30 SIMPLE LENT ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES

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Want some creative Lent activities for families and children this year?

Nope, thought you didn’t.

Because, if I know you well (and I’m starting to think I might), I know that you show up to this blog exhausted by parenting and life and everything in between. You really don’t need anything else to add to the mix.

My job as a blogger is to go ‘Here are some amazing Lent activities for children that I do with my perfect family in our 63-hour days’, while your role in the whole interaction is to respond with ‘You are flippin’ kidding me. It’s taken me two months, sixteen Valium and a six-week self-imposed Pinterest ban to recover from the hot mess that was Christmas, and now you’re suggesting I lead my family in another supposedly ‘spiritually rich’ festival?’

(Followed by some expletives which I won’t repeat here because, y’know, Christian blog and all that.)

Well, you’re in luck, my friend. It just so happens that my imperfect family and I do not do amazing activities for Lent or any other season of the year. We largely hang around in PJs, propping our eyes open with matchsticks and trying desperately to remember all the members of Paw Patrol, much as we do during every other liturgical season.

Children, after all, need consistency.

So, relax, for you too are no longer bound to feel guilt-ridden or frustrated by the list that follows.

Lent with Children

These activities do not represent some kind of Über-Lent, where I subject my kiddoes to 40 days of intense fasting, generosity, Biblical reflection and crafting (Jesus did a lot of crafting, you know), to the detriment of learning to read, remembering to wee, and deciding which vegetable they won’t eat this week.

Because – truly – who would be up for that?

No. We need to be honest about the realities of Lent with children. Lent is a long time, and children (mine, at least) really don’t have a long attention span. My reality is: the simpler, the better.

So this list represents the best simple Lent activities for kids that we have tried over a number of years, OR things that trusted friends have recommended to me.

Some of them take just a minute or two. Many need no preparation. Lots are free. You get the idea.

Please, do us all a favour – least of all your own children – and pick JUST ONE. Or none. That’s cool too. But maybe ONE idea will spark your imagination. Maybe ONE idea will sound like something your kids will be up for.

The point of this list, you see, is to give you enough ideas of things to do for Lent that whatever the personality type of your child/ren, there’ll be something to suit them in what follows. There are ideas for babies through to teens, outdoorsy types to crafty types, extroverts to introverts, kids who are passionate about spending time with Jesus and kids who just aren’t.

The only helpful thing I need to tell you, pre-kick-off, is that they’re ordered roughly chronologically, with where you would need to do them (or organise them) in Lent. In other words, they start with things you might like to do from the start of Lent, move through things which could be done anytime, and end with things best done nearer to the Big Day. (Easter, for those of you who’ve lost concentration by this point.)

And if you want to make your life even easier, check out my Family Easter Printables Bundle – including done-for-you Easter egg hunts, colour-in Easter cards and seasonal recipes. There’s also a Busy Mum’s Lent Bible Study Plan, Family Fast Tracker and loads of other helpful family resources for this season.

Right, onto the ideas (deep breath):

Lent Devotions

1. Follow Me

I love this Lent devotion. You look at one Bible story per week, using a different imaginative method each day (re-telling, poem, craft, etc). If you skip days or just dip in when you feel like it, that works fine too. Read my full review here. Suggested age: 5-11s.

2. Lent family creative journal (Engage Worship)

Wonderfully creative Lent devotions which inspire you to write, draw, do messy play, cook and more as a family. Although the actual journal is no longer printed, you can download individual PDFs for £1/sheet right here. This means you can download exactly what you want, plus your download allows you to print up to 30 copies to use with friends or in a Sunday School.  Suggested age: 3-11s.

3. A Godventure through the life of Jesus

Listen, you can’t go far wrong with any of Victoria Beech’s marvellous Godventure resources, but this one is particularly great for Lent devotions, as six of its 12 stories are taken from the Last Supper onwards. Featuring stickers, creative prayer and Bible telling suggestions, plus ideas for under 5s and older children/adults, this would make a great once-a-week family habit throughout Lent.

And check out Victoria’s tips on how to do a Passover meal with your family.

Suggested age: 2-11s.

4. Exploring the Bible

I was blown away by ‘Exploring the Bible’ when we first checked it out a few months ago. We’re still doing it with our 9 and 7 year olds, albeit a little more patchily, but it’s been one of the more successful routes into a daily Bible reading habit that we’ve found. It will last a whole year, but what better time to start the habit than in Lent?

But don’t take my word for it. After I reviewed this devotional, a Dad messaged me to say this: “I just wanted to say thank you. We’ve really struggled to find anything that works to use with our son as a daily Bible reading thing, but this has really worked. He really thinks about it and comes out with the most impossible questions like ‘Dad, how did evil enter the world if God made everything and He is good?’ I’m so pleased that he now has a little bit of Bible reading every night.”

Suggested age: 6-12s.

>> For more resource ideas, check out my post 10 Best Family Devotions. <<

5. Buy a new Bible to read together

Lent is a great time to check that your child has a Bible which suits their age and stage. Here’s a very quick sum-up of my favourite Bibles, but for a deep-dive, check out my post What is the best children’s Bible?

For preschoolers, you can’t go wrong with The Jesus Storybook Bible. My kids have also loved My First Message.

As children become more independent with their reading, the International Children’s Bible is a great unabridged Bible for kids (we bought this for Mister when he was 7, as a guide). If your kids like cartoons, The Action Bible is pretty cool.

Our family (kids aged 6-11) is really enjoying Bob Hartman’s Link-It-Up Bible – great if you have several children of different ages.

And I hardly dare say this, but one year we bit the bullet and bought Missy My Beautiful Princess Bible. I was reluctant, but the hubs said she would absolutely love it. And she did! So a thumbs-up from us if you have a child who enjoys pink sparkly things.

Suggested age: you can give a Bible to any aged child/teen, just do your research!

6. The Garden, The Curtain and The Cross – Easter Calendar

Based on the popular book The Garden, The Curtain and The Cross, this resource is not only a family devotional book, but a 15-day Easter Calendar too – think Advent calendar, but depicting the story of salvation, right through to the resurrection!

Whilst I’m not a huge fan of the family devotionals released by the Good Book Company (they tend to be rather wordy and assume that you can get all your kids to sit down quietly and listen to you, answering questions in the right places, and not shouting ‘WILLY!” or ‘POO!’ at regular intervals), I think this one gets my vote because it’s only for 15 days, so it feels a lot more manageable. You could do a little from each day, or the whole thing, or spread it out over longer.

And if the devotional isn’t your thing, you still have a fab Easter calendar to enjoy!

Suggested age: 4-11s

7. Wild Lent

This is an amazing option for Lent devotions if you have children who love to stomp around outside! It’s written by a Forest Schools practitioner, and the activities are designed to help families enjoy God’s creation, and connect with Him through it.

Go on a barefoot walk, have a sunrise breakfast, make a shadow clock or race some snails – this very different style of Lent ‘devotional’ could be just the ticket for kids who like to be active, as they discover that prayer doesn’t have to be quiet and still (and dry!).

Suggested age: babes to teens – if they like the outdoors, go for it!

For more ideas, check out Lent Devotions for Families.

Take up a family habit

8. Lent prayer garden

A few years ago, undeterred by my lack of artistic skill, I bravely set out on a mission to create a Lent prayer tree for our family. You can read about it here, as long as you promise not to smirk too much at the photo.

Fortunately, Hope & Ginger have saved all the non-artists among us from hideous prayer trees by producing gorgeous prayer trees every Lent – but this year it’s a Lent Prayer Garden!

Each day, there’s a prayer suggestion and some flowers or vegetables to add to the soil.

(BUT…the DIY version is a great option if you’re counting the pennies this Lent!)

Suggested age: 2-teens (anyone who likes to be creative!)

9. 40acts

One of the best Lent activities for families is arguably 40acts, which you can download and print right here. Each day of Lent, the guide gives you a suggestion of a fun and generous act to do together or individually. It’s a great option for active, creative kids who like a challenge!

Missy did this a few years ago (when she was 5), and raised nearly £100 for charity by selling cookies, and managed to get our previously-grumpy postie on side by leaving him a bar of chocolate!

Suggested age: 4-teens

10. Family fast

I have loads of great ideas for you and your children in my post 50 Things to Give Up for Lent (and 10 Things to Take Up).

Our family is *verynearlythere* in agreeing to do a family fast for Lent this year. I think it’s a great option where you’ve spotted a not-so-healthy trend sweeping the entire family, and want to rein things in before they go mental.

For us, it’s sweets after dinner. Perhaps not so much of a bad thing, except I’ve noticed that our kids now expect it, and are starting to take nice treats for granted. So I’ve suggested that we refrain from sweets during the week, but enjoy them on a Sunday instead. (This isn’t cheating by the way – a Lenten fast does allow for ‘feasting’ on Sundays!)

This would work well for screentime too – remember it doesn’t have to be an out-and-out fast, it could mean simply restricting viewing hours, or available channels.

And there’s a brilliant Family Fast Tracker to help make this super-fun and motivated for the whole family in my Family Easter Printables Bundle!

Suggested age: 4-teens

11. Pray for the world

We love this phenomenal, up-to-date resource for praying for different countries around the world. Why not take one country per week during Lent, committing to read about and pray for it?

THFF reader Katie says, “It says something about the book when my 11 year old son wants to discuss what he has read on the way to school. Each day he is choosing the country and we are both enjoying praying.”

Read my full review here.

Suggested age: 4-teens

12. Learn about inspirational Christians

This beautiful hardback book features the stories of 52 prominent Christians from history – one for each week of the year. Why not start in Lent, perhaps setting aside a Sunday tea-time to read one of the stories? Or, if you’re keen, you could do one a day, and finish shortly after Easter. It’s pretty inspirational, reading about Christians who did amazing things, and I can’t think of many better ways to spend Lent than getting inspired!

Suggested age: 4-9s

13. Watch the Jesus Storybook Bible DVDs together

Available here, these DVDs are animated versions of the Jesus Storybook Bible, featuring David Suchet’s narration and Jago’s iconic illustrations from the book. Each story is around 5-10 minutes long – perhaps you could watch one a day, or a few every weekend? By the time Easter rolls around, you’ll have watched your way through the whole Bible! Buy them here.

Suggested age: 2-9s

Throughout the season

14. Sing ‘Easter bells’

This is the easiest, quickest suggestion on my list. It goes to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’ and tells young children the story of Easter in four lines. Find it here.

Suggested age: babies-7s

15. Put together a Lent basket

We love to put together an Advent basket each December, and Lent is no different. Over the years, we’ve amassed a healthy (ahem…slightly too healthy) collection of Easter story books and activities, so it makes sense to group them all together and get them out during Lent.

Because Lent is longer than Advent, I don’t necessarily get all of our things out on Ash Wednesday – it’s often a more gradual process than that, pulling out a few bits and bobs every week or so. But my kids (and I!) do enjoy the novelty of having something new, and remembering all the bits we’d forgotten we had!

Check out some of our favourite preschool Easter books here!

Ideas for Lent baskets: Easter story books, sensory Easter story-telling props (see below), Easter craft activities, Easter sticker/activity books, resurrection eggs (see below), Easter figures (see below), prayer tree stickers, chocolate eggs. Dream away…the sky’s the limit!

Suggested age: babies-11s (just tailor your resources accordingly!)

16. Explore Baker Ross’ Easter range of crafts

Looking for Lent activities for children which kill two birds with one stone? Why not get them to make your Easter cards?!

If you haven’t come across Baker Ross, they’re well worth a look. They sell fantastically good-value kids’ art and craft materials – and they always have a ‘religious’ section, so you can actually find Easter crafts which aren’t bunny-themed! Take a look at this year’s range here.

We’ve done lots of these in the past and they’ve always been brilliant. As they sell in bulk, they’re a great option for church/toddler group craft activities as well. Or why not go halves with a friend? I love the look of these cross pop-out cards and wooden holy week scenes.

(Tip: if you have a birthday party coming up, these guys are also great for party crafts on a huge number of different themes, as well as party bag fillers.)

>>READ MY POST: 50 Non-Plastic Party Bag Fillers<<

Suggested age: 2-teens (depending on who likes craft!)

17. Read a Christian biography

This is a great Lent activity for older children and teens. It’s so inspiring to hear the stories of people like Amy Carmichael, Nicky Cruz, Jackie Pullinger and George Müller.

7s-11s will enjoy 10 Boys who Changed the World or 10 Girls who Changed the World (don’t be put off by the covers – the stories inside are ace!). Teens might enjoy reading something like John Sentamu’s Faith Stories, Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place or Nicky Cruz’ Run Baby Run.

Suggested age: 7s-teens

18. Investigate some new Christian music

Not everyone is a reader. If your child/ren enjoy listening to music, why not spend some time finding some new Christian music to download and enjoy together?

For ideas, check out my blog post: Best Family Worship Songs (which Won’t Make you Cringe!).

Suggested age: 9s-teens

19. Decorate an Easter tree

We have a ‘tree’ which gets repurposed at different times of the year: small baubles at Christmas, and eggs during Lent! You can buy one of these trees from places like Hobbycraft – or you can stick a few branches in a vase for a DIY/no-cost option.

Decorate with whatever you fancy! Small eggs, spring animals, flowers, beads, prayer requests…

Suggested age: 2s-teens

Tell the story

20. Resurrection eggs

This is a fabulous idea for telling the Easter story to small children. It takes a little while to assemble, but can last for years once you’ve made it, so is well worth it. Check out my helpful tutorial on making a set of resurrection eggs – including free printables to make it super easy!

Suggested age: 2-7

21. Sensory Easter story

Another fun way to tell the Easter story – one which works particularly well in a group setting, but which you could adapt to fill a storybag at home, is to take the sensory elements and allow children to smell/taste/see/hear/touch the story.

You could use: bread/breadsticks, red grape juice, wood and hammer (to listen to – don’t give these to your toddler!), a crown made of sandpaper, a vinegar-soaked sponge, a torch/angel figure…the list goes on. Have a read of the Easter story in the gospels, making a note of the sensory elements, then see how you could recreate them safely for your child.

Suggested age: 0-5s

22. Make an Easter play scene

This takes a little effort, but then lasts several years, so is totally worth it!

You know how we have a Nativity scene at Christmas? Well, this is the same principle. Create the main characters from the Easter story for your kids to move around and play with.

To make our set, I bought ten wooden peg dolls (available on Amazon or Baker Ross) and some paints. I then painted them in different colours to depict Jesus, two soldiers, two angels, two criminals crucified next to Jesus, and the three women who followed him to the cross.

My Dad helped me make three crosses, and the tomb came from a toy safari set we had already – but you don’t need to go to these lengths, even just having the figures will inspire imaginative story telling.

Suggested age: 2-7s

23. Use the Bible Society videos

Every year The Bible Society releases a fabulous Easter video and accompanying resources. The videos from previous years are free to watch here – they’re short and engaging, and my kids love them!

If you sign up here, the Bible Society will keep you in the loop regarding this year’s video and free resources. In previous years we’ve used their story trails and activities at our church’s Good Friday event for children.

Suggested age: 4-11s

24. Watch The Miracle Maker

Settle down for a cozy film afternoon with this classic animated film for all ages, available cheaply second-hand on DVD or on Amazon Prime. My kids haven’t quite had the staying-power for the whole thing until they’ve reached school age (roughly) but of course every child is different. You could always show shorter clips to younger children (maybe 15 minutes a day throughout Holy Week?).

Suggested age: 5-11s

25. Watch The Prince of Egypt

In a similar vein, this would be a good film to watch as it explains the story of the Passover, which Jesus and his disciples were celebrating shortly before he was arrested. Understanding this will help to make sense of the context for Jesus and his disciples, as well as the idea of Jesus being the Lamb of the World.

Suggested age: 5-11s

In Holy Week

26. Make resurrection cookies

You make these the day before Easter Sunday, talking through the Easter story as you go. They then go in a very low oven overnight. When you wake up on Easter Sunday morning, you’ll be greeted by hollow, risen cookies (He is risen! The tomb is empty!). Recipe here.

Suggested age: 2-11s

27. Make Easter gardens

This is my prevailing memory of childhood Good Fridays, but I’m always amazed by how many people have never come across them! You make them in a tray with soil, pebbles, moss, a flower-pot ‘tomb’ (or use a potato!) and anything else you can lay your hands on. There are lots of variations – just Google ‘Easter gardens’ for ideas!

I love to add brightly-coloured flowers to my children’s gardens when they’re asleep on Easter Saturday night, so that they wake up to visible signs of joy and hope on Easter morning!

Suggested age: 4-11s

28. Make edible Easter gardens

A yummy alternative to a non-edible Easter garden is, of course, an edible one! Again, Google ‘edible Easter gardens’ for ideas – we’ve made them with Scotch pancakes, Oreos and mini-doughnuts, but there are so many variations!

(The recipe for these, plus three other seasonal recipes and loads of other fun Lent ideas for your family, is included in my Family Easter Printables Bundle!)

Suggested age: 4-11s

29. Create simple Easter cards

There are loads of easy ideas on Pinterest for very young children – but my favourite is simply making a masking tape cross on a card, then inviting children to draw, paint or spread glitter over it (depending on your tolerance for mess!). When everything’s dry, peel away the cross and you have a beautiful work of art!

Or check out my colour-in Easter cards – just one of ten helpful resources in my Family Easter Printables Bundle!

Suggested age: 2-7s

30. Make an Easter resurrection cake

We’ve done this several years on the trot now, and the kids never get bored of making or eating it – I think the key is the HUGE amount of chocolate involved! It’s definitely one of our family’s favourite Lent activities!

It’s simply a chocolate cake with a hollow chocolate egg representing the tomb, which gets bashed open on Easter day by any kid who fancies their chances with a metal spoon – kind of like a resurrection piñata!

You can decorate how you like – we make chocolate crosses from Matchmakers or Chocolate Fingers stuck together with melted chocolate. Sugar flowers adorn the path, which is made from chocolate pebbles (available from Amazon).

(And yes, the recipe IS in the Family Easter Printables Bundle!)

Suggested ages: 2-11s

There you go! I hope you find something from that list that your kids absolutely love, and which helps them draw closer to Christ this Lent. I’d love to know what you end up doing (and any more ideas welcome too!) so please share in the comments.