Help your toddler understand Lent and grow their faith in Jesus with these 10 simple, hands-on Lent activities for two and three year olds.
Wondering what to give up for Lent this year? Check out this massive list of the 100 BEST things to give up for Lent for adults in 2024.
Earlier in Lent, I wrote a post about the Virtues. For weeks now, I’ve been wanting to follow-up with a hands-on activity for students of all ages. Today, I finally pulled it together. When I was…
Forty days. We have forty days to help young people grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ during Lent. How do we make the most of our time with them? First, think about some ongoing Lenten projects you can do with the students this year. How can you check in with them each time...Read More
Fun and frugal way to Teach the Sign of the Cross. Easy craft for kids to learn proper way to do this special prayer. Great way to practice!
Each year, during Lent many Christians choose to give things up for 40 days. I've put together a list of 40 Acts of Kindness for Lent...
(This lesson is in accordance with the new Roman Missal that is to be implemented on November 27, 2011.) *Be sure to adjust this lesson to fit the needs of your students. (Please take in consideration that I am just a Mom and I'm providing these lessons and activities to the best of my abilities. I will try to make them as accurate as possible, but I know I will make a few mistakes and it was not intentional.) Gospel means “good news” and the reading is taken from the New Testament. During the Gospel we stand and listen to the priest read from the Book of the Gospels. If incense is used, the priest puts some into the thurible. After this, the deacon who is to proclaim the Gospel, bowing profoundly before the priest, asks for a blessing, saying in a low voice: Your blessing, Father. The priest says in a low voice: May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The deacon signs himself with the Sign of the Cross and replies: Amen. If, however, a deacon is not present, the priest, bowing before the altar, says quietly: Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel. The Deacon, or the Priest, then proceeds to the ambo, accompanied, if appropriate, by ministers with incense and candles. There he says: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit. Priest: A reading from the holy Gospel according to N. *At the same time, he makes the Sign of the Cross on the book and on his forehead, lips, and breast. The people make a fist with their right hand and with our thumb we make a small Sign of the Cross on our forehead, on our lips and over our heart and silently pray, “God be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.”) People: Glory to you, O Lord. Then the deacon, or the priest, incenses the book, if incense is used, and proclaims the Gospel. At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims: The Gospel of the Lord. All reply: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Then he kisses the book, saying quietly: Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away. Then follows the homily, which is to be preached by a priest or deacon. The homily may even be given by a Bishop or a priest who is present at the celebration but cannot concelebrate. During the homily the people sit. This is when the priest shares special thoughts and ideas with us to help us connect the gospel to our own life experiences. After the homily a brief period of silence is appropriately observed. Questions: What does Gospel mean? (Good News) Do we stand or sit during the Gospel? (Stand) What book is the Gospel read from? (The Book of the Gospels) Is the Gospel from the Old or New Testament? (New) Who reads the Gospel? (A deacon or a priest.) Where do we cross ourselves three times? (Once on the forehead, once on our lips, and once over our heart.) When we cross ourselves three times, what do we say? (“God be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.”) Who does the homily? (A deacon or a priest.) Do we stand or sit during the homily? (Sit) What is a homily? (This is when the priest shares special thoughts and ideas with us to help us connect the gospel to our own life experiences.) Craft/Activity: Lesson 11: Preparing for the Gospel- Children Discover the Mass by Mary Doefler Dall An inventive way to help children learn to make the Sign of the Cross on our forehead, on our lips and over our heart and silently pray, “God be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.” (Craft/Activity directions pages 59 – 60). These activities below are free, however they can only to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit. Reproduction or retransmission of any materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, is not permitted. All graphics/images/clipart etc. used on these activities are not my own and are from various internet sources. Game: Stand Up, Sit Down Game Directions: Have the students stand in front of their chairs with plenty of room in front of them. Say to the students: Let’s review what you should do during the Liturgy of the Word Sequence. When I say a part of the Liturgy of the Word, you must stand or sit like you would do in Mass. During the First Reading, what are you supposed to do? (Sit) During the Responsorial Psalm (we join in a prayer that is read or sung) what do we do? (Sit) During the Second Reading, what are you supposed to do? (Sit) When we sing the Gospel Acclamation (“Alleluia”), what are you supposed to do? (Stand) During the Gospel what do you do? (Stand) What do we do during the Homily? (Sit) *If the students do well, mix up the sequence above and see how well they do. Worksheet: The Gospel- Circle the best available answer for each of the following.
Free printable cut and paste Hail Mary prayer activity featuring two versions of the Hail Mary prayer, including the traditional and a modern Hail Mary.
Heaven is a very abstract concept for children to understand. We don't even fully comprehend it as adults! However, Jesus does give us some very clear and beautiful descriptions about our hope of eternity with Him. In this lesson, I try to make heaven as tangible and real as possible. I also emphasize to my little preschoolers that the best part about heaven is that we will finally be able to really see Jesus and be with Him forever! Bible Truth: I have a forever home in Heaven. Bible Story: Jesus went back to Heaven to prepare a home for us. Bible Study: John 14:1-6; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 21:22-27 teach I like using our flannel graph set to visually show Jesus ascending up into heaven as I tell this story. Then I use a gold gift bag that I call my "Heaven Bag" to describe the kind of home that the Bible says Jesus is preparing for us. Below is a list of items that I have in the bag. I pull each item out one by one, and talk about whether or not we will have and/or need it in heaven. If it will be in heaven I keep it in the gold bag. If not, I throw it into a trash bag, which I usually ask one of the children to hold for me. Items to represent what will be in heaven include: gold (coins or jewelry) crown jewels small musical instrument (worship) piece of fruit (we will have a feast in heaven) picture of Jesus (the best part about heaven is we will see Jesus!) Items that will not be in heaven include: band-aids medicine flashlight tissues (to wipe tears) black heart (sin) sing Heaven is a Happy Place - I have colored various pictures from coloring books to illustrate each verse of this song. You could also hold up objects from the lesson above that correspond with each verse of this song. Follow the link for the tune and lyrics. craft up in a cloud This craft helps the children remember, and retell the story of Jesus' ascension. You will need: these print outs (I suggest printing the first page on card stock for stability and ease of operation.) scissors tape yarn hole-punch cotton balls glue crayons To prepare, cut out the large clouds, and pictures of Jesus for each child. Punch a hole in the center top and bottom of the activity page, and thread a piece of yarn (approximately 20 inches long) through each hole. Tie off the ends of the yarn in the back near to the top hole. Tape Jesus to the piece of yarn. In class, children can color their page and glue cotton balls the clouds. Help them put glue on the opposite ends of the large cloud, and attach it to their pages in a way that allows for Jesus to easily be pulled up behind it. Children pull the string in the back to move Jesus from standing on the ground with His disciples, to ascend up to heaven in a cloud. 'h' is for heaven This is simple, low prep craft. Print this activity sheet onto cloud stationery paper. I purchased mine from Wal-Mart. Give the children small cotton balls, or pull larger cotton balls apart, to glue onto the letter 'H'. a beautiful home Another simple craft is to provide children with craft jewels and sequins to decorate a picture like this. See this post for more activities to teach your child about Heaven at home this week!
Fasting and Abstinence during Lent is hard. For some (like me) it’s REALLY hard. Read this article on explaining these Lent practices to kids
With Lent and Easter just around the bend, I thought it was a great time to re-share my friend's Prayer Hands with a free printable. It's a simple way to remind your kids of what is important and remind them of all that they have to be thankful for, not only during this time of
This week on November 11th, our family will celebrate Martinmas, and as tradition we will mark the feast of St. Martin of Tours with friends around a roast duck…or maybe two. (But only because we haven’t been able to successfully find a local supplier of fattened geese.) In the past my husband has tried to...
No Prep – Printable for Color Word Practice Especially those tricky colors that start with the same letters such as: black and blue pink and purple gray and green download from my TpT store This is a great printable to integrate language arts and religion. It could be used anytime, but some especially on special ... Read More about Free Color Word Practice Printables
Are you teaching your child to pray The Rosary for the very first time? Do you want your child to have a deeper understanding of The Rosary? If so, The Rosary: A Guide and Activity Book written by my friend, Ellen Mady, is exactly what you need! The Rosary: A Guide and Activity Book is ... Read More about The Rosary for Children: A Guide and Activity Book
Here is a simple craft to color and create for the Solemnity of the Annunciation (March 25)! Just print the free PDF file (found here) onto stock paper or heavy paper. Color it and add a prayer list inside the blocks. (Using Crayons? Add the prayer list first and color over top with light colors. If
Use the Ascension Decoder as a fun activity for your next children's sermon.
The Catholic Church will soon be embracing a new Pope. Many Catholic and non-Catholic families may want to take this time to learn about the Pope and his role in the church. You can find a ton of u…
Use the The Shepherd Maze as a fun activity for your next children's sermon.
Forgiveness “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” – Matthew 6:14 Adding onto my character series, I am focusing on teaching kids about forgiveness through this parable of the lost son craft. The “Parable of the Lost Son” is also called the “Parable of the Prodigal Son,” and it...Read More
The world Jesus had hoped for us is unlike the world we live in now. We view people who are royal or “important” as people who should be served because of their status. Yet, Jesus gives us an example of service by washing the disciples feet – a job so low the not a single ... Read more
