Lent for the Littles
Lent is a meaningful time in a Catholic's life. In memory of the forty days and forty nights Jesus was away in the desert, we sacrifice material things to deepen our faith. Between the praying, the fasting, and the giving, where does that leave our kids? Children under the age of 14 are considered exempt from the Christian tradition. But that doesn't mean we can't include them. Sure, you can start by practicing giving up cookies or a TV show, but what is that teaching them? Are they learning that Lent is about giving yourself to God? Or are they learning Lent is a time you aren't allowed your favorite things? Shouldn't we put a little more into showing them the deeper meaning of this time?
A few years ago, I was teaching second-grade bible school and was determined to find a way to do just that.
One of my missions during the Lent season is to show random acts of kindness every day. Sometimes opportunities like paying for someone's coffee will arise. Other times, my day-to-day routine doesn't always allow for grand gestures. On those days, it takes next to no time to send a text or make an unexpected phone call to check on a loved one.
Simple random acts of kindness:
text/call a friend to check-in
send a hand-written card "just because"
send a care package to someone going through a rough time (Etsy has tons!)
entertain the fussy baby in front of you in line while the mother pays for her groceries
pay for the car behind you in a drive-thru
Lend a helping hand to someone struggling (instead of walking past)
The feeling of helping someone even if you don't see the result is so uplifting. We can all show God love by showing love to all His people. It occurred to me that these random acts of kindness could be simple enough for kids to enjoy too.
Random acts of kindness for children:
help dry the dishes
clean the bedroom without being asked
share with siblings without being told
play with a peer who doesn't have anyone to play with
read to someone who can't
I wanted to make this more concrete to ensure it was something they were striving for every single day. I created the calendar below (complete with breaks on Sunday for reflection and prayer) for the children to document what act of kindness they performed each day. I suspected some of my students might blow this off, so I turned it into a challenge. The student who returned their calendar with the most days filled won an Easter prize! As expected, some children only filled a few of their squares while some didn't fill any. But a select few filled their entire calendar. I was so proud of any efforts made, and it made me so happy to see what they thought to do to be kind.
I included the PDF download to the calendar for anyone who wants to try this with their little ones. The world always needs more love. Go and show God's love as He loves us.
Don't forget to share your results!
I would love to see what kindness your littles spread! Share snapshots or stories of them doing random acts of kindness or completing their calendars with me via email, Instagram, Facebook, or comment below!
(I gave up social media for lent so I will not be able to respond to any Facebook or Instagram posts until after Easter.)