HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONS: A Family Activity

This year, provide families with a resource for marking Holy Week together at home. Adapt the following as convenient and useful for your school setting. Equip parents with your church’s Holy Week worship schedule as well, since these devotions can be tied in with their attendance at each of them.

Kick off the Holy Week project with an hour-long family ministry event during Lent. For each family, you’ll need one 6-inch clay pot, a floral foam piece to insert inside the pot, three white 10-inch taper candles, one purple 10-inch taper candle, craft moss, a baggy of small smooth stones (from a gardening center) and a set of devotions. You’ll also need ribbon, tempera paints, paintbrushes, markers, scissors, glue guns, glue sticks, and craft sticks.

Give each family a clay pot, foam, moss, and candles. The clay pot will act as a centerpiece for each family’s devotions during Holy Week, similar to an Advent wreath during Christmas. Each family will also receive the devotions.

Have families work together to shape the foam to fit inside their pot. Then position the candles in the foam with a firm twist and a push. Cover the foam with moss.

Once the candles and moss are in place, have families decorate their pots. When the centerpieces are completed, hand out the Holy Week devotions and introduce them as follows:

"These devotions are designed to use with your Holy Week centerpiece to help kids understand the importance of Easter and Holy Week. Devotions are included for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Each day includes Scripture, prayer, a devotion, and an activity."

Download the Holy Week Devotions-Palm Sunday Activity (27 K PDF File)

A PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION

Children’s Palm Prayers

Some of our Sunday Schools regularly participate in a Palm Sunday morning procession at badarak. This year, try something different. Have children cut out two sets of their handprints on green construction paper. Then have them write their grade on the thumb of each hand.

On a Sunday during Lent pass out these “palms” to everyone in church. Have people write on each palm a name or cause they’d like prayed for. Collect the palms and distribute them to the children in the appropriate grades. Then have children pray for these people or causes.

Collect the palm prayers the week before Palm Sunday. Tape them to thin dowel rod “branches.”

On Palm Sunday, have children carry these palms as part of your procession. The palms can be placed in tall vases on either side of the altar.