Lent Activities for Kids: Meaningful, Creative and Faith-Focused Ideas

If you are searching for thoughtful and engaging Lent activities for kids, this guide is filled with creative, age-appropriate ideas to help children understand and participate in the Lenten season. Whether you are celebrating Lent at home, in a church group, school or Sunday school setting, these activities combine faith, reflection, kindness and creativity.

Lent is a significant season in the Christian calendar. For families, it is a time of reflection, prayer, generosity and preparation leading up to Easter. Including children in meaningful Lent activities for kids helps them understand the importance of this period in an accessible and positive way.

What Is Lent?

Lent is a 40-day season observed by many Christians in preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. The 40 days represent the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert.

Lent is traditionally associated with:

• Prayer
• Fasting
• Giving to others (charity)
• Reflection and repentance
• Spiritual growth

The colour purple is often used in churches during Lent to symbolise reflection and preparation.

For children, Lent activities for kids should focus on kindness, gratitude and understanding rather than strict rules or pressure.

Why Lent Activities for Kids Are Important

Participating in Lent activities for kids helps children:

• Understand Christian traditions
• Develop empathy and kindness
• Learn about reflection and gratitude
• Build positive habits
• Prepare meaningfully for Easter

Trusted educational platforms such as BBC Bitesize often provide child-friendly explanations of Lent that can support home or classroom discussions.

15 Lent Activities for Kids

Below are creative, faith-based and reflective Lent activities for kids that work well across different age groups.

1. Create a Lent Countdown Calendar

A Lent countdown calendar helps children visualise the 40 days leading up to Easter.

You can:

• Create a paper chain with 40 links
• Use a printable Lenten calendar
• Write daily acts of kindness on slips of paper
• Add Bible verses or short reflections

Each day, remove a link or complete a small activity. This keeps children engaged throughout the season.

2. Acts of Kindness Challenge

One of the most meaningful Lent activities for kids is a kindness challenge.

Encourage children to complete one small act of kindness each day, such as:

• Helping tidy up
• Writing a thank-you note
• Sharing toys
• Donating items to charity
• Complimenting a friend

This connects Lent with generosity and compassion.

3. Make a Prayer Jar

Decorate a jar using purple ribbon, stickers or crosses. Children can:

• Write short prayers
• Add names of people they want to pray for
• Include things they are grateful for

Pick one prayer each evening and reflect together as a family.

4. Learn About the 40 Days of Lent

Explain to children why Lent lasts 40 days. You can discuss:

• Jesus fasting in the desert
• The importance of preparation
• The meaning of self-control

Keep explanations age-appropriate and focus on positive growth rather than restriction.

5. Create a Lenten Sacrifice Chart

Many families give something up during Lent.

Help children choose something realistic, such as:

• Reducing screen time
• Limiting sweets
• Complaining less
• Choosing healthier snacks

Track progress with a simple chart to encourage commitment and reflection.

6. Lenten Reflection Journal

Older children may enjoy keeping a simple journal during Lent.

Each day they can write:

• One thing they are grateful for
• One act of kindness they completed
• A short prayer
• Something they learned

This builds reflection skills and emotional awareness.

7. Make a Cross Craft

A cross craft is a simple and meaningful Lent activity for kids.

Ideas include:

• Decorating paper crosses
• Painting wooden crosses
• Creating mosaic cross art
• Making palm crosses (closer to Palm Sunday)

Display the finished crafts at home as a reminder of the season.

8. Bible Story Time

Spend time reading Bible stories that focus on themes such as:

• Kindness
• Forgiveness
• Sacrifice
• Compassion

You can explore child-friendly resources through churches or the Church of England website for family materials.

After reading, ask simple discussion questions to deepen understanding.

9. Charity Collection Box

Encourage generosity by decorating a small charity box.

Children can:

• Add spare coins
• Donate part of their pocket money
• Choose a charity to support

This reinforces one of the key pillars of Lent: giving to others.

10. Gratitude Tree

Create a paper tree on the wall. Each day, children write something they are thankful for on a purple paper leaf and attach it to the branches.

This visual reminder encourages positive reflection throughout Lent.

11. Fasting in a Child-Friendly Way

Children should not fast in strict ways, but they can learn about moderation.

Age-appropriate examples include:

• Choosing water over fizzy drinks
• Taking breaks from devices
• Reducing sweets

Frame this as building self-control rather than punishment.

12. Lenten Service Project

Choose a small family service project such as:

• Baking for neighbours
• Helping at a community event
• Tidying a local area

Service-based Lent activities for kids build empathy and responsibility.

13. Holy Week Learning Activities

As Lent draws to a close, explore Holy Week events:

• Palm Sunday
• Maundy Thursday
• Good Friday

You can create simple crafts for each event or read short Bible passages to explain their significance.

14. Family Discussion Nights

Set aside one evening per week during Lent to talk about:

• What you have learned
• How acts of kindness made you feel
• Ways to continue positive habits beyond Lent

This strengthens family bonds and reinforces learning.

15. Prepare for Easter Together

Lent leads to Easter, a joyful celebration.

As the season ends, children can:

• Create Easter decorations
• Plan a family meal
• Reflect on what Lent has meant to them

Connecting Lent activities for kids with Easter preparation helps children understand the full journey of the Christian calendar.

Tips for Making Lent Meaningful for Children

When planning Lent activities for kids:

• Keep explanations simple and age-appropriate
• Focus on kindness and growth rather than rules
• Encourage participation, not pressure
• Celebrate effort rather than perfection
• Make activities consistent but manageable

The goal is to nurture understanding and positive habits that can continue beyond the 40 days.

Final Thoughts

Lent activities for kids provide a wonderful opportunity to slow down, reflect and grow together as a family. Through crafts, kindness challenges, prayer jars and gratitude activities, children can engage with Lent in a way that feels meaningful and manageable.

By focusing on generosity, reflection and spiritual growth, you can help children develop values that last well beyond the Lenten season.