How to Celebrate Lent: Family Traditions That Bring Faith to Life

Traditions are an important part of our household—and my daughter is quick to remind us of any traditions that we accidentally (or on purpose) ‘forget’ with each season. Here’s a roundup of our favorite Lenten traditions!

1. Fat Tuesday and a King Cake:

The day before Lent begins, we empty the house of all the junk food and deliciousness that we’re giving up for Lent. We usually have pancakes or gumbo for dinner (Mardi Gras) and enjoy a king cake for dessert. I have plans to make something semi-fancy this year, but honestly, anything sugary and colorful will fit the bill!

Lent Traditions, Goal Setting and Countdown, Fat Tuesday, King Cake, Catholic Kids Bulletin

2. Ash Wednesday:

Even though this isn’t a Holy Day of Obligation, Mass will be PACKED! We’ll find a time to get the kiddos to church so they can receive ashes. Especially for our little ones, this is a chance for them to walk up and receive something since they aren’t old enough for the Eucharist. They LOVE the chance to feel so grown up! The meaning will be lost without some explanation, so we’ll make sure to include that as well. I love that Ash Wednesday is such a concrete start to the season, along with the fasting and abstaining.

Lent Traditions, Goal Setting and Countdown, Ash Wednesday, Dust to Dust, Catholic Kids Bulletin

3. Goal, Goals, Goals:

Small children don’t really understand the concept of a long-term goal, so this takes some reinforcement and encouragement throughout Lent. I’m going to focus on the prayer, fasting, and almsgiving listed in Matthew 6 and help them choose something in each area. I plan to choose a prayer for us to learn as a family—let me know if you have any suggestions! I’ll encourage their almsgiving to be an act of kindness every day. For fasting, they can focus on choosing one thing to give up that will be individual for each child.

I’m also going to make sure that my kids know what my goals are so they can help me stay accountable! A stern reminder from a 3-year-old will quickly give me the impulse control I need to resist that extra snack.

For my high school students, they will choose their own goals in each area. We’re going to discuss Lent next week, do some pre-teaching about goal setting and sacrifice, then they’ll get a handout to write out their goals. The accountability of writing a goal is so important! I created a packet with Lent Countdown pages (for littles and bigs alike) and worksheets for them to complete, focusing on Matthew 6 and goal setting. There’s even a follow-up worksheet that we’ll use each Friday to review goals—along with successes and challenges. You can check it out over at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Lent Traditions, Goal Setting and Countdown, Teacher Pay Teachers, Catholic Kids Bulletin

4. Stations of the Cross:

We’ll try to attend Stations of the Cross at church a few times during Lent. By Friday evening, I’m usually less-than-motivated to do anything outside the house, so we’ll see how many times I can make that sacrifice. Last year, I taught and prayed the stations with my daughter’s Faith Formation class a few times, then gave the students a chance to draw some of the stations. They chose their own station and design and truly enjoyed expressing their view of the stations!

Lent Traditions, Goal Setting and Countdown, Stations of the Cross, Catholic Kids Bulletin

5. Meatless meals on Fridays and Ash Wednesday.

This one is pretty basic, but worth mentioning. Plus—I love this picture of my daughter chowing down on these ribs! Remember, meat is off-limits, but meat stock, eggs, and milk are still fair game. So if you’re worried about a meatless meal—a veggie soup or chili made with beef stock will still taste just as filling and meaty as expected, even with the sacrifice. My go-to Lenten meals are fish tacos, cheese pizza, and mac and cheese. Yum! I have to admit, the meatless meals aren’t too much of a sacrifice for me, but they do increase my mindfulness during Lent. It’s so easy to forget that it’s Friday—and Friday is different!

Lent Traditions, Goal Setting and Countdown, Meatless Meals, Catholic Kids Bulletin

6. Something crafty!

We make a crown of thorns each year with play-doh or salt dough. My go-to recipe for play-doh is 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, food coloring, and 1 cup water. Heat on the stove while stirring, and watch the magic happen! I’ve made the crown different colors each year—this year, I happen to have black food coloring, so it will be pretty dark. In one year, I even used cinnamon because I was out of all Lenten food colorings.