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).
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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
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 Well, The Thief & The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem
Amazing Love: Rosary Meditations for Teens
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LENT IN THE HOME, our domestic church
LENT POSTERS AND POSTCARDS
Lent Posters & Postcards by Homegrown Catholics
LENT MUSIC PLAYLIST
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
*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.