Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. If you teach in a Christian school, you can help your students begin Lent with a focus on prayer, sacrifice, and acts of love to prepare them for the journey of Holy Week and celebration of Easter.
Consider the following Ash Wednesday ideas for the Catholic classroom:
Class discussion
Depending on the age of your students, introduce or review together the meaning of Lent. Remind them how we will spend the next 40 days preparing our hearts for Easter through prayer, sacrifice, and acts of service. Encourage them to begin thinking about what they will personally do as an act of love for Christ this season. Find the printables pictured below HERE.
Do you need a resource to introduce Lent to younger grades? This What is Lent? Easy Reader is a perfect activity for PreK-1st grades! Children will love creating their own book to take home and share with their families. It introduces the season of Lent and how we celebrate it as Christians to prepare for Holy Week and Easter. This low-prep download also includes supplemental activities for students to share how they will personally prepare their hearts during the Lenten season.
Attend Mass or a Liturgy Together
If you are able, take your class to receive ashes. Discuss with them before they attend what to expect and that the cross on their forehead is a sign of our union with Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.
Reflection Activity
After receiving ashes, pray this Lenten Prayer together. Then, students can write a descriptive paragraph about receiving ashes and reflect on what it means to them as they begin the season of Lent. Get a copy of the prayer and writing activities HERE.
Class Project
Think about what you can do as a class to celebrate Lent. Make a list of ideas with your students. Ask them: Is there a time we can pray more together? What sacrifice could we make as a class? What acts of service could we do?
Some ideas may include: praying a decade of the Rosary each day, focusing on a particular intention in your prayer throughout Lent, giving up 5 minutes of their recess to help clean up (either in the cafeteria or on the playground), holding a donation drive (clothes, food, coins), a service project to help a younger class in your school. Find directions to the Lenten Jar Project pictured above HERE.
Create a Visual
Consider having some sort of visual in your classroom to help students mark the 40 Days of Lent. It can be as simple as adding crosses to your class calendar or making a purple paper chain and removing a link as each day passes. Don’t forget! Sundays are not included in the 40 days! Check out this FREE Lent Calendar for students to take home in order to help them observe Lent with their families.
