Create Easter Memories
Easter is one of the most important days in the Church calendar. Easter celebrations have an amazing impact on the lives of children. So create memories with these ideas.
Encourage families to create artwork that depicts an aspect of Jesus death and resurrection. They can draw or paint, create a clay display, sew an object, build something, take photos, make a video, create a poster or a collage. Have families bring their artwork to church the week before Easter and display it during Easter.
Encouraging Easter Egg
As a family or Sunday School class you could make a huge paper mache Easter egg. Take a balloon, blow it up and tie it off, then using glue and newspaper strips cover the balloon. Let this dray and then add another layer or two. until it is strong. When the glue is dry insert a pin to pop the balloon within the paper mache.
Paint the egg any way your choose, or stick photos and pictures on it. Then either cut your egg in half or make a biggish slit in the top. During the weeks leading up to Easter, everyone can add notes, letters to each other, prayers, chocolate, money for others in the world - whatever you choose. And then crak open your egg on Easter Day.
Egg Guessing Game
You'll need plastic eggs with different objects inside (try the cheap shops)
Ask the kids to shake their eggs and guess what's in there. You could also put two of the same objects in plastic eggs and put all of the eggs in a pile. Like Memory, have kids shake eggs to see if they can match up the sounds, and then keep the "pairs" of eggs.
Scambled Egg Hunt
You'll need two egg-hunting areas, one without eggs and wone with lots of filled plastic eggs. Read or tell about Jesus dying on the cross. At the part when the soldiers put Jesus' body in the tomb, have a volunteer interrupt to take children to the egg hunt. Tell children you will finish the story when they return. Go to the egg-less location, ask children what it's like to discover that something's unexpectedly missing. Discuss their feelings and explain this is probably how Jesus friends felt when they went to the tomb and couldn't find his body. Read Luke 24v 3-6 and say "Jesus wasn't in the tomb because he's alive. This surprised Jesus friends, but it was a good surprise. The good news of Easter is that Jesus didn't stay dead. By rising, he gives us good gifts such as forgiveness and peace". Then send children to the location filled with eggs and have fun hunting.
He is Risen
(best for ages 3 to 6) This simple craft lets children picture Jesus' empty tomb.
You'll need paper or foam plates, scissors, glue, paint (gray or brown) paintbrushes, black cardboard and brown paper lunch bags. Help children each cut a plate in half and cut out an opening in the centre to look like a cave or tomb. Then let them paint their plates. When the paint is dry, glue black cardboard to the back of the plate. Next, have children create a "stone" by crumpling the brown paper lunch bag and placing it in the tomb. Read Mark 16v3-4. Tell children to roll back their stones and ask them what's inside. When they say "nothing", remind them 'that's right! Because Jesus has already come back to life. He died to forgive our sins and now he's alive in heaven.
Easter Greeting
Hi Five, Jesus is Alive
For Pre-Schoolers
You'll need washable red markers, some white material (sheet cut into squares) permanent markers and bowls with warm, soapy water.
Tell pre-schoolers that Jesus loves us very much - so much that he forgives the bad things we do. Tell them he died on the cross so we could live with him forever in Heaven.
Help children colour their thumbs with a red washable marker so they can make a thumbprint on a piece of white material. Once each child has made a print, you can draw a heart around it and write the child's first name. Tell kids that their prints represent the things we do that make Jesus sad.
Have kids dip their material in a bowl of soapy water and wash it. When they're done, the red print will be gone. Explain to the kids that that's what happens to our sins when we ask Jesus to forgive us. He takes our sins away. Let kids take home their wet pieces of material.
Say "Jesus big gift to us is that He takes away our sins and loves us. Jesus is alive today and he loves you".
Playdough story
Give all the children some playdough. Ask them to make a happy face, a sad face, a cross, some people, tomb,
As you tell the story they can hold up the appropriate piece of playdough that fits with that part of the story.
Invite the children to stand or sit in a circle. Ask what makes them happy. What do they do when they are happy? Let them demonstrate some expressions or reactions. Do the same for ‘sad’.
Choose an action for ‘happy’ that they can all do (such as smiling and waving or jumping up in the air). Do the same for ‘sad’.
Call out ’sad’ or ‘happy’, challenging the children to do the action. Get faster and faster! God changed a sad day into a happy day.