Enrich Your Lent by Planning Ahead

Every Liturgical season is an opportunity to grow in virtue, learn theology, and love others. Our family likes Living Liturgically, which means we use our senses to engage in our faith and we live at the pace of the Church. In Lent,  we especially like to slow and quiet everything in our home and schedule. Except for church activities, those tend to increase.   So the ideas I present below,  I encourage you to choose only what will be most helpful, and maybe one that is new or challenging. It should enrich your Lent, not be a stressor (unless you need a little push). 

Note: Many things are linked to items or blogs, either hover over the words or look for the underlined words to click.

LENT PLANNING

I find that we do better when I've taken a moment to discuss with the family what we want to try to do for Lent as a family,  and lay it out in a planner or calendar. Each person gets a worksheet or journal to prayerfully discern their personal mortifications, prayer intentions and offerings of time,  talent and treasure. Then we offer suggestions how to do those things well. We will do this on Ash Wednesday or before. 

Lent Planner (w/ journal) by Homegrown Catholics  This is a FREE printable for adults and children focused on planning how you'll pray, fast, sacrifice and give alms during Lent. We first implemented this booklet in 2024 and it went over well with the adults, teens and children. We read each page together and gave them time to fill it in. Then told them they could check off the days and write notes on page 1-2. The last two pages are for reflection during Holy Week. I would love to get feedback from your families how you like this booklet! {Link for planner here}

In the Print settings, you can print as a full sheet, back to back. You could also go to printer system dialogue's "preferences" button to select "Booklet" printing, which is what I use as it is more compact and fits in any Lenten devotional book. {Link for planner here}

VIDEOS ABOUT and FOR LENT

10 Fun Facts About Lent by Spirit Juice Kids

YouTube Playlist: Lent for Kids

YouTube Playlist: Lent & Prayer Videos 

LENT CALENDARS/COUNTDOWNS

Stepping Stones Lent Path: color the path a stone a day until you reach Easter. The stones represent the hard days of the journey Mon-Sat, and the grass represents the days of rest on Sunday.

LENT JOURNALS

Lent Planner (w/ Journal) by Homegrown Catholics  (5y-Adult) This is a FREE printable for adults and children focused on reflecting and planning how you'll pray, fast, sacrifice and give alms during Lent.

Lent Journal for Families & Students by Homegrown Catholics. This printable for sale includes a main journal for 10y-Adult, with more activities in the bundle even little children can do. Something for everyone.

LENT ACTIVITIES

Mardi Gras / Carnival: Feast with Kings Cake, a Crowning & Activities

Ash Wednesday: Go to Mass and receive ashes, reflect on Memento Mori, begin journaling, have a campfire, draw with charcoal or chalk pastels.

Pray-Fast-Alms Activity Idea Cards

Crown of Thorns: put many toothpicks in a vine wreath to create a crown of thorns.  Have a bowl or jar nearby,  to remove "thorns" into whenever you do a work of mercy or sacrifice. You could set Pray-Fast-Alms idea cards near it. 

Almsgiving Jar: any jar or container will do. You can decorate it with this free label which fits inside a mason jar.

> Housekeeping Chore Cards completed can be put into the jar for a donation instead of payment. 

Sacrifice Bin/Box: put anything tangible you are giving up in a bin, or something that represents it, and do not open until Easter. We add our Alleluia to this box at the bottom,  so we "bury the Alleluia" for Lent. 

Catholic Mass Bingo: learn to identify items and people that are in the church and sacramentals. Caller cards can also be used as Seek & Find cards in your Mass tote. 

Printable Mass Bingo Cards {Vintage Mass Bingo for 12}{Illustrated Mass Bingo for 50}

Confession: go to,  and practice at home

Pray the Stations of the Cross at home or at church,  or watch a Living Stations. 

Prayer Starters: sometimes having a list of various ways we can begin a prayer will inspire new petitions and a deeper contemplation on who we are praying to. Have a Prayer Pail to write in your intentions.

LENT FOR LITTLES

Bury the Alleluia: Take any image of the word Alleluia and bury it or put away until Easter.  This can be the word on wood, paper,  fabric, embroidery,  clay, or a decoration. We will put ours in a box with our physical items we are giving up. 

Stations of the Cross Match Up: We like our Stations egg carton that includes artwork cards and tangible symbols to match up. There are a couple blogs that have free printables for this. 

Jesus on the Journey: With a paper, peg doll or plush Jesus you can hide Him every day during Lent,  and have the child look for Jesus! Whoever finds Him gets to take care of him for the day,  bringing him wherever they go.  Our 5yo son has loved on this plush Jesus since it arrived.  You can see our Lent journey with Jesus on Instagram @homegrowncatholics #jesusonthejourney

(Links for Jesus doll,  Where is Jesus Hidden Book) 

Carrying Your Cross: See the "crosses we bear" craft below. 

By His Stripes We Are Healed: This is a simple craft for littles. Put paper in an open box or disposable tray. Squirt a few blobs of red paint randomly on the paper. Add a marble and let child roll it around,  through the paint.  Let dry.  Then write on the paper " By these stripes we are healed" and discuss Jesus's scourging at the pillar.

Sacrifice Bean Jar: With every sacrifice,  you put a dry bean (ideally lima beans) in a jar. On Easter Sunday, the beans are replaced with jelly beans. [Pictured is a pint jar with 640 small white beans,  which is a goal of 2 deeds per day x 8 people x 40 days. Each bean has a cross drawn on it.]

Say Your Prayers: Take these weeks to teach your children their basic Catholic prayers.  Check out this printable Children's Prayer booklet with activities created by Homegrown Catholics

LENT CRAFTS

Crosses We Bear activity & craft: Buy, make or carve an unfinished wood cross that is big enough to decorate later,  but sized you can hold it with one hand. Each child or teen will carry this cross wherever they go throughout Lent,  in hand at home (if at school,  at least in their backpack). It will get dirty and worn.  During Easter,  discuss how life in the world is rough and dirties us. Observe their crosses. Then paint or modgepodge the cross to not only make it clean but brightly colored. Optional: add hook to use as a rosary holder.  Discuss how Jesus takes our crosses that we bear and turns them into beautiful graces and heavenly treasures. 

Paint a Cross: On a canvas,  use painters tape or washi tape to make a cross shape.  Paint a background.  When dry,  remove tape to reveal a bright white cross. Talk about how confession absolves us from our sins,  and restores us to a pure soul. Art Lesson in Depth - teach how landscapes are dark in color and detailed when nearby and get lighter and less detailed as they fade into the distance. 

Homemade Stations of the Cross: Make your own Stations of the Cross set with images or coloring sheets free online,  or purchase from one of many great Catholic shops. You can frame them,  hang them on a ribbon,  or pin up in a hallway. If you have an artistic family,  I would challenge them to choose one or more to draw or paint from memory or inspirational art. 

We do include weekly Drawing the Stations in our printable Lent Journal found in my Etsy shop. Even if we are not doing the whole journal, my teen daughter requested we still do the drawings every year. It was the most memorable for her.

Passion Sunday Palms: Tucked in the back of my mind are the top ways to fold a palm leaf discretely before Mass to avoid my child whapping everyone with it. The classic Cross, the foldover, and the special rose (another rose vid). I even had a lovely old lady ask me to fold hers as a rose. At home I'll make the more tedious palm crown of thorns. I learned all these from watching videos online, linked in that list.

TEEN READS FOR LENT:

Lent: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens

The Search by Chris Stefanik

Awakening by McAdam 

Ashes: Visible and Invisible

The Well, The Thief & The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem

Amazing Love: Rosary Meditations for Teens

*Links are affiliated with Amazon. Buying through these referrals support my blog and keep it ad free.

LENT IN THE HOME, our domestic church

LENT POSTERS AND POSTCARDS

Lent Posters & Postcards by Homegrown Catholics

LENT MUSIC PLAYLIST

Spotify: Sounds of Lent

YouTube: Lent- Repentance Music 

We played many of these songs while we washed our children's feet on Holy Thursday.

DECORATING FOR LENT

Quieting the House: After the Christmas and Mardi Gras decorations go away,  the house takes on a simplified mode that is quite peaceful and appropriate for Lent.  Many take this opportunity to see how they can reduce the clutter in the home,  or at least tuck things away. Think of the simplicity in a monastery: clear tables and counters, walls with only religious images,  plain towels,  a neutral atmosphere. What of this might be appealing to you and help keep you from distractions during the season? The work of achieving this may be ready and normal for some,  but for others it might be a mortification and process of letting go of worldly goods. Give yourself the grace and time you need to accomplish this task. 

Burlap Table Runner w rocks and candles: I've gathered my seasonal decor over the years,  and this combo became a favorite.  You can find a variety of burlap rolls and table runners in stores,  rocks from a trip to the park,  a favorite crucifix like this one,  and candles. 

Passiontide ~ Cover the Crucifixes: Throughout Lent (and always) it is good to have images of Jesus, Saints and crucifixes in our homes,  but to imitate the church from Palm Sunday through Easter Vigil we cover them up, to build anticipation of seeing Jesus and His Saints on Easter. We personally choose however to uncover our Last Supper art on Holy Thursday and crucifixes on Good Friday for reflection. 

MEATLESS FRIDAY MEAL IDEAS FOR FAMILIES

During Lent, the main meal plans are for meatless Fridays (+Ash Wed & Good Fri), but we follow this tradition year round so the focus leans towards a long water fast those days for anyone who is able. The children typically will eat tuna salad, tuna melts, tuna mac, nut butter sandwiches, or fish and veggies. If we eat supper, the older ones would have a Salmon steak or patties, and the younger children like cod fillets, perhaps with some buttered asparagus or green beans. Sometimes it's in the presentation of any food that makes it more appealing to those less familiar with these foods.

*Click for our list of Michalek Family Favorites*

*Click for Pinterest Board of Meatless Recipes*

During Holy Week, I prepare some themed foods. For Spy Wednesday we might have included in our meals 30 carrot coins and deviled eggs for the betrayal of Judas. For Holy Thursday a Greek Gyro salad or pita (unleavened bread) meal, with grape juice and wine. It's a newer tradition of ours and I make it very special, like we imagine the Last Supper meal would have been. Good Friday they might have some garden salad with a vinaigrette dressing, remembering the gal Jesus was given to drink. Holy Saturday we'd have rolls to remember the rock closing off his tomb.

Taste of Confession (a snack): Free Printable Bag  I offer this typically when someone is learning about their first Reconciliation. However, it is also something you can do annually before going to confession for the Lent season. Each treat has a flavor that reminds us of a part of the steps to confession. The reverse side of the bag has an image of the Divine Mercy.

Thank you for visiting my blog about Lent!

I pray these ideas enrich your journey.

Click here to scroll through all my current and past Lent posts.

Advent Calendar 2024

Hey families! This Advent Calendar 2024 is my quick notes to remember what's in our fabric pockets to pull out each day. If you're following along with our daily Facebook & Instagram post of what we're doing, you can print this out and circle your favorites. If not, I hope that it at least inspires new ideas or reminds you of old traditions to share with your loved ones. I have small bins for each week that have supplies sorted out, and that seems to help a lot to only think about what we need once a week. Much is reusable. Thanks for taking a look!

Follow us on Facebook right now, and see these ideas in action!
https://www.facebook.com/HomegrownCatholic/

You can also follow us on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/homegrowncatholics/

For more information about these ideas, check out my old post "Advent Aspirations."

I hope before next Advent I will have printable cards to put in your pocket Advent Calendars.

All my links can be found here: 

Easter Story Snack Mix

Whether it is to fill an Easter Basket or offer within the Easter Season, this Easter Story Snack Mix will help you share the Good News with your children. You could also use it for scripture memorization. 

As we are living liturgically in our domestic church, I am finding new ways to engage the children's senses and connect it with something of our theology, tradition or virtue. Food is often the way mothers reach their children's attention. This free printable treat label is to introduce or remind children of the scriptures of hope, forgiveness, discipleship, refreshment and joy.

We are giving this to our children in place of an Easter basket gift this year,  as they are not lacking in blessings of the sort year round. I think the greatest gift we can give is love and witness to this Good News affecting our lives. 

Have a joy-filled Easter! 

Floral Art Border by:

Jana Necasova from Pixabay

Mardi Gras Preparations

Celebrate the feast before the fast. The word carnival comes from the Latin carnelevarium which means the removal of meat. Catholics were traditionally not allowed to eat meat and animal products, such as eggs, cream and butter, during the Lenten fast. Prior to the 1800s there was no refrigeration, and those foods would go to waste during the 40+ days of Lent. So the week before Lent begins, there is a festival called Carnival to feast, be merry and prepare. Masks were worn to hide the identity of your social class, so everyone would celebrate together. In parts of the world, especially in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and New Orleans, Louisiana, there are massive celebrations and parades held. It all ends on Mardi Gras, which in French means Fat Tuesday. Christians have also called it Shrove Tuesday, from the archaic English word shrive, which means hear confession. Many would go to Confession to remove sins of the flesh on the day before Ash Wednesday.

While the obligations have slightly changed, there are still some traditions we can continue in the same spirit as before. We are still encouraged to feast before the fast, and can hold a Mardi Gras celebration. We can eat up all the things we won't have during Lent, or donate them. We can make recipes and crafts with symbolic colors and icons. When it comes to living liturgically some occasions will take intentional preparation, and others will flow naturally through the life of the Church. Discern what will most enrich your family's experience of the season.

A Festive Atmosphere 

Make it a special party for just your family, or invite friends! Play family friendly Mardi Gras or Brazilian music. Wear your masks, crowns, and beads.  You can decorate your table with the colors and symbols. Purple, green and gold represent justice, faith and power, respectively. 

You may also see symbols of the French Fleur de Lis, which means the Flower of Lily. It was first used as a symbol of The Immaculate Conception (Mary), Saint Joseph and purity. Later we see it often on the coat of arms of the French and Brazilian culture that keeps this festival alive. 

The Feasting 

The most traditional foods made are meat stews (Jambalaya), pancakes, (Paczki) doughnuts, and king's cake. Often deserts are tinted or sprinkled with the colors purple, green and gold. 

Pancake Recipe (serves 4):

1 cup all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten 

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Food coloring or Sprinkles in Purple, Gold and Green

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg and oil. Add food coloring if desired. Mix until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot. Top with butter, whip cream and sprinkles, syrup, or jam.

King’s Cake & Crowning a King:

Traditionally a King’s Cake is made for the Feast of Epiphany, but it has also been seen on Mardi Gras as it ends this ordinary liturgical time. You can make any circular cake like a Fleur de Lis bundt with batter or monkey bread. Or make a sweet bread dough and braid it into a circle.  Sometimes we layer ready to bake Cinnamon Rolls from a can into a bundt cake pan, for the simplest method. 

The circle shape represents the king’s crown, the crown of the Magi and of the Christ. It is usually glazed/frosted and sprinkled with purple, green and gold sugars. A token such as a dried red bean or plastic baby (representing the Christ child) is discretely baked or poked hidden inside. 

  

The person who finds the baby/token is crowned king or queen for the day. They can lead the family rosary, redistribute his or her chores, or another royal honor. I've used two options for the crown. There are gold crowns of paper, foam, or metal that you can purchase or make. I also bought a festive purple and gold hat. While the tradition is to have one crowned, in larger families you could have that person choose another, so a king would choose his queen for the day, or the queen her king. In a classroom, I would recommend to still only choose up to two, you could make crowns for a craft and send them home with each child reminding them they are all sons and daughters of the King.

These foam and elastic crowns fit most head sizes.

Festive Fun:

Family Game Night! Play Five Crowns, a card game. This is another way you can crown a winner.

We also took these coins and had fun trying to flip them with our thumb into a cup. You'd be surprised how much adults get into the game.  They could win a necklace or keep the coin whenever they get it in.

Make Mardi Gras Masks

The mask was a way for the lower and upper class people to celebrate this feast together around the 14th century. We can make masks to remind us that we are all children of God and special to Him. It also adds some cultural flair to the occasion.

Check out these White Masks ready to be decorated by you.

These masks I found on Amazon with a pack of trinkets.

Other Fun Ideas:

Fat Tuesday Sundaes - have ice cream and the toppings are all the candy and sweets you have left in your pantry.

A Mardi Gras Parade - Children can dress up and have a parade. Make a float from a wagon or sled.

Family Movie - Watch the family movie Rio

A Festival of Nations - Learn about Brazil, we have many ideas on our blog for this!

Shrove - Confessions:

Go to Confession. Otherwise, make plans to go when your parish offers it during the Lenten season.

Removal of Excess: 

As a family, consider choosing food from your pantry to donate to a local food shelf or volunteering at a place that serves the poor. Some things to donate would be items you plan to give up for Lent, or food to help make meatless meals.

Another consideration would be to begin the practice of decluttering or minimalizing your home of excess worldly goods. These can be donated. Some like the idea of 40 Bags in 40 Days, a plan to pack up a bag a day during Lent.

When this day (Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival) has passed and Ash Wednesday arrives, we can then focus on our efforts to die to self and grow in virtue. We can then turn our attention to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Plan for simple meals, meatless meals, as well as make a simplified home and schedule. Pack or give away physical items that may tempt you to loose your mortifications. Pray about our how you can be a better steward of your time, talent and treasure, and find opportunities to volunteer in the church or community. We can prepare the way of the Lord in our hearts and homes.

 [Read more about Family & Group Activities for Lent on my blogs]