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For many families, Lent has become another thing they have to squeeze into an already overflowing “to-do” list. There are so many resources, activities and ways we are recommended to fill the 40 days after we’ve flipped the pancakes that it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming!

Don’t get me wrong – many of those things are wonderful, and indeed we have many active Lent resources on this website too. But for families like mine, where even getting to eat a meal together can be a scheduling challenge, we need to strip things back to basics. That is why, for this year, we have put together Re:Lent, a way to recapture the simplicity of Lent.

Re:lent is a simple pack which can be given to families and helps them to focus on the three core elements of Lent:

Re:Lent: Giving up something we like to help us focus on God.

Si:Lent: Making time to listen to God and lay before Him our worries.

Ta:Lent: Using what we have for God’s glory not our own.

There’s one sheet to use. It begins with ideas to help each person in the house choose one thing to give up, which should flow into freeing up time to be silent, listen and pray, which in turn could flow into inspiration for ways in which they might give to others.

There is no pressure to perform, create or show what has been done, it is just between that person and God. Simples!

Click any image to download complete pack

This Lent Activity was shared by Lynn in Kilternan and is a wonderful way to encourage all ages in your congregation to connect with Lent in a meaningful way. You can put the packs together as boxes or bags and have them available in your Church for people to take if they wish throughout the Lent period or you can take out to those who are house-bound.

Original idea: Build Faith: https://buildfaith.org/lent-in-a-bag/ and St Martin in the fields: https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Lent-in-a-Bag-Instruction-and-Devotion-2015.pdf

Sand Activity: Sun hats and Wellie boots:https://www.sunhatsandwellieboots.com/2016/02/family-sand-tray-for-lent-exploring.html

Download by clicking the relevant image below (full colour or black and white).

We recommend printing on thicker paper or card to ensure durability.

This is a simple paper craft to help tell the Easter story. We have two versions, one is full colour and the other is black and white so that children can colour in the scenery and characters as you chat about the story.

You can take one section of the story at a time if using it as part of a wider lesson for example on Palm Sunday. Or you might choose to do all 5 together to tell the story from the triumphal entry to the resurrection – we would recommend using the full-colour pack if doing all 5 in one session.

Pages should be printed back to back to ensure the Bible verse lines up with the back of the scene.  Assembly instructions are included in the pack.

Click either of the images below to download the pack:

Full Colour: 

Colour In: 

Click the relevant file image above to download and print.

A fun and simple way to help children learn the Lord’s prayer. Download the file you want, cut out the box template, fold along the dotted lines and stick the tabs to create our prayer box. Card works best and will last longer but can be made with paper too.

Click the main image to download the pack or click HERE for ink-friendly version/.

This wonderful resource was compiled by Millie Bellew our CFM rep in Down and Dromore. It encourages families to use Lent as an opportunity to focus on how their actions impact the environment. Each week has a Bible reading, a prayer and an action for the family to try.

Click the image above to download the resource pack

Plates of pLENTy is a mostly child-led resource which helps them to consider practical ways to respond to Lent other than the usual giving up of chocolate.

There are 4 empty plates which focus on 4 key themes through Lent:

• A plate to Serve others
• A plate to Give (to those around you or to God)
• A plate to Love the world we live in
• A plate to help us think about the way we Live

Although there are a few ideas on the plates, each child can think about the response they want to give to this challenge. There is space on the plate to encourage reflection on the action they chose and what they learned/what God revealed to them during that time. They can either pick one plate for the whole of Lent or complete them all during the 40 day period.

Click the images to download the respective Easter pack or the blue poster to download the Church Adoption day pack and the QR code will open the Bible Buddies App.  

The Bible Buddies are reclaiming Easter from the Easter bunny!

A Bible Buddy is a small toy which a child adopts and promises to look after. The main difference to any other toy is that this buddy needs feeding – not with pet food but with the word of God!

You will see we have two reading packs. The red pack has passages from the International Children’s Bible for those who are reasonably confident in their reading, or if an adult is reading with them. This pack includes pages for the children to write and draw their thoughts following the reading – this is their space, it is not a test to see if they remember what’s been said but a space to express what thoughts they had, things they felt and or draw those things too. The Orange Easy Reader pack has shorter passages taken from the Big Story Bible Book – these packs are for those who find reading more of a struggle. There’s no writing / drawing pages in this pack but you could print them from the red pack if you wish.

These packs tell the story of Easter and enables families to explore, chat and wonder about all that happened to Jesus.

Unlike our other Bible Buddy reading packs, this pack deals with some challenging themes. The Easter story is not fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs, but it is central to our children’s growing faith. We do not want to hide away from the truth of the gospel, however we do need to consider our child’s stage of development and how, in particular, we talk through the topic of death.

We have not edited anything from the bible passage that tells of the crucifixion (“A very dark day” page). In our notes that follow this reading you will see we have placed the emphasis on the miracle that was to come next, and that when there seems to be no hope – God brings new life and renewed hope. God’s love is stronger than death.

When chatting with your child allow them to ask questions and in response use the same age appropriate words that you would use generally when talking about death. Ask them what they think, give reassurance and hope – this is not the end. You might even choose to do “A very dark day” & “Alleluia He is risen” together on the same day. This is all covered again in the “Adult’s pre-amble” page of the pack. 

If you are running an adoption day in your parish or diocese you can download the Church pack. You can run this as a stand-alone event, maybe have a teddy bear’s picnic if you wish or incorporate it into an all-age service, or at the end/start of a holiday camp. The Church purchases however many toys you think you will need. We recommend using the small TY teeny or beanie boo toys for affordable options that come in a variety of colours and animals, but work with your budget and shop around to find what is best. The key however is to ensure that one child is not getting a larger toy than any other.

The Church pack includes:

• A poster which you can put your details into or use on social media.
• A care guide for the children to learn how to look after their pets.
• A certificate of adoption for each child to choose the name of their new buddy.

You can ask the children to send in photo’s of their buddy on adventures as – at the park, the beach etc which you can display on social media (ensuring you have parental permission and adhere to your GDPR policy if children are in the photo’s)

Another added Eggstra(!) is the recorded version of “The Garden, The Curtain & The Cross” which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/5t73P_1a-JU

Click on the image to download, or you can read the online magazine version here: https://bit.ly/3DUj5xu 

Click images at the bottom of the page to download the relevant pack.

Many people talk about Lent as a chore, a grey time of sacrifice and doing without, but it doesn’t need to be that way. Lent can be a time of simplicity, a time of drawing close to God, a journey of reflection.

To help us on this journey we have some footsteps you can use each week through Lent. Starting after pancake day (Shrove Tuesday) on Ash Wednesday, there will be a step available for each day – apart from Sundays.

Each day you can choose one of the following, a step of: Grace, Prayer, Giving, Love, Sacrifice or Change.

We encourage you to take as many steps as you are able to. Some of you will be able to take a step every day, and others you will just do one each week – we all walk at different paces.

You will see there is a big footprint and a small footprint. That is because we are walking together, adults and children – whoever you are doing this with – whether you are parents, carers, grandparents, aunties, uncles or close family friends. No matter what our age we are all equal on this journey of faith and can teach, encourage and inspire each other.

Together, talk about each step and what you might do. For example with the step of Grace, you would think about something you might need to say sorry for or someone you need to forgive.

Each person then chooses to either write down or draw a picture of what they will do.

You can either plan the week’s steps in one go on Sunday so you prepare the things you will do that week, or you can do them day by day as you are able, whichever is best for you.

You are invited to take Steps through Lent together. There are two parts to the resource:

1. Steps…The printer-friendly resource that you can use at home, in church or even at school.
2. Intergenerational talk & Messy Church ideas. This talk can be used as it is or you can adapt it to suit your needs. You can use the talk to introduce the “Steps through Lent” to your congregation. Encourage them to bring in their steps so you can lay them in a pathway to the alter or cross in your church or school. At the end of the talk we have some simple ideas for ways to use the talk in Messy Church.

Download the relevant pack by clicking on the pictures here:

Steps:                       Talk: