Spread the good news of Jesus' resurrection with
these 10 new "egg-citing" experiences.
Easter is one of the biggest days on your church calendar -- and
for good reason. As a children's ministry leader, you want Easter
celebrations to make a big impact in children's lives. After all,
it's the resurrection of our Savior that changes all our lives! For
some new ways to capture attention and hearts on this joyful day,
dig into this "basket" of ideas that'll help children and families
know Easter's true meaning.
He Is Risen!
Best for Ages 3 to 6
This simple craft lets children picture Jesus' empty tomb.
Get Ready: You'll need paper or foam plates, scissors,
glue, paint (gray or brown), paintbrushes, black cardstock or
construction paper, and paper lunch sacks.
Get Set: Help children each cut a plate in half and cut
out an opening in the center to look like a cave or tomb. Then let
them paint their plates. When the paint is dry, glue black
cardstock to the back of the plate. Next, have children create a
"stone" by wadding up a paper lunch sack and placing it in front of
the tomb.
Faith Talk: Read Mark 16:3-4. Tell children to roll back their
stones and ask them what's inside. When they say "nothing," remind
them that's because Jesus has already come back to life. He died to
forgive our sins, and now he's alive in heaven.
Tania Willis Columbus, Ohio
Family Art Show
Best for All Ages
Host an Easter Family Art Show so families can work together to
discover the reason we celebrate. Encourage families to get
creative; they can draw or paint a picture, create a clay display,
sew an object, build a block structure, take photos, or create a
collage depicting an aspect of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Have families bring their artwork to church the week before
Easter. Display it throughout your children's ministry area and
invite people to attend the show.
Amy Dolan Arlington Heights, Illinois
Egg Guessing Game
Best for Preschool
Get Ready You'll need plastic eggs, taped shut, with different
objects inside, and prizes.
Get Set Simply have kids shake the eggs and guess what's in there,
for a prize. 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.
This game is from the exciting (we think so) Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt Kit (from us).
Multiply the impact by having 10, 15, or even 50 families-invite
neighbors over for egg hunting, candy, games, and, most
importantly, the good news of Jesus' resurrection. What a great way
to leave a lasting impression! Kits are available at group.com.
Scrambled Egg Hunt
Best for Ages 6 and up
Get Ready You'll need two egg-hunting areas, one without eggs and
one with lots of filled plastic eggs.
Get Set: Before this year's egg hunt, help children try to imagine
what it was like to be at the first Easter. Gather in a room
separate from the hunt location. 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'll finish the story when they return.
At 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.
Faith Talk: Read Luke 24:3-6. 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 hunt location that's filled with eggs
and have fun hunting.
Ashley Kuhn Parkersburg, West Virginia
Easter Dedication
Best for Ages 5 and under
Combine your Easter service with a child dedication for a powerful
time of recommitment. Because of Easter, Christ makes us new
creations and gives us a fresh start. Similarly, a dedication
service is an opportunity for parents to commit to making good
decisions.
Hold a brief ceremony and allow parents to answer a few simple
statements as their commitment to raise their children to love
Jesus. Afterward, give each family a framed certificate to
commemorate the occasion.
Angela Moore Knightstown, Indiana
Egg- Breaking Ice Breaker
Best for Ages 6 and up
Because church attendance is high on Easter Sunday, help children
get acquainted with one another by playing this Easter-themed
game.
Get Ready: You'll need small sticky notes, pencils, plastic
eggs, a basket, and some music.
Get Set: Give each child a sticky note, a pencil, and an egg.
Have children each write something on the note about what they're
wearing, such as a blue watch or red earrings. Then have children
put their notes in their eggs, close them, and place them in a
basket.
Mix up the eggs, play some music, and have children sit in a
circle. Pass the basket around. When the music stops, have the
child who's holding the basket pull out an egg. Have him or her
open it and guess who wrote the note. If the child guesses
correctly, have the note-writer stand up and share his or her name
and a fun personal fact. If the guess is incorrect, the egg goes
back in the basket and play continues. Continue until everyone has
a turn.
Jake Engel Seymour, Indiana
Fun Stuff
Best for Ages 6 and up
If you're hosting a church-wide Easter egg hunt, you'll have to
fill a lot of plastic eggs with candy. Make it fun for volunteers
by holding an egg-stuffing party. Choose a theme; for example,
invite people to join you for "The Amazing Race to Easter." Before
volunteers arrive, prepare a bin of Easter eggs and a bin of candy
for each team. Hide three "roadblock challenges" in each team's egg
bin. Click
here to view a selection of roadblock challenges.
When the party begins, form table teams and let people come up
with team names. Explain the stuffing procedures, noting that
whenever a team comes to a roadblock, that entire team must stop
stuffing and complete a challenge. Once that team finishes the
challenge, team members can return to stuffing.
Crown the winning team as egg-stuffing champions and present egg
trophies, available at orientaltrading.com.
Jessie Ryan Columbus, Ohio
Hands-On With Easter
Best for Ages 8 and up
This year, help kids experience the Easter message with a hands-on
lesson that appeals to all their senses.
Get Ready: You'll need a Bible, an audio clip of an angry mob
(available for download at childrensministry.com/webextras), a bowl of
water, some thorns, vinegar mixed with water and a bit of grape
juice (divided into small cups), a clean cloth sprayed with fabric
softener or linen spray, cotton balls sprayed with cologne, and a
room that can be darkened.
Faith Talk: Open your Bible to Matthew 27:11. Say: "Jesus has just been
arrested and is on trial before Pilate. When Jesus is accused of
crimes, he says nothing. Pilate lets the angry crowd choose one
prisoner to go free, and they choose Barabbas, not Jesus. (Play the
audio clip.) Pilate, tired of the ordeal, washes his hands in front
of the people. He wants them to know that Jesus' death is their
responsibility." (Wash your hands and pass around the bowl so kids
can do so, too.)
Say: "Then the solders strip Jesus and put a red robe on him. They
twist together a crown of thorns. (Pass around the thorns.) They
mock Jesus and lead him away to be crucified. Jesus stumbles under
the weight of the cross, so the soldiers make Simon, a bystander,
carry it for him. They offer Jesus a drink, but he refuses it."
(Pass around the drinks for kids to taste.)
Say: "The soldiers nail Jesus to the cross. He suffers because of
physical pain and because he knows he will die on the cross. As
Jesus dies, the temple curtain tears and a great earthquake hits.
Everything is dark." (Turn off the lights.)
Say: "Joseph, Jesus' friend, wraps his body in a clean cloth and
lays him in the tomb. (Pass around the cloth.) Women who are
friends with Jesus prepare spices for his body, but they must wait
until after the Sabbath to use them." (Pass around the cotton
balls.)
Say: "At dawn, some women go to the tomb. (Lift a small part of
the window coverings to let in a bit of light.) An angel greets
them. (Turn on all the lights.) The women are afraid, but the angel
says that Jesus has risen. Then the women run to share that good
news with others."
Lindsey Whitney Erie, Pennsylvania
Resurrection Cookies
Best for Ages 6 and up
Families can use this classic, interactive recipe at home the
night before Easter.
Get Ready: You'll need one cup whole pecans, a baggie, a wooden
spoon, one teaspoon of vinegar, three egg whites, a pinch of salt,
one cup sugar, a mixer, a greased cookie sheet, tape, and a Bible.
Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Get Set: Place the pecans in the baggie. Let children beat them
with the wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. Say, "After
Jesus was arrested, soldiers beat him" (John 19:1-3). Next, let children smell and
taste the vinegar. Put one teaspoon in a mixing bowl. Say, "When
Jesus was thirsty on the cross, soldiers gave him vinegar to drink"
(John 19:28-30). Add the egg whites. Say, "An
egg can sometimes have a new life in it, such as a bird. Jesus died
so we can live with him forever" (John 10:10-11).
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let kids brush it
into the bowl and then taste what's left. Say: "Salt represents the
tears of Jesus' friends" (Luke 23:27). Add the sugar. Say: "The sweetest
part of Easter is that Jesus died because he loves us-and then he
came back to life" (Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16).
Beat ingredients with a mixer on high for 12 to 15 minutes, until
stiff peaks form. Say: "The color white represents how we become
pure because Jesus washes away our sins" (Isaiah 1:18). Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by
teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Say: "Each mound
represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid to rest" (Matthew 27:57-60).
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door, and turn off the
oven. Give each child some tape to seal the door. Say: "When Jesus
was sealed in the tomb, the world was dark" (Matthew 27:65-66). Tell children it's time to
go to bed and ask how they feel about leaving the cookies in the
oven overnight. Say: "Jesus' friends were sad to leave him in the
tomb, too" (John 16:20).
Faith Talk: On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a
cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are
hollow! Say: "On the first Easter morning, Jesus' followers were
amazed, too. The tomb was empty because Jesus came back to life"
(Matthew 28:1-9)!
Jeanne Oliver Castle Rock, Colorado
Allergy Alert: Some children have food allergies that can be
dangerous. Know your children, and consult with parents about
allergies their children may have.
Jesus' Great Big Gift
Best for Preschoolers
Help kids explore how Jesus washes away our sins.
Get Ready: You'll need washable red markers, a white bedsheet torn
or cut into 3x3-inch squares, permanent markers, and bowls with
warm, soapy water.
Get Set: Tell preschoolers 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 color their thumbs with a red washable marker so
they can make a thumbprint on a piece of white fabric.
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 fabric in a bowl of soapy water and wash it.
When they're done, the red print will be gone. Explain to 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
fabric.
Faith Talk: Say, "Jesus gave his life so we could live with him
forever in heaven. His big gift to us is that he forgives our sins.
He loves us no matter what! Jesus is alive today and he loves
you!"
Excerpted from Group's Journey to the Cross-a multisensory event
that guides families along the path Jesus walked during his final
days on earth. Activity stations focus on Jesus' love and
forgiveness to demonstrate the truth of Easter.
The kit is available at group.com.
