrifices. Or, you could have them write messages of encouragement and give them to others who they know are making a special sacrifice for Lent.
Check out the details here. This site has lots of great ideas.
This activity is best suited for older youth. You’ll get the best results if you use an Exacto knife. This activity definitely requires care and attention. The results can be quite wonderful. Imagine if your youth created these beautiful works of art? You could display them in your church entry, or set up a special art gallery area within your church.
Here’s a clever idea that is ideal for children. A regular ‘ole paper plate becomes the backdrop for your artistic take on Calvary.
For even more “cross craft” ideas, click here.
The five crafts above shine with elementary ages and up. But if your children's ministry includes preschoolers and early readers, Lent can belong to them too. These ideas trade scissors-and-craft-knife precision for things little hands can actually do — counting, planting, tearing paper, and being kind on purpose.
Count the 40 days the way children understand best: one link at a time. Make a chain of 40 purple loops — plus six in another color if you'd like to mark the Sundays, which aren't counted in the 40 (a detail older kids love discovering). Remove one link each day at home, or a week's worth each Sunday in class. When the chain is gone, Easter has come.
Many congregations set the word “Alleluia” aside during Lent, and children can make that tangible. Have kids decorate a big Alleluia banner — markers, glitter, the works — then ceremonially tuck it into a box and “bury” it in the classroom or sanctuary on the last Sunday before Lent begins. On Easter morning it comes out again, usually to actual cheering. Few activities teach the shape of the season better.
This is the gentler cousin of Spill the Beans, above. Instead of taking something away, children add: every act of kindness earns a bean (or pom-pom) in the jar. The goal is a full jar by Easter — Lent as a season of growing love, not only of giving things up. When the jar fills, celebrate with a treat that, ideally, gets shared.
The word “Lent” comes from an old English word for springtime — the season when days lengthen. Lean into it: fill a shallow dish with soil, plant quick-sprouting grass or wheat seeds, and tend the garden together through the season. Some classes add a small stone “tomb” to one side, ready for Easter morning. Children get to watch something slow and green happen — which is about as good a definition of Lent as any.
Tradition holds that pretzels began as a Lenten bread, their twist shaped like arms folded in prayer. Whether or not the legend is history, it's a lovely teaching hook: share pretzels at snack time and let the shape start a conversation about how, and where, and when we pray. Older children can even bake their own.
Need printable art for any of these? Our Lent clip art collection covers crosses, palms, and purple everything. And when you're ready to plan beyond the classroom, our worship ideas for Lent and the full Lent worship media collection carry the whole congregation through the forty days.
Churches can also create Lenten devotionals or prayer guides specifically designed for children and teenagers. These resources can include engaging stories, age-appropriate reflections, and practical suggestions for incorporating Lenten practices into their daily lives. By providing accessible and relatable materials, churches can help young people better understand the significance of Lent and guide them towards developing a personal relationship with God.
Last but not least, churches can organize community service projects during Lent that involve children and teenagers. This can be a powerful way to emphasize the importance of helping others and living out one’s faith. Engaging in activities such as volunteering at a local shelter, organizing food drives, or visiting nursing homes can demonstrate the real-life impact of selflessness and compassion, instilling in young hearts the value of service and caring for those in need.
Lent is a meaningful season in the Christian calendar, and churches have a wonderful opportunity to teach children and teenagers about its significance. By explaining the purpose of Lent, organizing interactive events, creating age-appropriate resources, and engaging in community service projects, churches can make this season come alive for young hearts and minds. Let’s embrace the spirit of Lent together and grow in faith, reflection, and love!
✅ Inclusive ✅ Downloadable instantly ✅ Bilingual options ✅ Affirming
What are good Lent activities for children?
Simple, hands-on ideas work best: a 40-link paper chain to count the days, a kindness jar that fills up by Easter, a small Lent garden planted in class, an Alleluia banner decorated and “buried” until Easter morning, and crafts like cross art or Lenten note cards. The best activities let children do something — count, plant, make, give — rather than just listen.
How do you explain Lent to a child?
Keep it concrete: Lent is the 40 days before Easter when we get our hearts ready for something wonderful. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness preparing, and Lent is our way of preparing too. Some people give something up to make room; others add something kind. Either way, the season is about growing closer to God a little at a time.
What is Lent for Catholics for kids?
In the Catholic Church, Lent is a season of prayer, fasting, and giving in preparation for Easter. Kids take part in age-appropriate ways — giving up something they love, doing good deeds, or spending a little more time in prayer. Many Protestant churches, including most mainline congregations, observe Lent in much the same spirit.
Why 40 days of Lent for kids?
The 40 days recall the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry. For kids, Lent is a chance to learn more about their faith, practice a little self-discipline, and get ready for the joy of Easter — one day at a time.
At what age should kids follow Lent?
There's no set age. Some families begin with simple practices in preschool; others wait until children are older. What matters is that kids understand the meaning behind the season and take part in ways that fit their age — a paper chain at four, a kindness practice at eight, a chosen discipline as a teen.
