5 Ways to Pray the Stations with Kids

Laura Range shares ideas for teaching your children to pray the Stations of the Cross.

We have made it almost halfway through Lent! Time to renew our efforts to finish strong as we begin the second half of the journey. If you haven't yet been able to pray the devotion of the Stations of the Cross as a family, perhaps it could be a goal for the second half of Lent!

There are many ways you can teach your children about this centuries-old devotion. You know your family best—and the season of life you are in. Whether you choose traditional, simple, or creative, here are a few ideas for praying and learning the Stations of the Cross with your family!

Walk through the Stations at an empty church with other families.

Last year my local Catholic moms group met at our parish when there were not any services going on. We walked through the Church with our children, pausing at each Station on the wall and saying a short prayer. The kids were able to comment and ask questions, and we could be flexible with our pace of prayer. As a bonus, our parish priest happened to be there and gave everyone a tour of the Sacristy afterwards!

Try a Stations of the Cross coloring book.

We found this Brother Francis coloring book this year and my daughter has colored a page or two each day, then we read about the Station. It has been nice to have one-on-one time with her to discuss the Stations at an age-appropriate level. Her favorite Station is when Veronica wipes the face of Jesus—so touching that the suffering Jesus worked a miracle to thank Veronica for her kindness!

Pray the Stations by candlelight.

Light 14 small tea light candles and set them around your dining room table (or kitchen counters). Using a children's version of the Stations (we bought this inexpensive one, Stations of the Cross by Fr. Lovasic, S.V.D., last year), you can walk to each candle and pray or reflect on a particular Station. If your kids are like mine, it will be a special treat to blow out the candle after each one!

Make Stations of the Cross eggs.

If you are feeling particularly ambitious or crafty, this how-to from Catholic Icing gives instructions and resources for making your own set of Catholic Icing Stations of the Cross eggs. We did this last year and enjoyed it (but it does take some time and the eggs get mixed up easily!). It was a great hands-on way to pray the Stations with kids. We used plastic Easter eggs labeled with Sharpie marker to store our Stations symbols instead of making the printable Easter eggs included in the instructions.

Take your children to a traditional Stations of the Cross service at a local parish.

I have many memories as a child of going to the weekly Stations of the Cross service at our parish with my family and grandma. Though I probably didn't understand all the words, it made a lasting impression on me with the repetition of genuflecting and kneeling during each Station, of seeing the Deacon or priest an servers pause before each Station, of smelling the incense during Benediction and Adoration at the end. The Church is full of beautiful liturgies like this one and you might be surprised by all your kids absorb from it.

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If you haven't yet been able to pray the devotion of the Stations of the Cross as a family, make it a goal for the second half of Lent. #catholicmom

Copyright 2022 Laura Range
Images: Mænsard vokser, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons;