At Easter, we celebrate Jesus overcoming death and making a way for us to be in a relationship with God. The resurrection is not G-rated. Jesus died a gruesome death for our sins, and three days later, He rose from the grave.
...entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him’ (Mark 16:5-6).
We all like chocolate bunnies, Peeps, and Reese’s eggs, but we know there’s more to Easter than a magic bunny that delivers baskets of candy.
So how do we share the true meaning of Easter in a way our kids will understand?
- Read a chapter or two of Mark every day leading up to Easter. Mark is only 16 chapters, so you can finish the book in less than two weeks. (If your children are younger, check out “A Happy Sunday,” one of several stories available on the Bible App for Kids.)
- Walk around the neighborhood and look for signs of spring. Talk about how spring reminds us of the new life Jesus gives us. Point out the signs of new life that are starting to appear.
- Send your kids on a scavenger hunt for items that symbolize different parts of the Easter story. Look for things like a rock to symbolize the tomb, sticks to make a cross, something black to symbolize sin, something red to symbolize blood, something white to represent a clean heart, and something green to represent growing in our relationships with Jesus.
- Read Matthew 27:62-66 and Matthew 28:1-4 as a family. Go hiking in search of an oversized rock, and let the kids take turns trying to move it. Talk about how a large stone couldn't keep Jesus in the tomb and how surprised the soldiers must have been when the stone was rolled away.