How to Keep Christ in your Child's Easter

Last Christmas I did a series about how to keep Christ in your child's Christmas. Easter is harder. But here are some ideas that Terri Neal, our Director of Preschool Ministries, and I put together for a parent coffee we did last week. There are a few really good ideas that I'm going to do with my kids this week.

Keeping Christ in Your Child’s Easter

Things to Focus On:

Younger Preschoolers: Jesus is Alive, Jesus Loves Us
Older Preschoolers: The picture of the cross in a positive light, describe that sin is when we do something that makes God unhappy, and Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins

Activities:
Resurrection Eggs (can be bought at a Christian Bookstore)
Resurrection Rolls (http://www.dltk-kids.com/recipes/resurrection_rolls.html)
Tomb Cookie Recipe (www.shirleys-preschool-activities.com/easter-tomb-cookies.html)
Stained Glass Cross (glue tissue paper, or fake flowers) Write “He is alive” or “He is risen”
Block area – build a tomb with blocks, add small stones
Place blue painters tape on paper so kids can paint or color a cross
Cut out a large heart shape, laminate it, and let kids use a dry erase black marker to color on it and wipe off, talk about wiping away sins
Put separate words of a verse, prayer or Bible thought hidden in eggs around room, put words of verse back together when you find all the eggs (Jesus is alive… God so loved the world that He gave his son…) You can do this game far beyond Easter. Or have an entire verse or prayer in each egg.
Compare objects that are alive and not alive (plants, rocks, etc. )
Make a cross kids can lace with a shoe string

Books to Read:

The Tale of Three Trees, Angela Hunt
The Easter Story, Tracy Harrast
Benjamin’s Box, Melody Carlson
The Story of Jesus, Patricia Pingry
The Story of Easter, Patricia Pingry
The Parable of the Lily, Liz Curtis Higgs
God Gave us Easter, Lisa Tawn Bergren (Brand new book!)
My Easter Basket, Mary Manz Simon (This is the book we read to the entire weekday program)

Book with Ideas:

Tina Houser’s Easter-rific! Teaching Kids… Its more than Just One Day!, Warner Press Kids, 2011 (lots of ideas for older kids, but can be modified, covers entire Holy week)
 

Websites:

http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/Easter.html
www.dltk-holidays.com/easter/religious.html
www.ehow.com/info_7919770_simple-crafts-easter-preschool-kids.html
www.ministry-to-children.com/childrens-easter-crafts-resource-page/
www.preschool-plan-it.com/christian-easter-activities.html
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/christianthemes/bible_themes/christian_easter.html
http://wearethatfamily.com/2012/03/ten-fun-ways-to-keep-easter-about-jesus/
(Type Easter in the search box to pull up other ideas on her blog)