Seasonal Parent / Child Events

THEME: LENT

Objectives:
1. To learn the activities of Lent: prayer, fasting and giving to others.
2. To plan family activities for praying, fasting and giving.
3. To meet and interact with other families and children.

Prior to Family Faith Event
• Invite all families with 3-5 year olds to register.
• Choose a location that will allow use of the floor and has plenty of space for movement.
• Invite families to bring these items to share and use during the session:
- An empty shoe box.
- Some pretzels and/or a beverage to share with all.

EVENT PLAN

Welcome
• Invite all to gather in their family groups; a carpeted floor is best.
• Discuss the objectives in language that adults and children can understand.
• Invite the children to come forward and sit close to you for the first part of this family session.

Introduce the Season of Lent
• Make large signs saying: Lent, 40 Days, Easter, Pray, Fast, and Give. Use them as you talk about each of the preparations for Easter.
• Introduce the season of Lent and include the following points:
- Lent is a Church season forty days in length.
- It is a time to prepare for Easter.
- We prepare by:
• Praying more. Examples:
• Add two prayer times to your day.
• Choose a particular group to pray for each day/week - fathers, babies, older people, etc.
• Fasting from something we really like. Examples:
• Choose a day of the week to give up television or video games.
• Decide not to have any fast food for a week.
• Giving to those in need. Examples:
• Go to your closet and give three pieces of clothing to the poor.
• Put the money you saved by not drinking soda in a special jar; at the end of Lent, give the money to a food shelf.
- Give a variety of examples to help families begin to give thought to how they will enter into the spirit of Lent.

Family Activity
• Invite each family to come up with ideas for praying, fasting and giving each day during Lent in which all family members will participate.
• Encourage them to think of a balance of the three Lenten works.
• Provide each family with 40 slips of paper and a marker. Adults write one idea on each slip of paper. Repeating a good idea during Lent is certainly acceptable.
• Fold the slips of paper and place in the shoe box.
• Together, the family decorates their box with paper and markers.
• Have families print the following on the box: Lenten Promises—Pray, Fast, Give.
• As family groups are working, move around the group. Listen for ideas of prayer, fasting and giving to share with other families who may be short on ideas.

Snack
Move to a different area for snack. The movement supports a child’s need to be active. Invite the children to skip or hop to the snack area.

Circle Prayer
- Gather into family groups.
- Each family will need their Lenten Promises box and a marker.
- Invite all family members to participate in the promise ceremony.
- Ask each family member to sign their name on the box to show that all are going to participate.
- When this is done, ask the youngest child in the family to hold the Lenten Promises box and ask all family members to place on hand on the box.
- Ask all to repeat the following after you.
I promise to pray during Lent.
I will give to people in need.
I promise to sacrifice something I like.
I will participate cheerfully.
I promise to make a good Lent.
Amen.
- Have the families form a large circle and send their youngest child to the center with their Lenten Promise boxes.
- Invite the children to face their families holding their boxes high for all to see.
- Those in the circle join hands and sing the following together (sung to the tune of “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the Morning”). Have the words printed or projected.

Praying, Praying
Praying in the morning
Praying in the nighttime
Praying, Praying
Keeping Lent for forty days.

Fasting, Fasting
Fasting in the morning
Fasting in the nighttime
Fasting, Fasting
Keeping Lent for forty days.

Giving, Giving
Giving in the morning
Giving in the nighttime
Giving, Giving
Keeping Lent for forty days.

Promise, Promise
Praying, Fasting, Giving
We will keep our promise.
Promise, Promise
Keeping Lent for forty days.

At Home
Encourage families to keep the season of Lent by drawing from their box of Lenten Promises daily and faithfully participating in the selected activity of prayer, fasting or giving.

Materials needed:
Large cards with the words: Lent, 40 days, Pray, Fast, Give
40 slips of paper per family
Assorted Markers
Paper for decorating shoe boxes
Extra shoe boxes for those who forget
Printed or projected words to hymn