Our annual family Lenten retreat has become a treasured tradition for my husband and I and our five children. It’s a practice I recommend to all families: a perfect opportunity to connect, pray and play together.

You too can use this liturgical season as a chance to pray, listen to God’s word and do penance — together as a family — in an especially intentional way, through a Lenten family retreat.

Here is an easy how-to if you would like to plan your own simple family retreat this holy season. Lent is obviously an ideal time to get away and pray as a family, but you can use this checklist for planning a family retreat any time of year.

1. Pick a time and a place. In this case, choose a day or days during Lent, between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. We usually do two nights away, but you can also choose to find a nearby spot for a day retreat. Look for local or regional parishes, retreat centers, shrines or monasteries that would provide you an ideal spot to pray and celebrate the sacraments together.

2. Plan a loose schedule of prayer and activity. Decide what spiritual exercises you will do together. Will you attend Mass? Go to confession? Pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the Stations of the Cross or the Holy Rosary as a family? Will you have a Holy Hour together (or shorter adoration time if you have little ones)? Will you read certain passages of Scripture or practice any other devotions unique to your family or to the Lenten season? Write these down and use the website(s) of the place(s) you are visiting to coordinate sacraments, prayer and adoration times.

Then, fill in gaps with family activities. Perhaps you’ll go on a hike, visit a nearby garden or museum, read books together, share gratitude and blessings from the past year, or create and discuss your family mission or other plans, dreams, goals and challenges relevant to your family.

Make and hold these plans loosely, as it is a retreat, so let the Holy Spirit lead. Anyone who has children knows that some structure to an event is pretty critical, but make a rough routine rather than a rigid schedule, which will leave you room for spiritual and relational spontaneity.

3. Pack for prayer. Our traveling prayer kit is comprised of a simple cloth, crucifix, small art or icons, candles (can be electric!), our rosaries and a Bible. If you are doing just a day retreat, this isn’t a necessary item to bring along, but my children will tell you it’s a staple for us on overnight trips.

Some optional ideas to make your retreat more memorable and meaningful:

• Take pictures to remember your special family pilgrimage.

• Choose a theme for your retreat (maybe a topic, a virtue, a saint or saint quote, or a certain passage of Scripture) and incorporate it into your family retreat.
• Set boundaries for technology use to increase intimacy with the Lord and with each other.
• Schedule time for individual prayer, not just family prayer.
• Let everyone lead. Rotate through the children, having each of them lead different prayer times or activities.
• Before the retreat, have individual family members input topics for discussion or activities they are interested in doing as a family and incorporate as many ideas as possible into the retreat.
• Set aside a budget for “holy” souvenirs to remember the pilgrimage and time together.
• Bring and read liturgically themed books individually or as a family. Here are some of my Lent and Easter-themed book picks for children and some Lent and Easter reading recommendations for adults.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of daily life and other commitments during the Lenten season, consider going away by yourselves, as a family — and rest a while (Mark 6:31).