Since Lent is starting next week, I thought it might be a good idea to think of ways that I could bring Lenten traditions into our home. As my faithful readers (pun intended), I hope that this may give you some tips, but also that you will comment with tips for celebrating Lent in your homeschool.

What is Lent?

Although many may think of Lent as the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter, and for all intents and purposes, it is, Lent is actually a time to reflect and experience some of what Jesus experienced when he fasted in the desert for 40 days and nights and was tempted by Satan. So whereas oftentimes as children we would give up candy for Lent, or some adults might give up alcohol or sugary sweets, that’s not really the point. Although giving something up for Lent is a common theme, you can also choose to add something in, incorporate fasting, and/or incorporate intentional prayers or devotions.

As a Catholic aged 18-59, fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday meant that you could eat one full meal, along with two smaller meals that, when added together, was less than a full meal. Those 14 years and older were also supposed to abstain from meat on these days as well as each Friday of Lent. Personally, for the last 5 years, I have been excused from this practice due to pregnancies and nursing my children, so this year will definitely be an adjustment. My children are still excused based on their ages.

Giving Something up for Lent

Growing up, I remember always hearing that you had to give something up for Lent. Adults would ask what we were giving up and encourage simple things, like giving up candy or chocolate, and sometimes things that didn’t seem that difficult (to those that hadn’t grown up surrounded by technology), like no television or no instant messenger. We would often be reminded about giving up something for a week or two, but similar to New Year’s resolutions that didn’t stick, I don’t think I ever got through Lent without cheating and partaking in whatever I’d given up. I thought it was normal since I had never heard of anyone successfully making it through the season.

I think that’s part of why I have such a dislike of the practice. If you believe that you will succeed, then it’s possible. But when society lends you the belief that you will fail, it’s all but impossible not to…

Adding Something in for Lent

As I got older, it finally resonated that you could add something in for Lent. As opposed to giving up unhealthy foods, you could add in healthy eating or exercise, or combine all three. Instead of giving up Facebook, you could limit your time and add in calling friends and family to talk and share real thoughts and feelings instead of just those that were shared through the lens of social media.

You could add in intentional prayers and devotions, Bible study, reading religious or spiritual books, or praying the rosary. Although yoga may be frowned upon by many Christians, you can use the movements to slow down and pray, or do Pietra Fitness instead to ensure that you can feel confident in the Christian values behind the movements.

Ideas for Celebrating Lent in Our Homeschool

As my children are too young to fast or abstain from meat during the obligatory days of Lent (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday for fasting, those and the remaining Fridays for abstaining), they’ll instead get to witness mommy fasting and abstaining. Whether they notice or not, I can tell them about it and explain its importance. They’re not too young to get ashes, so I hope to bring them to our church to get some. My family didn’t go to church on Ash Wednesday growing up, but I’m sure my mom would love to accompany us and help show my kids how it works.

We can read through and summarize the story of Jesus in the desert in the Bible, as well as read the story in their children’s Bible. I’m sure that we can find coloring pages to accompany it and talk about what it would’ve felt like if we had experienced it. They can draw pictures of what they imagine Jesus went through. When they’re older, they can write a story as if they’re there with Jesus and share what they’d tell him. As a crafty homeschool mama, I just realized that we can make a paper chain to count down the 40 days that Jesus was in the desert. (I was curious why Lent actually lasts longer, and learned that the Catholic faith doesn’t include Sundays as part of the 40 days!)

Despite my misgivings about giving something up, I can encourage my children to choose something that would be easier to start, and that I can help them to avoid, then remind them of their commitment and how well they’re doing so that they can be successful and build upon that success in future years. In order to make it an acceptable sacrifice for a preschooler, she might be able to give up playing with a specific toy, or not play a specific game. Since this is a new idea, she couldn’t give up an absolute favorite item unless I want to deal with non-stop crying for the next 6 weeks, but she could choose something that she likes to play with occasionally. At this age, it’s all about baby steps and ensuring that it doesn’t feel like a punishment. Another idea would be to give something up for a day or two to get an idea of how it feels to sacrifice, but not push them to give it up for the entire Lenten season. After whatever period of time, it would be worthwhile to talk about it and compare how it felt and their experience to that of Jesus.

Why Reinforcement of Ideas Matters

I’ve got these amazing kids, but my son is almost 19 months, and my daughter is under 4.5 years old. My son certainly won’t remember everything I share (or even be an active participant in many of these activities), and my daughter will remember some but could easily forget with all of the distractions that come with being a kid. That’s why I feel it’s so important to reinforce our lessons while celebrating Lent in our homeschool. Instead of just reading, we’re reading and drawing and coloring. Instead of just drawing and coloring, we’re also imagining and creating. It’s not just sharing the Bible story, it’s sharing it multiple times and in multiple ways. And whenever they do an activity, we can reinforce it by talking about it and why it’s important.

I hope some of these ideas help you celebrate Lent in your homeschool. I’d love to hear how you incorporate the Lenten season into your homeschool. Leave me a comment with your ideas!

Thank you for joining us In Our Homeschool.