Lent with Kids 2012-15

In 2012 I wrote a series of posts about how you can engage Kids in Lent by focussing on crosses in many different forms.  You can find the posts linked here but I've noticed that I didn't complete the last three posts so I thought I'd do that now.

Lent ends with Holy Week.
Holy week starts with Palm Sunday and Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem on a donkey welcomed by cheering crowds who laid palms on the road before him.  Churches around the world hand out palm crosses to their congregations on palm sunday, to be a symbol of Easter in their homes through the year ahead.  The kids love their palm crosses but what is even better is for them to make their own palm crosses from pieces of paper as this image demonstrates

At the end of Holy Week is Good Friday when we think about Jesus' death upon the cross for all of us and the forgiveness of our sins.  Many steer well clear of this with children but I believe strongly that this is the most important part of our faith and that if dealt with well, including the resurrection, does not worry or upset children unnecessarily.  The crucifix is not often seen in Church of England churches, being a Catholic symbol at it's root, but it can be helpful for children to see.

And then comes Easter Sunday; He is Risen, Alleluia.

Our church comes alive on Easter Sunday with the cross draped in purple to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and King.  I glued nails together in a cross shape and allowed the kids to drape them in purple ribbon; it was an amazing craft which the kids went really deep with.  It was also a great symbol for them to take home and remember Easter all through the year.

If you are looking for other posts about lent then you can find Stations of the Cross for Kids which have also been published as a book or kindle book