Lent is the season of preparation for Easter. It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter, lasting for 40 days (not counting Sundays). We prepare for Easter by fasting and practicing spiritual discipline during this time – to reflect on His sacrifices. Young children have a hard time understanding Lent and 40 days can seem like forever.

Here is an activity for your children that will help them to appreciate the virtues
of Lent.
On Ash Wednesday, set out a glass jar for each child with a small copy of the
jellybean prayer taped to it. Determine a behavior to go with each jellybean color
(corresponding with the prayer). Each day the kids could earn a jellybean of any
color they followed through on.

They can’t eat the jellybeans until Easter.

They cannot earn white jellybeans because these represent the Grace of Christ, which is
a gift not earned ourselves. On Easter morning, the kids wake to find their jars
filled up where they were still empty (lacking) with white jellybeans (Christ’s
grace).

Jelly Bean Prayer

Red is for the blood He gave
Green is for the grass He made
Yellow is for the sun so bright
Orange is for the
edge of night
Black is for the sins we made
White is for the grace He gave
Purple is for the house of sorrow
Pink is for the new tomorrow

This is how you could interpret each colour or make your own ideas based on ages
and needs of your children:
Red
is for the blood Christ gave (each morning choose something to sacrifice that
day to earn the red jellybean, something they would have the opportunity to have
or do on that day)
Green
is for the palm’s cool shade (earned for good deeds, as it was a good
dead to provide shade for Jesus with the palm)
Yellow
is for God’s light so bright (earned for sharing God’s light through
kindness to others)
Orange
is for prayers at twilight (earned for attentive behavior during bedtime
prayer time or night time bib
le story, etc.)
Black
is for sweet rest at night (earned for going to bed well, or you could use blue
since some kids are not fans of black jellybeans)
White
is for the Grace of Christ (these cannot be earned as mentioned above)
Purple
is for His days of sorrow (earned these through apologizing to anyone you
hurt with your words or deeds that day)
Pink
is for each new tomorrow (earned when you forgave those who apologized to
us for hurtful behavior)

Activity : http://www.catholicmom.com