As Easter is quickly approaching, you may be interested to hear some good ideas concerning how you might make this Easter biblically meaningful for your kids. Below are some great ideas compiled by Darlene Lewis.
Home Decorations:
Easter Tree – eggs, spring chicks, rabbits, ribbons, cross
Easter stuffed animals decorate children’s rooms
Spring table cloth/napkins & Easter cups
Let children bathe with empty plastic eggs and plastic baskets
Parable of the Lily by Liz Higgs
Activities/Crafts:
Check out stories from the library to read together about Jesus and watch Nest Entertainment’s “He is Risen”
Discuss symbols of Easter & Spring-:
spring=newness of life out of winter/death
baby creatures born = we can be new creatures in HIM – new birth in HIM
spring colors = green- new life, purple- Jesus is King, royalty,
new clothes= clothed in the newness of life in Christ
eggs= life sealed away in a lifeless looking “rock” and bursts forth with life!
Felt board of Jesus’ resurrection
Family Easter Egg hunt & celebrate afterwards with special dessert & milk & the weeks before have them hide around the house and yard and look for them.
Easter Egg Hunt with friends/neighbors – share Resurrection story
Dye Eggs (boil 10 minutes, use sections of paper towel roll as stands):
- Cover w/ paper reinforcers, dye then peel off some dip in new color, etc.
- wrap rubber bands around egg covering it completely and dip egg in dye – some dye will seep under bands & blocked from others. Remove, blot and remove bands. Can repeat with another dye color.
- use crayons to write “Jesus is Risen” or “Jesus died for you” then dye
- Dribble rubber cement for color resist (peel off rubber cement after)
- sponge paint eggs by cutting sponge into ½” strips – one for each color dye
Eggheads: use nail to punch quarter size hole in top of egg. Rinse & dry. Use permanent markers to paint face. Place in egg carton, spoon in dirt, plant grass seeds, moisten, cover with plastic wrap and place in sunny window until seeds sprout in a week. When thick green mane – remove covering and style hair. Empty film canister can be their stand.
Press flowers – when dry using clear packing tape to make book mark
Flower Pounding – place pansies between two notecards or pieces of fabric and cover with with paper bags and pound until all surface has bled through fabric or paper. Scrape off residue. (pound only on smooth surface – concrete leaves bumps).
Blown eggs – poking a small hole in the top and bottom of an egg let yolk and whites drain out & paint and decorate. Can be decorated to look like bird with feathers and then hung with fishing string or color with permanent markers and keep year after year.
Coloring Carnations: Place white carnations in glass or vase with water and 2 teaspoons of food coloring (colors can be mixed to get varied colors). In 24 hours tint – 48 hrs – faded tint to entire flower – the longer the brighter the color.
Rock Group: Choose rocks that create a person (head, body, limbs), rabbit (round body & two ears) and paint each one and piece like a puzzle.
Plant Nasturium flowers from seeds: The seeds are large and easy for little fingers to plant and easy to grow. The blossoms are edible and bright and pretty.
Pasta Jewelry: string any dry pasta with a hole in the middle (wheels, rigatoni, marcaroni, etc.) Use acrylic paint or glitter glue to paint spring colors. Or use few drops of food coloring and tsp of water in jar – add pasta and shake to coat. Let dry on paper towel. Brush coat of glue mixed with water to add sheen and strength. Thread on cord or string and knot end.
Start a wormery: dirt in jar, add worms, some moisture and place lettuce leaves on top and top with plastic with holes… and read books on earthworms
Yarn Egg: pastel yarn and ran it through Elmer's glue I think and then wrapped it around a small inflated balloon leaving one side open = it looks like an easter egg. Once the glue dries, the balloon will have deflated , remove it fill w/ easter grass and little characters and hang.
Order butterfly larvae and raise them – while studying and reading about it… from Lillian Vernon – www.insectlore.com
Wax Paper Butterfly: Fold wax paper in half & draw butterfly, unfold and lay flat and fill with crayon shavings. Cover with another sheet of wax paper. Place on newspaper and cover with newspaper and iron. Cut out butterfly, punch hole and hang with fishing line.
Egg Carton Caterpillar: Cut out two long lline of humps from egg carton – glue sparkles, paint, stickers, for body, wiggly eyes for head & pipe cleaners for legs and antennae.
Easter Bunny cinnamon rolls: one for face, cut another in half & each piece is an ear. A cherry for nose, raisins for eyes, pink icing for ears, almonds slivers for whiskers. Drizzle icing on ears (may make pink with food coloring) and I drizzle icing under the heads to sweet them.
Egg in a Basket : Let children cut hole in middle of slice of bread with juice cup and place in buttered skillet and break egg into the hole. Season with dill, salt & pepper and fry until solid enough to flip. Top with cheese.
Spring Braided Bread: French bread roll separated into 3 strands braided & tucked into a circle. Into folds fit in dyed Easter eggs. Bake until golden.
Chubby Bunny: as a family sit and cram marshmallows into mouth and say “chubby bunny” & laugh at each other!
Baking with kids: sugar cookies shaped like bunnies, flowers… iced in pastel colors; cake & cupcakes (familyfun.com-ideas)
Bunny Cake mold – small individually decorated
Easter Story Cookies
1 cup pecan halves, broken
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Bible
Adhesive tape
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet.
1. Place pecan halves in a plastic, resealable bag. Give children wooden spoons and let them pound the pecans into small pieces. Set aside. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by soldiers. (Read John 19:1-3)
2. Let each helper smell the vinegar. Then measure 1 tsp into the mixing bowl. Explain that while Jesus was on the cross, He was thirsty, and the soldiers gave Him vinegar to drink. (Read John 19:28-30)
3. Separate the eggs. Add the whites to the vinegar. Explain that eggs represent life and that Jesus gave His life to give us life. (Read John 10:10-11, 28)
4. Sprinkle a little salt into each person’s palm, and let each one brush it off into the mixture. Then they can taste their salty palms. Explain that this reminds us of the salty tears shed by those saddened by Jesus’ death. (Read Luke 23:27)
5. So far, the ingredients aren’t very appetizing; but now sugar is added, and you must trust that it will have a pleasant result. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He makes it possible to know Him and belong to Him. (Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16)
6. Beat with electric mixer on highest speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Point out the pearly white color, the color of purity for those who have been cleansed from sin by Jesus’ death. (Read Isaiah 1:18 and I John 3:1-3)
7. Fold in nuts. Drop rounded teaspoons of mixture on the cookie sheet. Explain that each mound resembles a rocky tomb like the one in which Jesus’ body was placed. (Read Matthew 27:57-60)
8. Put the cookie sheet in the preheated oven, close the door, and turn the oven completely off. Together secure the oven door with tape. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. (Read Matthew 27:65-66)
9. Time for bed! Explain to the children that they may feel sad and disappointed to leave the cookies in the oven. Remind the children that Jesus’ followers were sad when His tomb was sealed. (Read John 16:20, 22)
10. On Easter morning, open the oven door and give everyone a cookie. Ask everyone to take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter morning, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find His tomb opened and empty. HE HAD RISEN! (Read Matthew 28:1-9)
Resurrection Rolls
To understand the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ this fun recipe uses crescent rolls and a disappearing marshmallow!
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients: Crescent rolls, Melted butter, Large marshmallows, Cinnamon, Sugar, crescent rolls, Bible
Read Matthew 27:57-61
1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.
4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!)
6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)
Now read Matthew 28:5-8
Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia!
After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support
And prove that Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell.
