What is Lent?

Lent is a period of 40 days (plus 6 sabbaths) observed by many Christians as a time to reflect, repent and prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter. The 40 days imitates Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. Throughout church history, spiritual disciplines of fasting, acts of charity and prayer were observed during Lent.  It is a time to draw near to Christ in His sufferings that we might know the greatness of His resurrection. Through Lent, we gain a deeper awareness of our own sin and need for God, and God’s great power to raise us from the dead through Christ. 

Why do Lent with Kids?

I once heard it said that Advent is to Christmas as Lent is to Easter. Essentially, a time to draw near to Jesus and prepare our hearts for the upcoming season of celebration.

God intentionally created times of remembrance and celebration in Scripture to help His people remember Him and His mighty works. And I think seasons and holidays are some of the best opportunities to lean into the momentum our kids already feel around the season, and teach them the truth about God and the beauty of His role in the holiday/season we are celebrating.

Some “How to” Suggestions for Lent:

So if you get excited about the thought of leaning into Lent with your kids, let me make a few suggestions for how to live out Lent as a family:

1. Spend time in Scripture & Prayer together – one of the best ways to draw near to Jesus is by reading Scripture and praying. This doesn’t have to be fancy, you can just read a chapter of the Bible as a family and pray together (try weekly on Sundays or a couple times/week), or you can go through something a bit more guided if you find it helpful. The Jesus Storybook Bible has a free Lent countdown with reading stories from the book that our family has enjoyed! We are also currently using these Family Scripture Cards for Lent and really enjoying them!
2. Live it Out – like I mentioned above, Lent is typically a time where the Church has participated in various forms of spiritual disciplines including fasting, acts of charity and prayer. Trying these with your kids in a family-friendly way can be spiritually meaningful when paired with understanding the heart behind them. These cards pair a weekly Scripture focus with a weekly Lenten practice. For example, after studying about Jesus being the Bread of Life, it’s suggested do a simple meal fast one night that week of rice and beans, or fasting from dessert, or drinks other than water. Picking a spiritual discipline to try once a week with your family during Lent can be a helpful way to lean in. Other ideas to try include: fasting from TV or screens for one day; prayer walking as a family; making “manna or blessing bags” to give to those in need; taking up a family offering and then donating it to a place or group that is close to your family’s heart. As my own family tries these, I’m finding that my kids are not always thrilled to lean into these “less fun” practices (like no TV for a day) but it provides an opportunity for us to look to Jesus in our need and discomfort.
3. A helpful visual – Our family has appreciated Candles as a helpful visual during mealtimes on Sundays throughout Lent. Similar to an Advent wreath, it is a small display of candles you can arrange on your table that serves as a visual reminder of Jesus headed to the Cross. On the first Sunday of Lent, all 7 candles are lit, and each Sunday following, you light one less candle until you reach Good Friday where all the candles are extinguished. By Good Friday it seems as though darkness has won and totally extinguished the Light. But on Easter Sunday, you light all the candles again, celebrating the Resurrection and the true Light of the World defeating death. 

My biggest piece of advice for practicing Lent is to remember that we don’t do it because we have to, or because it makes us better Christians or in right standing with God. None of those are true. We participate because it reminds us of Christ’s sufferings and our own need for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. Participating helps our kids to see the beauty of the resurrection and how we live into it’s reality not just one day a year, but our whole life long.

Blessings on you as you and your family as you lean into Lent this season!

If you’re looking for a helpful resource for teaching your family about Lent and Holy Week, we recommend these cards by More for Motherhood! Use the code Lent15 to get 15% off the cards!