Family Lent Devotions: 40 Days of Small, Real Practices

Lent with kids doesn't need to be complicated. Forty days, one small sacrifice, one small addition, one verse a week. That's it.

One thing to give up

Kids-friendly options: dessert one day a week, screen time on Sundays, complaining after 6pm. Pick something specific and small. Ash Wednesday isn't a Whole30.

One thing to add

Family prayer every night for someone outside the household. Or a weekly meal with a neighbor. Or ten dollars a week from allowance to a charity you pick together.

One verse a week

Six weeks, six verses on the cross and resurrection. Isaiah 53:5, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 2:24, John 15:13, Romans 6:4. See more short verses to memorize in our [family devotional ideas post](https://getarkquest.com/blog/family-devotional-ideas).

Frequently asked questions

Should kids give up something?

Small ones can. Under 6, they mostly participate through family rhythms. Over 8, let them pick their own.

What about Easter Sunday?

Break the fast, celebrate loud, eat well, sing louder. Kids need to feel the shift from Lent to Easter in their bodies.

Related family devotion topics

Different season, same family? These sister guides go deeper on specific ages, times of day, and seasons:

- [Family Easter Devotions: Holy Week in 15 Minutes a Day](https://getarkquest.com/blog/family-easter-devotions) — A day-by-day family devotion for Holy Week — from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday, in 15 minutes a night. - [Thanksgiving Family Devotions: 7 Days of Gratitude With Kids](https://getarkquest.com/blog/thanksgiving-family-devotions) — A seven-day family devotional plan for the week of Thanksgiving — one gratitude practice, one verse, one prayer per day. - [Summer Family Devotions: Keeping the Rhythm When Routines Break](https://getarkquest.com/blog/summer-family-devotions) — A relaxed summer family devotion plan — one outdoor verse, one weekly Bible story, one gratitude prayer per day. - [Back-to-School Family Devotions: A First 30 Days Reset](https://getarkquest.com/blog/back-to-school-family-devotions) — A 30-day family devotion plan for the start of the school year — a verse a week, a nightly prayer, and one weekly Sabbath-lite rhythm.

Keep going

This post is one slice of a bigger picture. For the full playbook of ten tested ideas across every age and every season, read [10 family devotional ideas that actually work with young kids](https://getarkquest.com/blog/family-devotional-ideas).

Want a running start tonight? [Try today's free ArkQuest daily quest](https://getarkquest.com/quest-of-the-day) — one verse, one question, five minutes, no signup — or [create a free family account](https://getarkquest.com) and set your first weekly verse quest in under a minute.