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Faith Formation: Children & Families

Resources including: Children & Family Curricula & Storytime; Confirmation/Affirmation of Baptism; Denominational Resources; Tween & Teen Mental and Spiritual Health; Sexuality & Identity; and Online/At-Home Tech

Children's Books

 This Is the Mystery of Easter by Amelia Dress

Dress writes, "This book was born out of my passion for doing theology with children. It morphed into a book as people asked for a way to share the story at home. I’m happy it’s helpful and thrilled to give it away."

Download it as a free pdf here.

Easter Love Letters from God, Updated Edition          Picture of Jesus Is Risen!     Make Room     Make Space for Jesus               Rise          Twas the Season of Lent: Devotions and Stories for the Lenten and Easter  Seasons ('Twas Series) - Kindle edition by Nellist, Glenys, Selivanova,  Elena. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Wild Hope

READ & SHARE WILD HOPE: STORIES FROM THE VANISHING THIS LENT!!!

SEE/SHARE THE TRAILER HERE.

FIND THE DISCUSSION GUIDE HERE.

Family Devotionals

Amid injustice and tragedies, we remember we must first gather around the table for strength so we can respond with love and grace. As we journey through Lent, from the wilderness to the shores of Galilee, we find the sacred in the ordinary—like bread, simple yet essential. 

Bread of Life reminds us there is abundance—more than enough love, grace, and hope for all. If you are weary, lonely, or burdened, come to the table and be fed.

This Lent, gather together to break bread, savor the divine generosity of God, and rise to share with the world out of the abundance we have received from the bread of life.

Learn more here.

     Two illustrated sheets titled "Lenten Spiral," featuring a series of connected oval shapes with text inside each. The sheets, one in color and one in black and white, have a swirling path leading from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. The design includes decorative, flowing lines. A logo at the bottom left reads "Bread of Life" with an image of wheat.     Illustrated religious materials on a table, featuring a colorful image of a smiling figure with a beard surrounded by a halo. Text on the materials reads "I Am the Bread of Life" and references the "First Sunday in Lent.” Branding at the bottom left corner says "Bread of Life" with wheat imagery, and "Children's Moments" is displayed prominently at the bottom.     A table holds several religious materials for Lenten devotion, including pamphlets with the title "BREAD of LIFE" and "LENT ONE" detailing a scriptural passage, John 6:32-40. A Bible lies open beside the pamphlets, and a pen is placed alongside them. In the corner is a green cloth. At the bottom of the image is a banner with the text "LENTEN DEVOTIONAL" and a circular logo featuring wheat.     The image shows printed materials related to a religious program titled "Lent for Families" with the logo "Bread of Life." A section labeled "Lent One: Bread of Life" with a reference to John 6:25-40 is visible. The text discusses themes of hunger, fullness, and spiritual nourishment through Jesus. There are also questions for reflection and a prayer. A partially visible Bible is on the right side of the image.     The image shows a table with a printed page titled "Lent One: Bread of Life," featuring scripture from John 6:25-40. The page includes a discussion about the phrase "I am the bread of life" attributed to Jesus. It is accompanied by a Bible open to a page with handwritten notes, and there is a piece of bread partially visible on the left. Decorative elements include a green fabric and some leaves. A logo at the bottom reads "Bread of Life Liturgy & Commentary."          A booklet on a wooden table titled "Bread of Life: Youth & Intergenerational Curriculum." The content includes "Lent One: Bread of Life" activities and prayers. It features sections on opening prayers, sharing experiences with bread globally, and prompts for sharing circles. Cards with questions like "Share your favorite kind of bread" and "Share a time when you followed Jesus by serving others" are visible. The design incorporates a logo of wheat and bread.

Series Theme: Unbroken: A Living Faith

When so many people identify themselves as Christian how can we spend some time thinking deeply about what we really believe? What is the what? What are the foundational beliefs and how are they living and moving with us as we change and grow? 

Faith is passed down from generation to generation - it’s an unbroken line of ancestry that connects us all the way back to Jesus. The powers of the world wanted to break Jesus and yet this faith that we rest on is strong enough that they couldn’t do it. We are a part of this great tradition that will not and cannot be broken. 

Using the seven teachings from the emerging work of A Living Catechism, through worship and practice, this Lent, explore how we are and always have been both/and people: 

  • We value both Wisdom and Innovation.
  • We are Individuals with gifts and unique abilities and we are a part of a Community that is much larger than any one of us. 
  • We are Rooted and Growing. 
  • We are Grounded in Tradition and always Reforming.

Packed with thoughtfully designed resources, Lent in a Box 2025 equips you to guide your congregation through this season with creativity and purpose. Inside this digital collection, you’ll find:

  • Sermon Prompts to jumpstart your sermon writing for Sundays, Wednesdays, and Holy Week services
  • Engaging Worship Plans with liturgy and music ideas
  • Spiritual Practice and Devotional Materials for individual or group reflection
  • Children, Youth, and Family Resources to help youth and families explore how faith is both rooted to ancient truths and also evolving and growing today
  • Creative Visuals and Graphics to inspire connection and participation

Whether you're planning for worship, small groups, or family devotions, this resource is designed to fit seamlessly into your ministry.

BONUS: The first 100 to purchase get a free copy of Joe Davis' latest book: Unearthing Us: Poems and Practices for Discovering Our Fullest Selves.

Pick up a pencil or pen and prepare to draw closer to God this Lent!

Experience scripture, God, and your faith in a fresh new way with the interactive devotional Draw Close, which invites people of all faith levels, artistic skills, and ages into a creative daily practice that will deepen faith by engaging scripture in imaginative new ways.

This unique Lenten companion can be used alone or with a group. Perforated pages allow you to tear out your favorite creations to hang on the wall or fridge.

Read a sample here.

 

Make RoomMake Room: A Child’s Guide
to Lent and Easter
A Discussion and Activity Guide

by Laura Alary

 

 

'The fruits of this season are many: simplicity, attentiveness, hospitality, compassion, and
openness of mind and heart. I hope this Activity Guide helps you use Make Room to
cultivate these qualities in the children you love.' - Laura Alary

Matisse Mockup_Cover.pngInto the Wild: A Family-Friendly Devotional on Henri Matisse and the Season of Lent

The Season of Lent is a walk into the wild, a 40-day adventure filled with wild beasts, wild love, beauties, challenges, visions – and bold, bright colors.

In this family-friendly Lenten devotional full of Scripture, art, and activities, we take this adventure with Henri Matisse, one of the most daring and beloved artists in modern history. From his childhood in northern France to what he called his “masterpiece,” the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, Matisse explored faith and wildness throughout his life.

~~~

Love Builds Up Mockup COVER.pngSALT’s “40-Day ‘Love Builds Up’ Family Challenge” is the perfect way for families of all shapes and sizes to strengthen spiritual muscles and emotional health during Lent.  We could all use a little training - and a little practice!

God’s Big Easter Story: A Holy Week Journey for Families provides your family with a simple, meaningful way to grow in faith together as you remember the events leading up to Jesus’ death and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

50 Days of Spiritual Practice from Easter to Pentecost  Up image 1     Faithful Families for Lent, Easter & Resurrection

Faithful Families Lenten Booklet 14 Weeks from Lent to image 1 Traci Smith's Lent and Easter Reflections for families from the first week of Lent, through Pentecost.

Activities

Help your kids and families get more out of all those plastic Easter eggs with this free resource from Sparkhouse Digital. Sparkhouse Digital hosts hundreds of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter resources from both their core curricula and seasonal bonus resources. This is so egg-cellent. Activity Eggs!

You've Been Egged: A Fundraiser for the Easter Season

This article shares tips for organizing a fundraiser by delivering surprise Easter egg gift bags and baskets of treats.

Build a Better *Biblical* Easter Basket

Want creative ideas for what to put in Easter baskets for kids? This article offers suggestions that invite children deeper into Easter's message.

Mixing It Up: Creating a Seasonal Spotify Playlist for Your Parish

Enjoy a 2020s "mixtape" (as author Michelle Palmer describes it) as a community for the Easter season. Check out this article to learn how to make it happen. This project could be tailored to ministries with families, youth groups, college students, and adult groups of all ages as well.

Video Blessings: An Idea for COVID and Beyond

If your community is interested in a digital ministry offering for Easter, this article provides ideas and guidance in creating video blessings for church members to share with the congregation.

Easter Craft: Resurrection Butterflies

This article provides a simple craft that children can do to celebrate Easter, and it only requires 6 basic items plus water.

Faith Alive Christian Resources offers a Lenten Faith Formation Resources list and two Great Ideas: Help Kids Count Down to Easter and Shrove Tuesday Party Packs.

In Our Library - Children's Books

At Jerusalem's Gate     The Easter Story     Paperback The Easter Story Book     The-Easter-Story-childrens-book-Brian-Wildsmithg.jpg               Jesus Is Risen!: An Easter Pop-Up Book By Agostino Traini (Illustrator) Cover Image               

In Our Library - Family

Faithful Families for Lent, Easter & Resurrection

Curricula & Spiritual Practices

LENT PRACTICES & TEACHING IDEAS

Close-up of six human hands with diverse skin tones forming the shape of a heart together with a light pink background    On Not Taking Lent out on Our Bodies

 

 

 

 

 

A landscape of ivory-colored sand and blue skies with white clouds and a plant with green spiky leaves and a tall stalk with flowers in the foreground     3 Teaching Points for Lent

 

 

 

 

 

A view from the back of two children almost shoulder deep in a field of plants with purple flowers; the child on the left is wearing a yellow hat, the child on the right has brown hair, and both have light skin     4 Things I Tell Children the Sunday before Lent

 

 

 

 

 

Close-up of the surface of blue water rippling in rings and a water droplet in the shape of a sphere just above the center of the ripple    This Lent, Add Instead of Subtract

Holy Troublemakers & Unconventional SaintsDaneen Aker’s article “What if Jesus came to live, not to die?” wonders, "How might we view [the] story of Jesus differently if we taught that he came to show us how to live, instead of coming to die? Dismantling substitutionary atonement is holy troublemaking work indeed..."

Three Teaching Points for Easter

Interested in ideas for teaching children, youth, or adults about the meaning of Easter? This article highlights 3 key themes that you can explore in formation gatherings during this season.

Practice Spiritual Disciplines     Practice Spiritual Disciplines     Practice Spiritual Disciplines Downloadable     Practice Spiritual Disciplines Downloadable

next to a picture of colorful kids' socks on a clothesline read the words "Family Faith Formation Toolkit"Family Faith Formation Resources | Lent

from Faith Formation Ministries

Liturgy/Worship w/ Children & Families

Prayers and Blessings for Easter

Seven prayers and four blessings that you can use at an Easter Vigil, on Easter Day, or throughout the Easter season.

   

(for congregational use)        (for family use)