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I’ve been surfing the web and Pinterest, trying to find some fun ideas for my family to keep with the spirit of Jesus this Easter! After all, Easter is the most important holiday for believers, even more than Christmas, in my opinion, so let’s not let Jesus get lost with the eggs and the Easter bunny.
Here are some ideas I’ve seen or thought of that I hope to do. And I’d love to hear your thoughts as well!
Any teaching activity that involves a snack is always a hit at our house! With resurrection rolls, the crescent rolls (or use homemade biscuit dough, to make it a bit healthier) signify the tomb; the marshmallows, Jesus; and the cinnamon and sugar, the spices used at burial. As the rolls bake, the marshmallows melt, creating what appears to be an empty tomb when you bite into them! Pair this with the story of Jesus’ burial and resurrection as they bake!
My 3-year-old loves “I Spy” and hide and seek, so I know this will be a hit! Our Family For His Glory created a list of different objects for kids to find that actually can be tied back to the story of the cross.
Act Out Palm Sunday
The week before Easter is traditionally Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Grab some palm branches (or make them with construction paper!), stuffed animals (for people lining the streets), coats (to be the people’s cloaks), and a rocking horse/stick horse (for the donkey). Let your children act it out. They can take turns being Jesus, while the other child(ren) wave palm branches and shout “Hosanna in the highest” and lay down their coats in front of Jesus.
This is my favorite of the activities. We did this last year, and it was a big hit. Create a hill, tomb, the crosses, and Jesus. The above blog post has an easy recipe for the dough used for the tomb. Check it out!
Not only is the tomb fun to make and keep on display during this season, but don’t forget that three days before Easter, you put Jesus in the tomb, sealed with a stone. Easter morning, your kids will be surprised to see that the rock has been removed and Jesus is outside the tomb! He is risen!
How awesome is this idea? Love that empty egg. This is also such a great way to remind others of Easter’s significance! We are adding it to our list this year! Friends, be warned.
Books to Read
Full disclosure: I have not read all of these, only some. The others I am trusting the recommendations of others and their great Amazon reviews.
- The Parable of the Lily
- Benjamin’s Box – Supposedly this is great if you plan to do Resurrection Eggs! (Another great activity! Just not sure I’m organized enough to do this for 12 days.)
- The Donkey Who Carried A King
- What Is Easter?
Just because who doesn’t love free printables to include in Easter eggs or baskets?
Also let’s not forget hiding Easter eggs, dying the eggs, and Easter baskets. These things are fun and can be used at back drops to talk about the real reason for Easter!
How do you keep Jesus in Easter?
