The fourteen Stations of the Cross, with prayers, reflections, meditations and statues, can be confusing for young children. Traditionally, the Stations of the Cross are done by walking from station to station, stopping to pray and meditating upon the event depicted by the statue. This journey to the cross can be recreated for children with progressive craft projects for each station done separately or as a lesson project idea or as a group event.
Station of the Cross Journey
Cut out 14 irregular stone-shaped pieces from light-colored construction paper. Label each piece with a short meditation or prayer relating to each station or with a station. Ask the children to think of something that illustrates each station of the cross. Let them illustrate their own set of stones or collectively illustrate a set of larger stone shapes. Build a path with the stones, again either individually on their own paper or as a group contributing to a larger wall path. At the end of the 14th station, conclude with an image of an empty tomb or with the words, "He is Risen!" or another symbol of the resurrection or of new life or faith.
Stations of Love
Cut 14 hearts out of red construction paper to symbolize God's love for us. Label each heart with a number or an age-appropriate prayer or meditation for each station. Optionally, children can illustrate each station on a heart. Starting with the first station heart; pray a short prayer or read a meditation. Glue the heart onto another piece of construction paper (not red). Pray the second station. Glue the tip of the second heart to the tip of the first heart. When glued down the hearts should only overlap about one-quarter to half of the previous heart shape. Continue in the same fashion with the remaining stations and hearts forming layers of hearts. When finished it should look like a flower head. Add a green stem and leaves. On the leaves write a phrase such as "New Life in Christ" or "He is Risen" or "Christ Lives."
To the Empty Tomb
Create the heart templates and prayer/meditation steps as in the previous project, but instead of gluing the hearts into the shape of a flower; glue the hearts in an overlapping fashion into a half circle to represent the empty tomb. Write in the opening of the tomb, "He Lives!"
Stained Glass Window Stations
Kristin from Our Totally Awesome Blog inspired the creation of stain glass window Stations of the Cross. Purchase a glass frame from a local thrift store. Have the children color a set of small Stations of the Cross coloring pages or use printable stations from the Catholic Icing website. With watered-down Elmer's glue, in the center of the frame, glue a picture face down of Jesus or of an empty tomb. Create a frame around the edges with a single color of paper tissue strips. Then glue the precolored Stations of the Cross onto the frame (face down) around the center image. Fill in the rest of the frame with additional multicolored tissue paper strips and watered-down glue.
- Photo Credit cross image by MLProject from Fotolia.com
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