Sometimes parents ask me about praying the Stations of the Cross with young kids. They want to know how to approach something so violent, so painful, so, full of death, with their little ones.

The crucifixion is central to being Catholic. There really is no shying away from it. But there are some things you can do to make sure that your kids can engage and understand at their level.

Here are my 3 tips:

1. Choose a set of stations of the cross at your kids level.

This is huge. There are thousands of different versions to choose from, so be picky and figure out the best one for your kids’ age and attention span.

(I’m partial to the new set from Osv Kids 😉)

2. Let them talk and ask questions.

My kids stop our stations all the time, and I love it. Sometimes they want to know what a word means, sometimes they make an observation, sometimes they remember what happens next and want to share. I am here for all of it. It means they are engaged.

3. Let them move, but f it’s too distracting to to others, try the snuggle approach. A lot of my crew has ADD and trying to get them to sit still is an uphill battle. So they move around. As long as they are quiet, in the room, and not disrupting others, I am okay with it. And if the energy in the room gets to be too much, I pull everyone in for a snuggle.

Don’t be afraid to pray the Stations of the Cross with your kids. It’s one of our family’s favorite Lenten traditions