During the 40 days of Lent in preparation for Easter, the family adopts spiritual practices such as fasting and almsgiving. CANA offers new ways to experience Lent as a family through various diverse and varied activities.
A Path to Easter as a Family
On February 14, 2024, we embarked on this meaningful 40-day journey to prepare for Easter. During this Lent, we are encouraged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as abstain from meat on Fridays, not out of obligation but out of love for God.
This Lenten season provides us with an opportunity to refocus our lives, take time to pray, and dedicate our time and money to help the less fortunate, known as almsgiving. To help younger ones better understand Lent and experience this time as a family, here are some activities and habits to adopt during these 40 days.
By associating Lent with preparing the home for the upcoming Easter celebration, why not try eggshell painting? It’s a fun and easy activity to do with both little ones and older kids.
To instill a sense of effort and service in children, you can create a Lenten crown where children remove thorns as they make efforts. This symbolizes that each good action, each thought turned towards Christ, eases His pain and brings Him infinite joy. The goal is to have no thorns left on Easter day! You can use salt dough to make this crown.
Another way to observe Lent as a family is to create or print a Lenten calendar to help the younger ones understand the progression of each day. This calendar can include daily explanations of what Lent is and how the little ones can participate. Here are some inspirational ideas.
Since this time is given to us to focus on prayer, let’s not forget to say our nightly prayers as a family. Use the covenant prayer (thank you, sorry, please) as a guide.