Today is the first day of Lent.
In my previous post, I wrote more to the history, how, and why of Lent – the significance of the 40 days, why traditionally people give thing up or add things in, etc. It gives a tiny glimpse into one experience that helped shape my faith, so please read if you need a little more back story on what Lent is and how it can impact our faith. But, I didn’t want to leave you hanging there, so here are some suggestions and great resources on how to intentionally observe Lent individually and as a family!
Ideas of things to Give Up:
Here some more unique ideas of things to give up, but some common (but definitely impactful) ideas include giving up:
- sweets/sugar
- television
- caffeine/soda
- prepackaged or fast-food
- shopping (for all non-essentials)
- using the dishwasher (I wish I had a dishwasher to give up :)
I also love the idea of 40 Bags in 40 Days (going through the house and filling up 1 bag/day to donate) or Doing Lent Generously.
Ideas/Uses of time that could be Added-In:
- Daily time with God
- Reading the Gospels
- Reading books about Christian Living, such as: Mere Christianity (faith foundation) Radical (convicting), or 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess (a hilarious call to action).
- Praying for or with your spouse/kids
- Journaling
Resources for Observing Lent with Kids:
- Intentionally celebrating Lent as a Family (my favorite – this offers fantastic ideas and tons of resources)!
- 10 Lenten Traditions for your Family
- 40 Lenten Activities for Kids
- Lent with Kids (a week-to-week guide/activities)
(For additional ideas on observing lent or as you prepare to celebrate Easter, you can follow my Easter board on Pinterest.)
Do you observe Lent as a Family? Have you in the past? How? Or are you hoping to start this as a family faith-building tradition?
~ Becca
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Becca V
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[…] If you’re interested in some suggestions for how to make this season intentional for your faith and family, I’ll also be sharing some Ideas & Resources for Observing Lent! […]
Love the 40 bags for 40 days idea! That is brilliant.
Yeah! I just recently read a similar post and liked to see that instead of just focusing on getting rid of stuff, she was focusing on the relational aspect of coming up with certain people who might really need/like the stuff (maternity clothes to a pregnant friend, etc.) Thought that was a cool component too!
Loved both the “How and Why” and the “resources” posts. I, too like the 40 bags idea and the idea of saving $1 a day (or more if one can afford more) and then that could be donated also. That would be fun for children to be involved in, too.
Thank you for your great posts!
Oooh, that is a great idea! Saving $1/day and having $40 to decide on donating somewhere! What an awesome opportunity to teach saving & giving and about certain hardships others might be experiencing and how we can help relieve needs!
[…] equal (if not more important) event of Easter the same reverence. I recently shared some wonderful ideas & resources for observing Lent with kids, but this one goes above and […]