What parents can teach children about Easter

For many children, Easter is a time for egg hunts, Easter baskets, chocolate and candy. However, for Christians, there is more to Easter then just eggs and chocolates.

Let’s help children understand what Holy Week and Easter is all about. Here are four fun, thought-provoking ideas to help you teach children about Jesus’ death and celebrate His resurrection with them on Easter Sunday.

Engage with Object Lessons

Holy Week is observed as the last week of Lent and begins with the celebration of Palm Sunday one week before Easter Sunday. To start off the week, teach children about Jesus’ humble and triumphant entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey by using object lessons and story-telling activities connected to Holy Week Scripture readings.

Here’s a preview of each lesson:

Palm Sunday Bible Lesson: Zechariah 9:9–12. You will need: Toys or pictures of a chariot, a limousine, a horse, and a donkey. Main point: Children learn the significance of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

Easter Sunday Bible Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15:1– 11. You will need three clear glass jars, water, iodine, and bleach. Main point: Children learn the reason for Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Easter Sunday Bible Lesson: Matthew 28:1–8, “Jesus Rises From The Grave” and John 20:1–10, “The Empty Tomb”

Connect with crafts and activities

Try to use as many senses as possible to help children grasp the meaning of Holy Week and Easter. Active learning with crafts and puzzles helps children understand what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Crafts can also become keepsakes, so that kids are reminded throughout the season that Jesus is risen!

This next crafty idea is a great way to involve children at the beginning of the worship service. In the week leading up to the Easter Sunday service, kids create and decorate individual letter posters that spell out “Alleluia.” Alternate messages can be “He is Risen” or “Jesus Lives.” Children can lead the service processional with this triumphant message to remind themselves, as well as the congregation, of Jesus’ glory.

Incorporate music

Music is a great way to help teach children the meaning of the Easter season. Being a part of special music offering or a children’s choir during Holy Week and Easter services helps them observe Jesus’ death and celebrate His resurrection through words and song.

If your family owns a hymnal, try singing or going over the stanzas of a Lenten, Holy Week, or Easter hymn at home each week, before church. Check online to see if there are recordings of any of the hymns or special music selections that families can listen to together.

When selecting hymns, first check to see if the publisher provides a version of the hymnal for children, to see what hymns they suggest for the week or season.

Celebrate with your congregation

Ask your pastor about observing Easter morning with a different kind of processional. For example, some churches set up an Easter flower cross at the front of the church for the congregation to insert flowers into as a reminder that Jesus lives. This can be accomplished during the pre-service processional music or during the opening hymn. Kids will find meaning in this joyful processional as they worship with the rest of the church body to create a colourful, beautiful reminder of life and hope.