Faith Formation Struggles & Easy Lent Trivia

Once upon a time, I had my normal Wednesday night Faith Formation class.

And every week, it’s predictable in the best way. I know the personalities. I know who will participate. And who needs the gentle eyebrow raise. I know who is going to try to derail us with a completely unrelated story about their dog.

And then… we combined classes.

So it was my regular crew plus students I don’t know as well.

And because they’re middle schoolers…

It was Giggle City.

Everything was funny.

Someone dropped a paper? Giggles.
Someone mispronounced a word? Giggles.
I said something completely normal like “sacrifice”? Apparently comedy gold.

There was this nervous, new-energy buzz in the room. Nobody wanted to be too serious in front of the “new kids.” They didn’t want to look overly holy. Nobody wanted to be the first one to answer a deeper question.

We tried to push through the regular lesson.

Whole group teaching? Rough.
Discussion questions? Limping along.
Games? Loud and chaotic.

I could feel it. We were not locked in. We were surviving.

And here’s the thing about middle school: sometimes it’s not defiance. It’s insecurity. New people. New dynamics. Big feelings in small bodies.

So instead of doubling down and trying to force deep reflection…

We pivoted.

I pulled out the Lent trivia walk-around activity.

Nothing dramatic.
No high theology debate.
No “share your personal spiritual struggle with fasting.”

Just movement.
Reading.
Short answers.
Low risk.

They had to walk around. Read the Lent facts. Answer the questions. Talk quietly in pairs or small groups.

And suddenly…

Peace.

The giggles faded.
The volume lowered.
They were discussing actual Lent content.

They didn’t have to perform. No one had to speak in front of the whole group. They didn’t have to risk looking “too serious.” They just had to move, read, and think a little bit.

It was high learning.
But low pressure.

And that reset the entire tone of the room.

Lent Trivia Saved the Class!

When we came back together at the end of class, we were able to have a positive closing conversation. Calm voices. Real answers. No popcorn machine energy.

It reminded me of something I forget sometimes:

Not every lesson needs to be deep and heavy.
Sometimes structure + movement + low risk = spiritual growth.

Especially with middle schoolers.

Which is exactly why I created these trivia activities in the first place. Here’s a link to the one I used yesterday. Next week I plan to use this one with Lenten Saint Reflections. The week after that, we’ll learn about the Stations of the Cross.

Ever had a Faith Formation class where the giggles would NOT stop? 🙃 When I combined middle school classes, the energy was chaotic and no one wanted to answer deep questions in front of new students. Then I pulled out a simple Lent trivia walk-around activity… and everything changed. Calm. Focus. Real learning.

In this post, I share what worked, why low-risk activities matter for middle schoolers, and how you can use Lent Trivia, Stations of the Cross Trivia, and Saints in Lent Trivia in your classroom or at home. All included in the Catholic Mom Bundle for just $25! Perfect for Faith Formation, religious education, Catholic classrooms, and families during Lent.

Grab the bundle and save your sanity. 😉

You could get these separately, or you could get them in the Catholic Mom Bundle!

Inside the Catholic Mom Bundle, you get:

✨ Lent Trivia (the very activity that saved my class)
✨ Stations of the Cross Trivia
✨ Saints in Lent Trivia
✨ A ton of other activities

There are family activities. Classroom resources. Faith-building printables. So many things you can use on those “we need a reset” days or when you want meaningful learning without emotional pressure.

All of it for just $25.

If you teach Faith Formation… if you’re a Catholic mom trying to keep Lent intentional… if you’ve ever felt like you were leading prayer inside a popcorn machine…