ACTIVITY: Lent Promise Card for Families (free printable)

Lent is less than a week away, and already hubby and I have had the “what are we doing for Lent this year?” discussion the past three nights in a row. Two years ago, we started saying Grace before meals (something we kept doing once Lent ended and still do today). Last year, we didn’t make a good plan until the last second, tried giving up wine & chocolate, and ended in an epic fail. This year, we really wanted to come up with a way to turn away from distractions and focus our attention where it should be: on acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving/charity.

Keeping a Lenten promise, once you determine what it is, is always easier with the support of others. So, we created a Lent Promise card – an activity for each member of the family (or Sunday school). With our promises well thought out, written down, and kept on the refrigerator (a visible location), we are hopeful it will help us to not only keep our own promises but support each other these next 40 days as we count down to Easter.

WHAT YOU NEED

• printable: Lent Promise Card
• cardstock (left over from our Love Notes)
• markers
• scissors
• stickers, glitter, embellishments, etc.

HOW TO MAKE

• Print out as many promise sheets as needed so every family member has a copy
• At the top, enter the name of the family member (mom, dad, Anna, etc.)
• Mom or Dad: talk about Lent with your children. Explain how Lent is a period for us to prepare for Easter, and – just like Jesus prepared himself in the desert for 40 days – we will prepare ourselves, too. We prepare ourselves through acts of prayer, acts of fasting (giving up something), and almsgiving/charity (taking care of others). This helps us to turn away from distractions and focus on God. Be sure to encourage your children to come up with their own ideas on how they can fulfill their Lenten promise.
• Cut out the promise sheets, fill them out, decorate, and add to your refrigerator door or another visible location for the duration of Lent. At dinner each night, talk about your progress. What has been difficult? What has been easy? What changes have you noticed about yourself as a result of your promises?