Easter is a wonderful time together as a family to read the Word of God and understand Christ’s death and resurrection and the great sacrifice he made for our salvation. You may instill these teachings in them by regularly attending church as well as a special Easter service.
Your child may be getting quality teaching about Easter as well as learning about his death and resurrection in their local Sunday school class. This year, however, why not extend that teaching by creating fun, family-friendly activities you can do together?
This will help better teach the Easter story and allow your kids to have fun while learning. You'll enjoy doing activities together as a family, cut down on screen time and create great memories that will last a lifetime.
Here are five activities to do with your kids to better understand the Easter story.
1. Decorate a Cross
While reading the stories leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection might be too much for little kids, you can bring the story to life by making simple crosses. You can make them out of construction paper or popsicle sticks. Glue the sticks together to create a cross.
Cut out the paper in a cross shape. Give your kids specifically colored markers to demonstrate the different concepts you want them to remember. For example, put out a red marker and have them color the cross to symbolize Christ's blood.
You can also decorate it by drawing a crown of thorns on the top or a sun to symbolize the new life we have in Jesus. Let the kids get creative as you read to them the historical account.
2. Plant Seeds and Watch Them Grow
Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is an important story when it comes to understanding Jesus’ dedication to prayer and his relationship with his Father.
We don't have to tell them that he sweat drops of blood, but you can emphasize that Jesus prayed so hard that night to ask his Father not to have to go to the cross.
Plant seeds in your garden or create a small indoor garden to plant seeds for vegetables or flowers. Teach the kids how to water and care for the seeds and regularly check on their development.
This is a great way for them to remember the garden and the new life that Jesus' sacrifice gave to them. Allow kids to take responsibility for watering the seeds and place them indoors or outdoors as necessary.
When the time has come for the seed to reach its maturity, use the vegetables to make a special meal together using what you created, savor the flavors, and tell each person how your vegetables taste similar or different to the ones found in the grocery store.
If the experience was enjoyable, consider creating a garden and planting vegetables and other items that together you can grow and enjoy together.
3. Paint Resurrection Eggs
Many parents incorporate the Easter Bunny into their Easter traditions. Although there is nothing wrong with this, some kids may question where the bunny comes from when a bunny is not significant in any Bible story.
Do some research on the Internet or get a book that describes the Easter Bunny tradition. You can also replace Easter eggs with resurrection eggs that you can buy online.
Inside, the kids will find a little prize, a trinket, or other mementos to help them remember Jesus is the real reason to celebrate Easter.
Ask kids questions to see if they understand the reasons behind the Easter tradition. You can easily do both an Easter egg hunt as well as resurrection eggs to commemorate the holiday.
4. Hide the Jesus
Some online stores have created a plush toy that resembles Jesus. Not only is it a great item to stuff in the Easter basket, but you can also play a game.
This is a great spinoff of the Elf on the Shelf used at Christmas, where people have an elf they hide in different places throughout the home during the Christmas holiday.
Sometimes they allow the elf to be depicted doing mischief within the house. If you like the concept but don't like the message it sends, play “hide the Jesus.” Instead of hiding Easter eggs, you can hide the plush Jesus toy.
Allow the kids to search outside and inside to find the plush toy. Create a prize for the person who finds him. They can receive an extra golden egg with candy or money inside. They can have an extra piece of dessert at dinner.
They can wear what they want to the Easter service. Whatever you decide, make it special so that it will create an incentive for the kids to find the toy. If the incentive is good, even older kids may want to participate in the celebration.
5. Enjoy Jewish Traditions
As Christians, we often celebrate our own traditions when it comes to celebrating the Easter holiday. We hide Easter eggs, have a special dinner, and spend time with family and friends. While this is still definitely an option, to better understand Jesus, we need to better understand his culture.
Jesus was a Jewish man who observed Jewish traditions. Get books from the library and research on the Internet different ways you can celebrate Jewish traditions in your home.
Light a candle and place it in your window to let your neighbors know you are celebrating the Sabbath. Make Challah Bread as a special treat to end your time.
Learn a simple Jewish prayer and pray it at your next meal. For three days leading up to Easter, buy only foods that Jewish people would consider kosher. Abstain from eating pork at your Easter dinner and instead opt for something more in line with Jewish tradition.
This is a great cultural experience for kids of all ages. They get to learn a bit more about what Jesus' life was like on earth, as well as the traditions he would have celebrated as a Jewish man.
This will not only make your Easter holiday special but will also allow your children to have a tangible educational experience about Jesus, who walked this earth.
Do additional research and find out what the theological differences are. Answer the question, “Do Jewish people celebrate Easter?” Compare the books of the Bible and see how they are different or how they are similar.
Are there ways you as a family can adopt Jewish traditions in a way that still honors your current theological beliefs? Celebrating different cultures is a rich and a rewarding experience for everyone who participates.
This may allow children who have superficial faith to go deeper because of what they've learned, as well as open their minds to understanding there are different ways to approach life, and many people celebrate holidays in different ways.
Why Does This Matter?
Easter is a wonderful time to learn all about what Jesus did for us on the cross. But reading about it is not the same as experiencing it. Use the suggestions above or create different experiences to help enrich your children's education regarding Jesus’ ministry on earth, his heritage, and the great sacrifice that has given them salvation.
For further reading:
6 Ways to Celebrate Easter This Year
What Version of the Easter Story Should We Tell Our Children?
5 Ways to Talk about Easter with Your Kids
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