4 ways to teach children about Lent

Teaching Lent to Children During the forty days of Lent, Christians of all ages can choose to give up something of value to spend more time focusing on God's Word and prayer. How can church leaders help children observe Lent? What are some developmental activities for children during this time of repentance? Here are four ways you can help the children in your church observe Lent.

Focus on the key points

Explaining all the nuances of Lent to a child can be hard work! However, teaching about this season doesn't have to be complicated. Short videos are a great way to help children understand the heart of the message during Lent.

If you don't have the equipment to show a video, Lent can be explained to children in a few sentences:

During Lent we feel sorry for our sin and for the things we have done wrong. Our sins are so serious that the punishment is death and eternal separation from God, but Jesus took this punishment upon Himself. So we repent, asking Jesus to help us be humble and admit our sin. The color of Lent is purple, for repentance.

No matter how you choose to focus on the key points, don't forget: even during Lent, it's important to keep the message focused on Jesus! When you talk about the importance of repentance, reassure your children that no matter how great their sin is or how many sins they commit, all has been forgiven because of Jesus! Remind the children that in baptism, God washed away all sin because of Jesus.

Teaching Lent to Children: Incorporating Music

Music and hymns are also a great way to help children observe Lent. Families with a hymn can turn to the Lenten section and choose a different hymn to learn each week. Ask your church office in advance if they can share the hymn of the day in advance. This way, families know which hymns will go out in church and can practice them at home. When children come to worship, they will be able to recognize and sing songs they are already familiar with at home!

For families with less musical talent, a wide range of audio and video resources are available online for free. Take advantage of music and video streaming services to find Lenten songs that can be useful for children to learn. For example, did you know that recordings of my first hymn for Lent are available on and through the Amazon Music app? YouTube also has a variety of Lenten music.

Teaching Lent to Children: Use Object Lessons

Experienced teachers know that when teaching difficult concepts, object lessons can be a great way to connect abstract ideas with concrete reality.

Teaching Lent to Children: Here's a preview of what each lesson should be like:

First Sunday of Lent
Bible Lesson: Mark 1: 9–15
Supplies needed: one large shell, small shells for each child
Summary: Children will use shells to remind them of their baptism into Christ.
Second Sunday of Lent
Bible Lesson: Mark 8: 27–38
Supplies needed: images of your shepherd, famous people and Jesus
Summary: Children compare pictures of famous and less famous people and find out more about who Jesus is, the one and only Savior!
Third Sunday of Lent
Bible Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1: 18–31
Supplies needed: none
Summary: Children compare wise and foolish ideas, remembering that God's wisdom comes first.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Bible Lesson: Ephesians 2: 1–10
Supplies needed: small crosses for each child
Summary: Children talk about the greatest gifts they have received on earth and give thanks for God's perfect gift of our Savior.

Fifth Sunday of Lent
Bible Lesson: Mark 10: (32–34) 35–45
Supplies needed: toy crown and a rag
Summary: We rejoice in knowing that Jesus renounced the riches of heavenly glory to save us from sin, death, and the devil.

Strengthen with activity pages

The coloring and activity pages help integrate learning and provide a visual connection to help students remember the message of the season. Find a coloring page to line up with each week's readings or consider using cult activity folders that kids can use during the service.