Lent Ideas with Children: Narrative Lectionary Luke

February 17th  

Ash Wednesday:

Children Ideas: Meditate on Dirt together (Ideally with dirt): What is dirt? 

Discuss God as creator and make clay/playdo people together, Bury the Alleluias: http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/01/burying-alleluia-for-lent.html

“Don’t think of it as dust. Just think of it as the dirt and dust of far-off lands blowing over here and settling on “Pig-Pen!” It staggers the imagination! He may be carrying the soil that was trod upon by Solomon or Nebuchadnezzar or Genghis Khan!”

February 21st: Journeying Past Our Neighbors

Children Ideas: Make Cards (maybe belated valentines) for the kid’s actual neighbors, Prayer for the neighborhood: Look at local news articles and practice praying for local people in the stories, Ask children to share stories of Good Samaritans they have seen/knows, Talk about Mr. Rogers: Look for the helpers (gather helper news stories to share), Read Little Chicken making the bread. 

February 28th Sustenance for the Journey

Children Ideas: Plant a Seed, talk about nourishment the seed needs, and talk about what we need spiritually to survive. Pack for a trip together (with pictures or a real suitcase or just talk through and make a list of what you need), Read The Carrot Seed or The Very Hungry Caterpillar

March 7th: The Possibility of Journeying Home

Children Ideas: Count 100 coins together and/or Hid a Coin and then find it. Play I Spy with My Little Eye: Talk about the importance of beings Seen. Read The Empty Chair, Read Where the Wild Things Are

March 14th Journeying with Ghosts

Children Ideas: Read a short version or act out a version of The Christmas Carol (3 ghosts + Ebenezer), Read But Not the Hippopotamus, Play Duck-Duck Goose/Talk about the importance of being included, Celebrate Communion Together: Talk about how the invisible church and we are celebrating with all of the saints that were and will be. Discuss Death/Funerals talk about why we mourn & celebrate both: Tell the Waterbugs & Dragonfly Story: https://www.archhospice.ca/dragonfly-story- 

March 21st: Journeying to Redemption

Children Ideas: Talk about Erasure of Sins with a Chalkboard, Read The Runaway Bunny, Sing Zaccheus was a wee little man, Talk about hospitality brainstorm how to be hospitable, Act out the Zaccheus story

March 28th: Journeying to JerusalemChildren Ideas: Color Palms, have a Parade, Make Hosanna Posters: Ask Jesus to save us (brainstorm what we need saving from), Make a Palm cross, Tell the Warm Fuzzy Story (with props if you can find cotton balls and prickly plants): https://reenchantements.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/warm-fuzzy-tale.pdf talk about how the crowds could be for Jesus and then against him on Friday

Mandy Thursday: 

Children Ideas: Celebrate Communion Together, Wash Each Other’s Feet, Read Bear Feels Sick or How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends, and Do Unto Otters

Good Friday

Children Ideas: Write sins out/Draw them and nail them to a cross, Read Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  

Holy Saturday

Talk about waiting, Read The Napping House, Waiting by Henke, Practice a breath prayer (breathing in and out slowly In: Jesus Christ out: loves me) for 12 breaths

Easter Sunday

Tell a short version of The Velveteen Rabbit, God Gave Us Easter, or a picture book of the Easter Story, Have an Alleluia Parade. Tell the Easter Joke: What did Jesus say when he came out of the Tomb? Ta-Da!!! Discuss why the joke is funny. Display a cross that had sins nailed into it empty of the nails: discuss,

More Lent Resources https://katyandtheword.com/2021/01/05/narrative-lectionary-lent-luke/