Educational Easter Activities

Written by Nicole Dean

Easter is right around the corner. People are preparing for a time spent with family and friends at a big Sunday dinner. Let the children help you prepare for the Easter activities this year and maybe learn a thing or two.

What is Easter all about? At home or in your church, ask the children to read the Easter story. Once they are finished, ask them to tell you in their own words what the true celebration of Easter is all about. In the Christian tradition, the Easter holiday symbolized the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. People all over the world can now live free because he gave his life for all mankind. Sunrise services are held at churches to remember the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early that Sunday morning and found that he was no longer there. If your children have questions about the season, be prepared to answer.

Plan an Easter egg hunt. In preparation, show your children the fine art of dying Easter eggs. To eliminate messy clean-up, give them an apron and let them stand on a chair at the stove to dip the hard-boiled eggs into the dye mixture. Keep the freshly dyed eggs in the refrigerator until time for the egg hunt. Kids may rather help hide the eggs this year and watch the excitement on the faces of the other children as they discover the edible treasures. If the children don’t want to use real eggs, they can fill plastic eggs with tiny treats and hide them for other kids to find.

Give the children a pet. On Easter, the most popular ones are rabbits and baby chicks. Teach them how to care for their new addition to the family. Rabbits and chicks need to be handled gently just like a newborn human baby. Show them how to feed, water, and clean their pets. Let the children know that their pet is not a toy. Giving children a pet helps them learn responsibility for something other than themselves. You may need to assist them until they get the hang of things.

Children can make their own Easter greeting cards this year. They can demonstrate their creativity with glitter, stickers, and cheerful words of love. When they are done, let them hand deliver their Easter well wishes to friends and family members. Homemade cards show that kids have put some time and thought into what they are going to say.

While the kids are on a roll, get them to make some Easter decorations to get everyone in the spirit. Have them write up a list of what supplies they will need to create their decorations. They have to learn to work together and come up with one comprehensive list. Knowing that you trust them to be in charge will thrill the children. Make sure you set up a place for them to work undisturbed. Check on them from time to time to make sure they haven’t glued themselves to the table, but otherwise they will let you know if they need help.

Take the children to an Easter production. Many churches put on plays that tell the story of the Resurrection. Some do live walk-thru productions that showcase different scenes from the Passover Feast to the burial and resurrection on Sunday morning. With the tour type productions, a guide leads you through the various scenes and answers any questions that the group may have about the events. The performances are usually free with the donation of a few canned goods.

Holiday time is not just for you, but also for your children. Easter is about peace and love. They need to learn from you fun ways to celebrate and become a part of the family traditions.

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