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Free Stories, Devotionals, Coloring Pages and Art Activities for Lent for Children

2/25/2020

Updated February 2020!

Following is a comprehensive list of stories, devotionals, coloring pages and activities for Lent for children and teens of all ages. All material is non-denominational and can be easily used by Catholics and Protestants alike. The material is divided by age and category (stories/devotionals). Lent-related subjects covered by this material include prayer, salvation, forgiveness, generosity and Christian living.

Be sure to also check the list of free resources for Easter for even more stories, illustrated kids’ devotions, videos and fun activities.

Lent Daily Devotional Books

Living Hope – 40 Thoughts on Lent and Easter for Children (Also available for free in ebook format) A 40 day devotional book with a short quote or prayer and Bible verse for each day. Each page also includes a colorful photo. Topics covered include God’s love and care, forgiveness, kindness and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Ideal for children ages 4 to 7 years old.
Daily Devotionals for Lent (An adapted version of this book is available for free in ebook format) - 40 inspiring daily devotions for older children from 7 or 8 on up. Each devotional includes a colorful illustration and the book covers topics such as God’s love, love for others, forgiveness and prayer.

1-4 Years

Stories:

Bible Stories: Forgiveness - Bible stories about forgiveness for children. Includes the story of Joseph, Jonah, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant and more.
Bible Stories: God’s Love – A compilation of stories about God’s love for us. Includes the story of Jesus with the children, the story of the Prodigal son and a condensed version of the story of Easter. (NEW!: Download the ebook for free!)
Bible Stories: Prayer - Children’s Bible stories about prayer. Includes the story of Daniel, the Lord’s Prayer, Peter freed from prison and more.
Twice Mine – A simple, engaging allegory about what Jesus did when He came to earth to save us
Tiny Bible Treasures: Jesus’ Little Lambs – This booklet from the charming “Tiny Bible Treasure” series is based on John 10 and the parable of the Lost Sheep.
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant – The parable of the servant who was forgiven much but refused to forgive even a little.
The Story of Jesus for Preschoolers – A simple Bible book for preschoolers, with English and Spanish text. Tells a brief story of Jesus from birth to His resurrection so children can understand why He came to earth. NEW! Download the free Coloring Book
The Good Samaritan – The parable of the Good Samaritan for little children, with bilingual text in English and Spanish.
The Prodigal Son - The parable of the Prodigal Son for little children, with bilingual text in English and Spanish.
Video: The Parables of Jesus: The Prodigal Son
Video: The Parables of Jesus: The Rich Fool

Devotionals:

Bright Pebbles is a series of short devotionals designed for young children. There are 90 in all and they cover basic Christian concepts such as love, faith, salvation, prayer, God’s Word and Christian living. Following are the ones that are most appropriate for the Lent/Easter season. They cover topics such as Salvation, God’s Love, forgiveness and generosity. Download three free ebooks in this series for free! These books cover love, salvation, Christian living, faith and God's promises
My Little Talks with Jesus is a series of devotionals featuring words from Jesus in modern-day language. They teach children not only what Jesus has to say about important, day-to-day topics but also that they can hear Jesus’ words for themselves at any time. Here are the devotionals in this series that go well with the Lent/Easter season. They cover topics such as forgiveness and prayer. Download the entire ebook for free, or click on the following links to download individual devotionals:
NEW! A Little Children’s Book About Gentleness – A collection of quotes and Bible verses about gentleness and humility.
NEW! Prayer Can… - A short devotional article about what prayer can do for you and others.
NEW! How Far Can Prayers Go? - A devotional presentation about the impact prayers have.
God is My Father – A short devotional, originally designed for Father’s Day but great for year-round use. Teaches children the joys and blessings of having God as our heavenly father.
Someone to Talk to – A short comic about having Jesus as a close and personal friend to talk to.
A Little Children’s Book about God’s Love – Short, meaningful quotations about God’s Love for children.
Feed My Lambs: Feed My Lambs is a series of six booklets with simplified, illustrated Bible verses for children. It's ideal for kids from 2 to 7 years old and includes 90 verses on topics such as Salvation, Prayer, Christian Living, Forgiveness and Obedience.

5-7 Years

Stories

NEW! The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican – A bible story about prayer and humility
NEW! The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge: Story and Coloring Page – Bible story with good lessons on prayer.
Young People in the Bible: A Boy’s Sacrificial Gift - The story of the boy who shared his lunch with Jesus.
Free app: He is Alive – A free app retelling the story of Jesus death and resurrection. Includes jigsaw puzzles, coloring pages and a matching game.
Namba's Rock – A charming story of a young boy and his desire to know God.
The Little Red Hen – A true to life story that helps children understand Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
The Prince and the Magical Power – An allegory that clearly illustrates why Jesus left heaven to come to earth. This story also teaches children that they can play a part in helping others come to know God’s Love
Video: The Parables of Jesus: The Unmerciful Servant – A modern-day retelling of the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
The Parables of Jesus - This illustrated booklet includes the stories of the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan and the Rich Fool, all great stories for teaching children about love, kindness and generosity.
The Rich Fool – The parable of the Rich Fool for children.
Hot Dog – A true story about the rewards of kindness and generosity
That's My Cow in There! - A true story about God’s rewards for giving unselfishly.

Devotionals

Unless otherwise noted, the following devotionals deal with topics related to God’s love for humankind, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and having a close relationship with Jesus today. Some, such as John 3 and John 1:1-14, are Bible chapters with colorful illustrations that bring the text to life and make it easy to understand.

John 1:1–14
John 3
John 14
John 15
Jesus, the Expression of God’s Love
Who Is God: How Should I Interact with God?
God's Great Love for Us
Call Me Friend
Invisible but Here
The Gift that Never Wears Out!
Nicodemus Visits Jesus
Salvation is Forever
Salvation Is Free
John 3:16 Is for You
Extreme Sports
Who is Jesus?
Who or What is God?
Somebody Loves You
What is Salvation?
The Gospel of John for Children
Why Easter?
The Lord’s Supper – The story of the Lord’s Supper and an explanation of the meaning of communion.
NEW! The Eternal Chain of Love – A short devotional about sharing God’s love with others.
NEW! Salvation at Work – Illustrated Bible passages about Salvation for children.
NEW! Take a Moment to Pray – An illustrated devotional on prayer
NEW! Prayer, God, and You – An illustrated devotional on prayer
NEW! Power to Help – A comic about the importance of prayer
NEW! Prayer Results – A comic about the importance of prayer
NEW! Bring Jesus into All that You Do – A devotional with fun ideas for including Jesus in every aspect of your life.
NEW! Jesus, Friend of Little Children – Devotional inspiring young children to want to have a close relationship with Jesus. Comes with a Coloring Page
What is Prayer? – Part of the Christian Principles for Children series. Helps children understand what prayer is, the benefits of praying and more.
Make a Difference – A short devotional about how children can make a positive difference in the lives of others by praying for them.
The Ripple Effect – A children’s comic about the importance and results of praying for others. Ideal for teaching children about the importance of praying for others this Lent season.
How Can You Make a Difference? - Teach children about the joys of helping and giving to others with this colorful presentation. Includes great examples so kids can see that they can actually make a difference in the hearts and lives of those around them.
The Pray a Way Series consists of illustrated prayer poems that even young children will enjoy learning and repeating. A Bible verse is included with each prayer.
- Pray a Way: Forgiveness
- Pray a Way: Generosity
Standing on God’s Word: a series of one-page comics featuring children in real-life situations. Each comic includes a Bible verse. They cover topics such as forgiveness, kindness, consideration, prayer, gratitude, etc
- Standing on God’s Word: Forgiving Others
- Standing on God’s Word: Considering Others

8-11 Years

Stories

NEW! The Story to End Excuses – an in-depth look at the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
Opportunities for Kindness - A collection of true stories about kindness, generosity and love. Also available as a free ebook.
Edith’s Treasures – A true to life story that helps children understand the importance of living for God and showing kindness and humility rather than living for yourself and things.
"A Son at the Length" – A true to life story set in the first century.
The Legend of the Four Angels – Based on a Jewish legend, this story shows Jesus’ love, mercy and forgiveness.
The Stranger – An allegory that helps us understand not only why Jesus came to earth but also the importance of including Him in our daily lives. Download the ebook for free!

Devotionals

NEW! A Spiritual Exercise: “A Friend who Sticks Closer than a Brother”
NEW! Opportunities for Love – Illustrated comic on the importance of love and various ways in which we can “love our neighbors as ourselves”.
NEW! Input → Output – A short devotional on the importance of spending time with God
NEW! Growing Stronger – A series of six devotional articles on topics related to knowing and following Jesus.
What is Christianity and what do Christians Believe? - An illustrated comic outlining the basic beliefs of Christians around the world.
The Game of Life and One-on-One with God - A comic that helps children understand the importance of having a personal relationship with God.
Spiritual Exercise: Who Needs Prayer? - A great activity for older children that will help them learn how to pray for others.
On the Path of Prayer - Devotional article on the importance of prayer
The Heart of it All (series) – The Heart of it All is a six-part series that helps children understand the basic Christian principles about God, Jesus and Salvation. Using simple language and great illustrations, the booklets help children understand who God is, what sin is, why we need Jesus and salvation and more.
Is Jesus God? – A great book that helps children learn the proof of Jesus’ divinity and understand why He came to earth.
Perfect Love – A presentation about Jesus’ unconditional love for everyone.
Someone Cares – A presentation for preteens and teens to help them understand that there is Someone who can help them through life’s ups and downs.
Messianic Prophecies and Their Fulfillment, Part 2 – A clear, illustrated explanation of how Jesus fulfilled the many Old Testament prophecies about the betrayal, death and resurrection of the Messiah.
Why Forgive? – A short presentation that helps children understand that forgiving is not doing a favor for the person who hurt them but rather it is setting themselves free from anger and bitterness.
God’s Unconditional Love – Part of the series “Christian Principles for Children.” This booklet helps children understand that God’s love for them is not contingent on their behavior, looks, background or anything else.
What is My Identity in Christ? – Help children understand all that Christ has to offer them with this clear, Bible-based booklet.
Human Value – Part of the series “Christian values for Children.” This booklet covers topics related to kindness, tolerance and valuing yourself as a unique creation of God.
Steps to Being a Hero – helps children understand that true heroism is about helping others in need.
The Thing about Apologies – A comic for children about the importance of true repentance and forgiveness.
Why Forgive? – A children’s comics about God’s forgiveness for us and the importance and beauty of forgiving others.

Preteens and Teens

Unfathomable – A short comic about God’s great love for us.
I Love My Creation– A short comic about God’s great love for us.
Core: Core is a series of eight classes designed to help preteens and teens better understand the Christian faith. Each class includes Bible verses, stories, illustrations and audio files to keep the interest of students and better explain different points. The following classes are particularly ideal for Lent:
- Core 1: Jesus and Salvation
- Core 3: Your Journey with God
Just1Thing Podcasts: Just1Thing is a site dedicated to providing Christian reading material for preteens and teens. Following are some devotionals from the site that deal with topics related to forgiveness, generosity and our relationship with God. All posts from this site include both text and the audio file.
God is not a goldfish
A Challenging Virtue
Forgiving Your Worst Enemy
Are you Well Preserved or Pickled?
Handling Hate
If You're Angry and You Know It
Camp Abundance Vs. Camp Scarcity
Pay it Forward
More Where That Came From
Gaining by Giving
To Give or Not to Give
Not Just Adam and Eve
City of Refuge

Coloring Pages

Arts and Crafts Activities

Coloring Book and Flannelgraph: Jesus’ Little Lambs
Safe in God’s Hand: Activity for preschoolers and young children
DIY Paschal Candle
Easter Cookies: recipe and instructions
Holy Week in Handprints
Lent Mosaic Crosses
Last Supper Craft
The Easter Story paper models
3D Pictures: The Last Supper, In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Crucifixion, Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, Picnic at the Beach, Jesus Will Return (Click here for assembly instructions)

Image courtesy of Lotus Carroll via Flickr.

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Valentine’s Day - Stories, Activities, Coloring Pages and Songs for Children

2/9/2020

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Children's stories, songs and activities for valentine's day

Updated February 2020!

Valentine's Day is an annual holiday celebrated around the world on February 14. It began as a feast honoring Saint Valentine but is now celebrated as a holiday dedicated to love and friendship. (Adapted from Wikipedia)

Following are some great stories, videos and arts and crafts activities for children for this special day.

Stories, Comics and Devotionals:

For children ages 1-4

What Does Love Mean? (also available in epub or mobi format) - Discover what little children think love means. A great book for discussing the real meaning of love and friendship.
God and Me: Friendship - Discover what the Bible says about true friendship with this catchy booklet. Includes Bible verses that are great for memorizing.
My Friend - Discover what real friendship looks like with this adorable booklet.
The More We Get Together - A presentation of the well-known children's song
What is Love? (also available in epub or mobi format) - a paraphrased version of 1 Corinthians 13 for children, with cute images on each page.

For children ages 5-7

Love at Work - Bible passages about love for children. New! download for free in epub or mobi format
No Strings – A cute children’s booklet about what real, unconditional love looks like.
Love is the Greatest - 1 Corinthians 13 for children, with colorful illustrations to bring this important passage about love to life.
Tory to the Rescue - A cute children's story about making friends with people who are different from you.
Be a Friend - A cute booklet about true friendship
Friendships Magnify Joy - A cute booklet about true friendship
Friendship: A Cool Shade - A cute booklet about true friendship
Building Friendships - A cute booklet about true friendship
Somebody Loves You - Discover what real love looks like with this engaging presentation
What Does Being a Good Friend Mean? - Teach younger children how to be a good friend with this charming presentation.
Making Friends - A cute children's story about how to make friends.
The Greatest Treasure (video) - A short animated story about real friendship. Courtesy of BookBox.

For children ages 8 to 11

Limitless Love - Seven short children’s devotionals about love for Valentine’s Day. New! download for free in epub or mobi format
Are You Too Cool? - Are you too cool to make friends? Find out with this short, catchy presentation.
A Thought for the Day: A True Friend... - A short presentation about what a real friend is and does.
How to Make Friends - An illustrated presentation for older children about how to make and keep friends.
Valentine's Day Blues (comic) - A comic about finding happiness on Valentine's Day.