Saint Pope John Paul II is an amazing modern Saint with an annual feast day that happens every year on October 22. This feast day is perfect for celebrating with kids because St. Pope John Paul II is so inspirational, did so many amazing things for the Catholic Church, and there are so many fun ways to celebrate! You can find all of my Pope resources for kids here, but today let’s look at some special St. Pope John Paul II feast day celebration ideas for kids!
St. Pope John Paul II “Cheat Sheet”
I always think you can teach it to kids best when you know it first yourself, so he is a very short breakdown of some important things about St. Pope John Paul II.
- Also known as “JP2” (said as “J P two”) and sometimes referred to as St. John Paul the Great
- Birth name Karol Józef Wojtyła
- Polish
- Was the Pope from 1978 – 2005
- Instituted Divine Mercy Sunday, and was canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2014
- Instituted World Youth Day
- Added 5 new mysteries to the rosary- the Luminous Mysteries!
- Although it is traditional to celebrate the Saint’s feast day on the day they died, the feast day of St. Pope John Paul II is on the anniversary of his papal inauguration.
- He spoke 12 languages
- He loved outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking, camping, and skiing. He continued skiing until he was 73 years old!
- While Pope, he visited 129 countries, traveling over a million kilometers, making him the most widely traveled pope in history. You can read more about his travels here.
- He canonized over 400 Saints including St. Padre Pio, St. Juan Diego, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. Bakhita
- He wrote an average of 3,000 pages a year during his papacy
- He was seen by more people than any other person ever in human history
- Marvel wrote a comic book about him
Ok, I think we are ready to look at some ways to celebrate St. Pope John Paul II with kids!
St. Pope John Paul II Resources For Kids
If you have the Saint picture book I recommend as a “starter Saint book” for Catholic families (Picture Book Of Saints) then you can find St. Pope John Paul II’s story on page 140.
St. Pope John Paul II Coloring Pages
I have a free printable coloring page that would be perfect for preschoolers of St. Pope John Paul II.
You can print a coloring page of JP II’s coat of arms and learn a ton on Familia Catolica. I love this project!
You can print out a whole packet of Saint Pope John Paul II activities from Real Life at Home for $3.50 which is good for preschool through 3rd grade aged kids.
St. Pope John Paul II Crafts For Kids
You can use the templates inside of my Saint Puppet Ebook to create any Saint you wish, St. Pope John Paul II included!!!
My kids absolutely adore Saint peg dolls, and they have hands down been the most played with toy in our home among 4 children! St. Pope John Paul II is included in my pack of printable peg dolls that go together! You just paint the head with my step by step directions, then decopage on the body. It’s so easy that it will make you feel like an artist!
I also have a video showing just how easily these peg dolls go together here.
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You can craft your very own JPII miter from a toilet paper tube! It’s super cute and easy and a perfect way to celebrate this feast day.
Catholic Inspired has step by step directions on how to make this St. Pope John Paul II ornament.
You can also draw your very own St. Pope John Paul II with my free and easy how to draw video! This step by step will take kids through exactly how to draw him, and pretty much nothing is easier on mom than a how to draw video.
Fun St. Pope John II Food Ideas
I always love to celebrate a Saint feast day with some great recipes, and being that Pope John Paul II was Polish, this lends itself to trying out some Polish cuisine with your family!
Why not try some traditional Polish Placki Ziemniaczane, which are Polish potato pancakes? They look delicious, and this step by step recipe comes from Polish Housewife.
There is an actual Polish cake that is actually now named after JPII! It is called Kremówka Papieska (or Papal Cream Cake) is named as such because it was one of John Paul II’s favorite desserts. The Polish Housewife also has a recipe for Papal cream cake. I definitely want to try making this!
You can also check out The Polish Housewife’s post of her top 10 Polish recipes. I think the angel wing cookies look interesting to try!
You can also check out my edible Papal flag treat for kids! Remembering the Vatican flag would be a great idea for this feast day.
St. Pope John Paul II Activities
I always like to include some activities that are fun, meaningful, and easy to implement! Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet together as a family.
- Listen to Catholic Sprout’s podcast for kids on Pope St. John Paul II
- Pray the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary, started by JPII
You can find even more Papal resources for kids here! This post includes Pope printables, crafts, snacks, and also printables and activites about the Vatican and the first pope. 🙂
Can you explain what a lapbook is?
Here is a link about lapbooks:
https://thehappyhousewife.com/homeschool/what-is-a-lapbook/