Published · Updated · Christian Søndersted, founder of Flipr
Pentecost with children becomes easier when you have a story ready for the moments when kids get bored: early Pentecost morning, the picnic, the wedding, and the drive home. Pentecost has few fixed traditions, so you can create your own where the child is the main character.
Pentecost with children becomes easier when you have a story ready for the moments when kids get bored: early Pentecost morning, the picnic, the wedding, and the drive home. Pentecost has few fixed traditions, so you can create your own where the child is the main character.
| Moment | What the child often experiences | Idea for the story |
|---|---|---|
| Pentecost morning | Waking up early and waiting for something that might not happen | The child and the dog wake up early and keep watch to see if the Pentecost sun dances |
| The picnic or excursion | Long walks, fatigue, and "are we there yet?" | The child is an explorer, and every stone and root in the forest is a clue |
| The summer house, campsite, or garden | Boredom when the weather doesn't cooperate | The child finds a secret door in the garden that only opens during Pentecost |
| Wedding or family party | Long ceremony and sitting still at the table | The child is a wedding guest with a secret mission: to find the ring before it is put on |
| Pentecost lunch | Adult conversations and long meals | The child is the lunch detective and must find three clues under the table |
| The drive home | Long traffic jams and tired children | The child is the captain of a ship, and the traffic is the waves |
Friday afternoon. The Pentecost weekend is starting, and you haven't planned a thing. Your child has Monday off and expects it to be something special. You just want to sit in the garden with a cup of coffee.
And then the questions begin: "What are we doing?" "When are we there?" "I'm bored."
Flipr is an app where your child and your family become permanent characters in personalized stories with pictures and narration. You write what the story should be about, and it's ready in under 2 minutes.
This post is part of the guide How to prepare your child for something they are unsure about.
Pentecost is a Christian holiday falling seven weeks after Easter. It consists of two holidays, Whit Sunday and Whit Monday, but according to Den Store Danske, it is not associated with many folk traditions in Denmark. Videnskab.dk writes that Pentecost doesn't make much of a fuss compared to Christmas and Easter, and that only a few people still go out to see the "Pentecost sun dance."
However, the traditions that do exist are great to play with in a story. According to folklore, you can see the Pentecost sun dance on Pentecost morning. In larger cities in the 1800s, people used the days off for picnics and lunches in the countryside. And in parts of Western Southern Jutland, children held "Pentecost weddings," where they paraded and playfully chose a groom and a bride. Many also choose to get married during the long weekend, so weddings and family parties are often on the calendar.
Whit Sunday always falls on a Sunday, seven weeks after Easter Sunday, and Whit Monday is the following Monday. Check your calendar for the exact dates of the given year.
Here are six moments where children often need a little help, and what you can ask for when creating the story.
The table above shows the six moments and ideas for stories.
Write down what you're going to experience, and Flipr creates the story. Include the child, siblings, and the pet so they appear in all your Pentecost stories, and turn it into your own Pentecost tradition.
You don't need to come up with anything yourself during the long weekend. It takes just a few minutes:
At the wedding, your child sits with a look searching for the ring, whispering: "I just have to find it before they say I do." You smile. You were the one who gave the child something to look out for.
Want to see it first? See examples of stories
Also read our guides on Easter holidays with children and how to prepare your child for something new.
Go for a picnic, take an excursion, host a Pentecost lunch, or spend a weekend in a summer house or garden, and create a story for the moments when the children get bored.
Whit Sunday always falls on a Sunday, seven weeks after Easter Sunday, and Whit Monday is the following Monday. The date therefore changes every year along with Easter. Check a calendar for the exact dates in the coming year.
According to Danish folklore, you can see the sun dance on Pentecost morning. It is an old belief and not something the sun actually does.
Pentecost is a Christian holiday marking the moment the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit. It falls seven weeks after Easter.
Explain what will happen in order, give the child a task, and plan breaks where the child can move around. A story with a secret mission can give the child something to watch out for.