We've used the Beatitudes the last couple of years and prodigal son before that. We have been using the Good Shepherd as a theme. It's also the Gospel reading for the celebration. The kids get to creat a sheepfold, put the sheep together and show them leaving, with the Good Shepherd going to get them. They then go through the magazines and cut out pictures of bad choices, good choices.
Bad choices go outside of the sheepfold, good choices inside with the sheep.
Then, they are asked in small groups to come up with ideas of how to convert the bad choice into a good choice, how to change the behavior they chose as a bad choice. This is drawn or written ona slip of paper and taped to the back of the bad choice picture and joined to the sheepfold. Nametags for the First Reconciliation are in the shape of lambs, with their name on it. At that time, they receive their Reconciliation pin, take a slip of paper with a good work to do as part of their penance, then go to their pew to pray and think about their penance. Father structures his homily around the imagery of the Good Shepherd and sheep, and there is also a skit presented by the middle schoolers explaining about sheep and shepherds in the time of Jesus as a prelude to the reading of the Gospel.