How to Explain the Importance of Easter to Kids + Fun Activities

March 27, 2018

Easter is a day of joyful celebration for every Christian! This day is about remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross. Jesus took on the suffering that we deserved and gave us the reward that only He deserved...His perfect life in exchange for our fallen one. It is a day that can be incredibly emotional and overwhelming when we dwell on what happened. So how do we explain such an event to our children in a way that won't scare them, but rather deepen their faith?

Most parents try to protect their children from harsh topics like death and suffering. But, remember, if we leave death and suffering out of the Easter story, we are making it very difficult for our children to fully understand the joy that the Easter promise brings. A gentler way to begin explaining the Easter story to young children is not by focusing on the details of the crucifixion, but rather the reason for His death and the significance of His resurrection. Perhaps begin explaining it this way: "Jesus died to pay the price for all the bad things that people do. But the good news is that Jesus came back to life and conquered death because He is God! And because of that, we can have life forever with Him!"

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Although it's normal for children to feel sad or scared about Jesus’ death, it's important that we remind our children that we no longer need to fear death because of what Jesus did on the cross! The concepts of suffering, death, resurrection, and new life are sometimes difficult for children to fully grasp, so giving age-appropriate pieces of information over time can slowly help them gain a deeper understanding as they mature.

Here are several fun and engaging ways to present the Easter message to your children:

Resurrection eggs

This is a fun way to put all of those plastic eggs to good use! Each egg has a corresponding object and lesson that relates to the Easter story.

https://womenlivingwell.org/2012/03/the-jesus-story-easter-eggs-fun-for-kids/

Expand on your egg dying tradition

If dying eggs is a tradition in your family, why not go one step further and use the colored dyes to symbolize different parts of the Easter story! This is a great opportunity to talk about Jesus (example: red eggs to symbolize Jesus’ blood given for us, white eggs to symbolize being made clean, purple to symbolize royalty, and green to symbolize new life).

Resurrection garden

This is a beautiful, hands-on way to create a visual of Jesus’ tomb, focusing in on the last parts of the Easter story. There are many different variations of this activity, but this is one of our favorites: https://walkingonsunshinerecipes.com/project-resurrection-garden-for-easter/