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Originally published on the Holy Heroes blog, I received permission to share these Triduum resources here!
As we move into Holy Week, it is important to help the youngest Catholics understand and engage with several days of long liturgies.
Here are a few resources that are particularly helpful for 3-7 year olds:
Holy Thursday
Since the Holy Thursday liturgies tend to take place late in the evening, it is often difficult for families with several young children to attend.
Here are a few ways you can instill the importance of this day from home:
First, you will find a video from Lenten Adventure that will explain Holy Thursday to your kids:
Psstt—If you are not already signed up for this FREE program of Lenten resources, you can do so here and receive additional coloring pages and videos for Holy Thursday.
You can also watch the Holy Thursday Gospel Reading on your daily Lenten Adventure page.
Next, you can continue to orient that day towards recalling the memorial of the Last Supper by praying the 5th Luminous Mystery.
To help your children understand how they can reflect on the miraculous gift of Holy Thursday through this Mystery of the Rosary, we have created a pray along video below using our Bead by Bead Rosary Book.
With a picture for every bead, this will help your children to learn how to reflect on each aspect of this Mystery:
If you would like aids for praying the entire Luminous Mysteries, you can download the audio Rosary HERE. And if you can find the entire collection of Bead by Bead Rosary Books HERE.
Good Friday
Since the Good Friday liturgy is traditionally in the afternoon, it is often an easier endeavor to attend with young children.
To help kids pay attention during the looooooong Gosepl reading (and actually understand what is happening in the Good Friday service), we have created a 18 page coloring download so they can follow along, page by page.
Download and print this off so you can focus on uniting yourself to the Passion of our Lord without having to worry about your kids this Good Friday Service.
And since the Gospel the same every Good Friday, you can reuse this download for years!
If you are not able to attend the Good Friday liturgies, download the coloring companion and watch the entire Good Friday Gospel below (from Lenten Adventure):
Holy Saturday
Depending on when your family attends Easter Mass, you may need to remind your children to focus on the holy aspects of the weekend beyond the usual egg dying.
If you haven’t already gotten your Paschal Candle Kit, this is a great craft to do with young children on Holy Saturday.
You can also download our Easter Triptych on our blog and work on this craft to prepare for Easter Sunday!
If you attending Mass on Easter Sunday, you can prepare for Mass by watching this Sunday Gospel reading video with your kids:
Psstt–if you’d like weekly Sunday Gospel videos like this, you can sign up for our FREE Sunday Mass Prep resources here.
For additional resources during Holy Week, you can find a complete list of special plenary indulgences, printables, and more by clicking here!
