Introducing Lenten Practices to Children
I wrote this lesson as a way of introducing the Little Way Lenten practices calendar to children. It’s perfect for Ash Wednesday, or even Sunday School classes on the first Sunday of Lent. That said, if your family has another Lenten plan in place, the references to the Little Way calendar can easily be removed, adapting the story for any setting.
Like the Little Way calendar, this lesson introduces children to the three pillars of Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving found in Matthew 6:1-18, and is told through the lens of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). For older children, you may find it helpful to read the temptation account before sharing this lesson.
It’s not too late to download the Little Way Lenten Calendar, and print at home or your local print shop. Enjoy!
Pray, Fast, Give:
Coming Close to God in the Wilderness
After Jesus was baptized, he followed the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. He stayed there for forty days and forty nights. Like Moses on the mountain. Like Noah in the arc. Like the Israelites’ years in the desert.
Like them, Jesus wanted to come close to God. In the wilderness, there is no one and nothing, except for God. Not even food. So Jesus fasted. He ate nothing. Not one crumb of bread. Not one grain of salt. And he prayed. Jesus talked to his Father, and he listened, too.
But Jesus wasn’t the only one in the wilderness. The devil was there too. The devil tempted Jesus to eat food. Just like the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit in the garden. And he tempted Jesus to turn away from God.
But Jesus didn’t turn away. He didn’t eat like Adam and Eve had done. Instead, Jesus came close to God. You see, Jesus was getting ready because he knew that when he left the wilderness, he would have big work to do. He would need to feed the hungry, and heal the sick, and tell everyone about the the kingdom of God. And he also knew that after he did all this, he was going to die.
A long time ago, the church set aside 40 days for us to come close to God, too. We call it Lent. During Lent, we are all on a journey with Jesus in the wilderness. We are all getting ready for Jesus’ death and resurrection.
There are three ways that we can come close to God during Lent.
[Lay down prayer card.] Jesus said we should pray, that we should talk to God and listen.
[Lay down fast card.] Jesus said we should fast, give up something important to us for a time.
[Lay down almsgiving card.] Jesus said that we should give. Give our time, give our money, give our love, give our things.
For the next 40 days, we will pray, we will fast, we will give. Each day, we will pick one of these cards, and come close to God as we do them. We will walk with Jesus through the wilderness, so that we can celebrate with him in his resurrection.
Children’s Books for Lent
I want to be clear: you do not need to spend a single cent to meaningfully teach your children about Lent and Easter. But, these are resources that I have found helpful, and think are worth sharing with you!
The absolute best book for explaining Lent and Easter to children. If you own just one Lenten book, this should be it
An activity book for ages 4-7 that includes family Lenten devotionals. Suitable for an Christian denomination that follows the liturgical calendar.
Stunning illustrations and words weaving together the entire biblical narrative culminating with Easter. Has an accompanying coloring book that looks lovely as well.Ages 4-9.
What I love most about the Baby Believer primers is how sturdy they are for babies, with easily expandable concepts for older children, too.
Great book for both Lent and Advent. A classic that tells the Easter story from an unexpected perspective. Ages 3-8 (but really…adults, too!).
Tells the story of Palm Sunday and Holy Week from the Donkey’s perspective. Ages 3-8.
