Lent Archives - Diocese Events

21 Holy Week Activities for Catholic Kids

Lis Luwia March 5, 2020

Holy Week is such a beautiful time to draw closer to Jesus in preparation for His death and resurrection. However, it’s sometimes difficult for kids to grasp the concepts of what is happening during the week and when. That’s why I’ve complied a list of Holy Week activities for your Catholic kids, to help them with hands-on understanding!

Here are Holy Week activities to celebrate with the whole family!

Activities for all of Lent & lockdown:

Catholic Kid Activities for Lent
101 Kid Activities for When they’re Bored
Read the Daily Readings

Before Holy Week:

On Friday before Palm Sunday: Start the Our Lady of Sorrows Novena with my Meditative Prayer Journal for Holy Week (use code 50off for a 50% off discount and print out a copy for everyone in your family. Walk with Our Lady of Sorrows together this Holy Week!) Spring 2020 deal

Palm Sunday

Print out these free Catholic art bookmarks to walk through the week with you
Make these awesome Palm Sunday folded branches
Make this Jesus and donkey paper doll for Palm Sunday
Fold your palms branches into the shape of a cross (some churches are still leaving them in the church for you to pick up, even if your city is on lockdown!)

Maundy Thursday

Create an egg carton Holy Thursday Last Supper craft
Make a chalice and bread for Holy Thursday
Go to Mass in the evening to celebrate the Institution of the Eucharist (If you’re unable to attend Mass, watch it online)
Build a Lego Last Supper

Good Friday

Paint your own crucifix
Recreate Calvary Hill with this easy printable
Create stepping stones as a visual of Jesus’ walk to the crucifix
Say the Divine Mercy Chaplet
Say the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
Hold a crucifix and contemplate Christ on the cross
Do Stations of the Cross from home

Good Saturday

Color the Sorrowful Mysteries
Make a Jesus peg doll with the 5 wounds of Christ
Talk about what it means that Jesus “descended into hell” (Psst! He is claiming the good souls who had died before Him to bring them to Heaven)
Imagine what the world would be like without Jesus in it

Easter Sunday

Make this easy “He is Risen” craft where Jesus peek-a-boo’s out of the tomb
Make an Easter Resurrection garden
Bake Resurrection Rolls
Read the a picture book on Jesus’ resurrection
Say “Alleluia!”
Sing joyful songs and dance with your kids!

Find Holy Week Meal ideas from Catholic Cuisine here!

Easter Basket Gift Ideas:
Gifts Made by Nuns & Monks
Easter Basket Fillers for Kids

I’d also like to recommend my brand new children’s book: Sam the Guardian Angel. It’s perfect for this time in our life (as an Easter basket gift too)! There’s a two-page spread that talks about what to do if you can’t receive the Eucharist, which is speaking to many of us right now. It talks about how to pray the Spiritual Communion prayer and why. I hope this book blesses many families! You can find it at Tan.

21 Vegetarian Recipes for Lent this Friday

Let's abstain from meat this Lent with some delicious, tried and true recipes from yours truly! Here are 21 vegetarian ...

101 Creative Catholic Ideas to give up for Lent

101 Creative Ideas to Give up for Lent

Lent is a wonderful time of the year: a time for reflection and sacrifice, a time to start over and ...

50 Unique Ideas to Start Doing this Lent

Just as you can give something up for Lent, you can also take something on. This is a great option ...

Post updated 3/27/20

Holy Week Classical Catholic Art Bookmarks

Lis Luwia March 3, 2020

Holy Week is a beautiful time for Christians preparing for Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. To keep your focus on the holiness of the week, here are Holy Week Classical Catholic Art Bookmarks for you to print for free.

Be sure you can print in color because the images are vibrant. These images are perfect for homeschoolers, Sunday School, and small gifts for your kids on Palm Sunday. It will help you/ your kids to remember the important points of the week and keep striving for those good things, while learning about important artwork from the masters!

Lenten Catholic quote by Pope Gregory the Great

In addition to featuring artwork from Giotto, Leonardo Da Vinci, Diego Velazquez, Fra Angelico, and Giovanni Bellini, the bookmarks have a quote on the back written by Pope Gregory the Great, perfect for memorizing, copywork, and to reflect on throughout the week.

Below are the images used on the bookmark. Be sure to print the artwork on one side and the quote on the other side. If possible, laminate these so they can last longer!

Just click the images below to download!

Holy Week Classical Art bookmarks for Catholic kids

Holy Week Classical Art bookmarks for Catholic kid lent activities

Palm Sunday

Entry into Jerusalem

Artist: Giotto (1266–1337)

Source: Wikimedia

Celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem

Maudy Thursday

maundy thursday catholic art for holy week

The Last Supper

Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci

Source: Wikimedia

“Maundy” is the Latin word for command, referring to Jesus’ command to “love one another as I have loved you.”

Good Friday

Christ Crucified

Artist: Diego Velazquez

Source: Wikimedia

The most solemn day of the year is Good Friday. It is observed with Stations of the Cross and prayer at the 3 p.m. hour

Good Saturday

The Harrowing of Hell

Author: Fra Angelico

Source: Wikimedia

A day of somber reflection, reflecting on what we’d miss in a world without Jesus.

Easter Sunday

Resurrection of Christ

Author: Giovanni Bellini

Source: Wikimedia

Hallelujah! Christ is risen on Easter Sunday!

May God bless your Holy Week and draw you closer to the side of Jesus!

21 Vegetarian Recipes for Lent this Friday

Let's abstain from meat this Lent with some delicious, tried and true recipes from yours truly! Here are 21 vegetarian ...

101 Creative Ideas to Give up for Lent

Lent is a wonderful time of the year: a time for reflection and sacrifice, a time to start over and ...

50 Unique Ideas to Start Doing this Lent

Just as you can give something up for Lent, you can also take something on. This is a great option ...

50 Unique Ideas to Give Up for Lent

Lis Luwia February 19, 2019

Lent is around the corner and you’re wondering what you’re going to give up. There’s only so many times you can give up chocolate and this year you want to do something different. Here are 50 unique things you can consider giving up for Lent!

Recommended: Catholic Kid Activities for Each Day of Lent

Pin this for later

Give up:

Sleep: Get up earlier to read scripture and pray
Negativity: Focus on the positive!
Complaining: Bite your tongue and offer it up.
Doing your hair before church: Consider veiling!
Social Media: The modern day “chocolate” that Catholics give up for Lent
Condiments: Think Mayo-less deviled eggs
Enjoying nap time: when your kids go down for a snooze, keep moving and get stuff done!
Sitting on sin: Go to weekly confession
Phones: Put your phone on vibrate except for certain times of the day
Drinks: Only drink water
Sugar: Cut the sweets!
Screens: Eliminate screen time one day per week
Electricity: For one hour per day, turn off all the lights and screens (but maybe not the heater if it’s necessary!)
Stuff: Go the minimalist route and purge something every day
Swearing: Kick those nasty words to the door
Saying the Lord’s name in vain (Oh my God/ gosh)
Alcohol: Just consider first if no wine for 40 days would actually make you a better person! 😉
Turning the other way: Go out of you way for your neighbors
Selfishness: Do one nice thing for someone else every day
Forgetfulness: Make a list of people to pray for daily and follow up with them to see how they’re doing
Passing the basket: Make it a point to tithe more by saving up in a different area of your life
Cooking only for your family: Bring a meal to a family going through a rough time or an elderly neighbor, etc
Netflix: Watch Formed.org instead!
Games: that small, sad violin for Candy Crush
Busyness: Make time for the things that matter like prayer, rest, and quality family time
Microwave: Get creative with reheating in pots and pans!
Eating out: East in and make it count
Meat: Become a vegetarian-friendly house for Lent
Shopping: Only spend money on necessary groceries and toilet paper
Spending money: Spend no money whatsoever during Lent! Stockpile groceries and get creative cooking from nothing as Lent goes on
Comfort: give up sitting in your favorite spot on the couch or sleeping with a pillow
Walking in comfort: Put a small pebble in your shoe daily that will bother you just enough to remind you to pray
Warmth: Give up warm showers
Laundry machines: Wash everything by hand
Talking too fast: Think before speaking
Sacrifice: Give up the best parking spot for someone else and save the last cookie for your kids
Cards: Use only cash to make purchases
Texting: Only call or use email
Caffeine: This may or may not be the best Lent ever
Closing your eyes to need: Help through a service project or shelter
Praying in privacy: Pray in front of an abortion clinic once per week
Paper plates and paper towels: go green!
Blow drying your hair: Brr!
Makeup: “You’re never fully dressed without a smile!” (Annie)
Yelling: Change your parenting style
Mirrors: Wipe your face really well after brushing your teeth!
Hitting the snooze button: good luck!!
Elevators: Take the stairs, friend!
Talking first: Make it a point to listen better and ask questions
Driving by the church: Stop in the church for Adoration for an hour every week

Do you like attending Catholic events? Check out what’s happening in your diocese!

I hope these help you! Want more ideas? Check out SO many more ideas on our Lent Pinterest board. Follow it here!

Also, if you’re looking for a Catholic prayer journal to help you through Lent, especially in growing closer to Our Lord in His Passion, you might like Our Lady of Sorrows: A Catholic Novena & Meditation Prayer Journal. (This is an Amazon affiliate link) I wrote this to help others grow closer to Our Lady of Sorrows and learn what it means to stand next to Jesus during His Passion and Crucifixion. I hope you like it!

If you want to walk closer to Christ this Lent, walk next to his Mother, Our Lady of Sorrows, with Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Novena & Meditation Prayer Journal!

21 Vegetarian Recipes for Lent this Friday

Let's abstain from meat this Lent with some delicious, tried and true recipes from yours truly! Here are 21 vegetarian ...

101 Creative Ideas to Give up for Lent

Lent is a wonderful time of the year: a time for reflection and sacrifice, a time to start over and ...

50 Unique Ideas to Start Doing this Lent

Just as you can give something up for Lent, you can also take something on. This is a great option ...

(This post was last updated Jan. 19, 2020)

Catholic Kid Activities for Each Day of Lent

Lis Luwia February 19, 2019

What better way to go through Lent with your Catholic kids than to do crafts and activities with them? Hands on activities help to solidify learning for children and it’s the perfect creative outlet for the season!

This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information.

Here are 40 Days Worth of Lenten Crafts:

Recommended-> 50 Unique Ideas to Give Up for Lent

1. Use chalk to promote a “dust” feeling with this Ash Wednesday craft
2. Fill out a Lenten promises card
3. Make a crown of thorns sacrifice wreath
4. Create your own stations of the cross at home (or buy them here)
5. Print out these free Catholic art bookmarks to walk through the week with you
6. Get busy in the kitchen with easy Lenten pretzels!
7. Make these awesome Palm Sunday branches
8. Make this Jesus and donkey paper doll for Palm Sunday
9. Make a coin-covered cross (Paid in Full)
10. Paint your own crucifix
11. Create a Lenten good deeds chart
12. Make a Holy Week lapbook
13. Make a resurrection garden (but roll a rock in front of the tomb until Easter!) (PSST! I bought wheatgrass and had the grass grow throughout Lent around the tomb. We trimmed the wheatgrass and planted flowers on Easter. The wheatgrass made a great addition to a Easter celebration smoothie!)
14. Make a chalice and bread for Holy Thursday
15. Recreate Calvary Hill with this easy printable
16. Build a Lego Last Supper and/or Lego resurrection garden
17. Make a Jesus felt finger puppet (good for older kids or a parent can make it for kids to play with)
18. Create stepping stones as a visual of Jesus’ walk to the crucifix
19. Fold this EASY stations of the cross prayers mini-book
20. Paint wooden resurrection eggs (buy the wooden eggs here)
21. Create an egg carton Holy Thursday Last Supper craft
22. Color Stations of the Cross Brother Francis pages or watch a Brother Francis Stations of the Cross video (doesn’t get much easier!)
23. Paint a watercolor crucifix
24. Make an Agony in the Garden diorama
25. Color the Sorrowful Mysteries
26. Glue this Stations of the Cross lift flap notebook
27. Draw a St Veronica ornament
28. Make an Easter Wreath for the door to your child’s room
29. Color foil to make beautiful crosses
30. Make a Stations of the Cross Carousel
31. Make an empty tomb craft
32. Help your kids create a Holy Week banner
33. Make a Jesus peg doll with the 5 wounds of Christ
34. Create a Jesus peg doll reenactment
35. Make pray, fast, give magnets
36. While you’re doing magnets, check out these Stations of the Cross magnets
37. Make shadow Stations of the Cross
38. Color a Lenten prayer stained glass coloring page
39. Create this pray, fast, give placemat
40. Make a “stained glass” cross
41. Fold your palms branches into the shape of a cross

I hope these help you! Want more ideas? Check out SO many more ideas on our Lent Pinterest board. Follow it here!