40 Days of Free Lenten Printables: Lenten Countdown Chain

It’s Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and I have a printable scripture countdown chain for you! Actually I have two.

Download the Lent Countdown chain

I love getting The Little Black Book at Church around the beginning of Lent and going through the readings and reflections each day. This year I was wondering how can I make this work for my kids too? At a minimum, I’d love for us to read the scripture together. For kids, they get exposed to more scripture, for adults use the scripture to meditate on and pray. I put each day’s scripture on a printable that you cut into strips and use to make a countdown chain for Lent. The scripture in the Little Black Book goes through the passion of Christ as told in Luke, a few verses at a time. As you pull off one chain length everyday, you’ll slowly read through the whole story.

If you have small children, and you think the passion is a little too heavy for them, I’ve made a second set of printable chain lengths with a lenten task for them to complete each day. They are small ways to pray, sacrifice, or do something for someone else (sounds familiar, sort of like praying, fasting and almsgiving right?). In that set, you’ll find “Pray for your mom,” “Pray a decade of the Rosary,” “Do an extra chore today,” and “Help clean the dishes and the kitchen.” These can be chained in any order, and are perfect for children.

I made my chain in the shape of hearts, to go with a scripture quote “Make your hearts firm.” James 5:8 which Pope Francis quoted and discussed in his message for Lent this year. I also made a little header picture with that verse to use at the top of your chain, or however you wish.

Instructions are pretty simple:

I printed these on some purple scrapbooking paper, but you could also print on purple construction paper, or plain white paper.

Cut along the black lines.

If you are using the scripture chain pieces, you will want to keep them in order (I numbered them). Number 40 goes at the bottom and 1 at the top. (That way you count down from 40) If you are using the Lenten tasks for children, then the order really doesn’t matter.

For making a regular chain with them, just bend your slip of paper in a loop and staple together. Take the next slip and make a loop that goes through your first and staple. Keep going!