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

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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.​

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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:
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• 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
  • Bright Pebbles: Only Jesus
  • ​Bright Pebbles: That Simple!
  • ​Bright Pebbles: Jesus Is God’s Gift of Love
  • ​Bright Pebbles: Jesus in Our Lives
  • ​Bright Pebbles: A Very Special Gift
  • ​Bright Pebbles: Knock, Knock
  • ​Bright Pebbles: Power, Power, Power
  • ​Bright Pebbles: So Much Love
  • ​​Bright Pebbles: We All Make Mistakes
  • Bright Pebbles: Drop a Little Sunshine
  • Bright Pebbles: A Gift of Giving
  • Bright Pebbles: How Do We Talk to God?
  • Bright Pebbles: Prayer Is Powerful!
• 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:
  • My Little Talks with Jesus: When you make mistakes
  • ​My Little Talks with Jesus: Your sins are gone
  • ​My Little Talks with Jesus: I forgive your mistakes
  • My Little Talks with Jesus: I’m never too busy to hear your prayers
• 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!

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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.

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​Preteens and Teens
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• ​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
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• ​NEW! In the Beginning: Coloring Book
• Coloring Page: How Can You Make a Difference?
• Key Bible Verses for Children: Giving
• The God of Love Will Always Be There for Us! 
• ​God's Great Love for Us
• ​He Gave Them Power 
• ​Nicodemus Visits Jesus  
• Bible Verses for Children: Salvation Through Jesus
• Bible Verses for Children: Jesus Your Best Friend
• Salvation Is a Gift
• Coloring Page: Pray a Way: Forgiveness 
• ​Coloring Page: Pray a Way: Generosity
• ​God is My Father coloring pages
• ​Crazily Cool Cards Set: Forgiveness

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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)

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Image courtesy of Lotus Carroll via Flickr.
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