As a child, Easter was typically filled with baskets, bunnies, and lots of chocolate!
We would wake up to see what the Easter bunny left for us, get dressed in our Sunday best and go to church, come home, eat dinner, hunt eggs, and then dive head first into the great chocolate abyss. It was this way every year, and as I had my own children, it was the tradition that I began to teach to my children.
Sound familiar? So how do we change our kids’ ways of thinking about Easter so that they have new traditions where the focus is not about chocolate and bunnies, but about Christ and His resurrection? How do we help our kids understand “Christ is Risen,” in a way that will leave lasting memories and not overbearing sermons?
I have a few things that I can share to help our families do what families should do—share the message of Christ and His love to our children in a way that will help them understand—and create long-lasting childhood memories that can be passed down from generation to generation.
Resurrection Cookies
Resurrection cookies are a wonderful way to help your child hear and understand the crucifixion and resurrection. Using simple ingredients you most likely have on hand, you can walk your child through key scriptures that share the message. The oven becomes the tomb, and the next day when you go to find the cookies, your child will find something very special instead. You can go online and search for Resurrection Cookies, but the link below is one that I absolutely love. It explains each ingredient step by step and has a Biblical reference to support it.
www.motherhoodonadime.com/kids/ resurrection-cookies
Jelly Bean Prayer Bags
One of the greatest things you can do for your children is to teach them how to share their faith with others. You will need jellybeans, plastic resealable bags, and note cards. Have your child place the appropriate colored jellybeans in the bag, and then have them write out the prayer below on the note card. Share them with people in your neighborhood, or use them to invite others to church to hear the message of Christ and His sacrifice for us.
Resurrection Eggs
Resurrection eggs can be used in so many different ways. They include 12 eggs, each with a “surprise” that relates to the Easter message. You can buy them at any local Christian bookstore, but you can also make them at home. You can use them as a daily devotional, by opening one egg each day (for 12 days) and talking as a family about the significance of what’s inside. You can also use them for an egg hunt.
Once all 12 eggs have been collected, open them one at a time, in order, explaining the importance of each egg. Or, if your family has an Easter dinner, hand them out to everyone at the table and allow people to open each egg, in order, and allow the family to talk about what the treat inside means to them.
There are many other things that you can do with your family — these are just a few suggestions. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you are intentional in helping your kids understand that Easter is not about chocolates and egg hunts. It’s about our Heavenly Father who loved us so much that He was heartbroken when He knew our sin was separating us from Him.
And so, to make a way for our sin to be removed, He did what He had to do. He sent His Son to die on the cross for us—to be the sacrifice for our sins, so that through His death AND resurrection, our sins were covered—and through Jesus, we could be complete with our Father again. And this is a message that we want to share for generations to come!
Happy Easter—Christ is Risen!
– Pepper Carter is a Children’s Minister at Broadmoor Baptist Church. She and her husband, Allan, have two sons: Spencer and Cade. She can be reached at pcarter@broadmoor.org. Content contributed by Metro Christian Living magazine.
Hands-on Easter Activites for Kids
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