Lent is, in part, about the 40 days and the 40 nights that Jesus was tempted in the desert. Temptation and sacrifice on this level can be difficult for anyone to understand – especially children in particular.
Praying these prayers regularly with your children during Lent can help them discover and understand more about and feel involved in one of the most significant Christian festivals of the year.
It’s a good idea to let your children know that we remember Lent and Easter because our generous God gave up his son for us. In remembrance of that sacrifice, here is a Lent prayer for your children that the whole family can read together.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you are a generous God and that you give us so many good things.
We are sorry that we are not always generous with others.
Please help us this week to be kind, to do our very best, and to be generous when we are helping others.
Amen.
Lent Activities For Children
Teaching children about Lent can be challenging, especially if they come to identify it as a time to be miserable and gloomy because they give up things they enjoy. All too often we find that the bigger issue is created when we disconnect the act of fasting from the story it symbolises, when Jesus was tempted for 40 days and nights in the desert.
By reconnecting the story it becomes easier to show children that Lent is a time of preparation and getting ready for the excitement of Easter, when Jesus died and rose again to make our relationship with God right again.
An easy activity which can help children understand the idea of sacrifice during Lent is to donate some of their old clothes or toys to a charity or someone else who needs them more. This Lent prayer for children can be prayed them when giving up their things for others.
Dear God,
Thank You that You provide for all our needs.
Thank You that we can trust You to turn the small things we give You into something big that can make a huge difference.
Help us to be generous with everything we have, just as You are so generous in giving us these things.
Amen.
Teaching Children Generosity
40acts began with the simple question – what if Lent could be about more than just giving stuff up? Lent is a time of preparation, of stripping away all the baggage and focussing our attention on the moment God gave his greatest gift, Jesus, to die on a cross and be raised again. The 40acts challenge is a great way for children to learn to think about and practice generosity for themselves, by completing one simple act of generosity each day throughout Lent.
A good starting point for the challenge is for children to write down what they are thankful for during the week – to help focus on ways to start acting more generously during Lent. This Lent prayer for children reminds them that God loves them and can help children show generosity to others.
Dear God,
Thank You that You are loving and forgiving.
Help us to love people in the same way as You have loved us.
Help us do generous things for others because we love You.
Amen.
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