I always say that Easter & Christmas are the two most meaningful holidays in the Christian calendar.
Yet, it always strikes me that we make such a big deal of leading up to Christmas in our families and ministries, but often skim right over the Easter season.
In some ways, I get it!
The birth of Jesus and all that goes with it is much easier (and dare I say, on the surface, more joyful?) to talk about than His death and resurrection – especially with young children.
However, I think there are some meaningful ways we can focus on Easter and make this season meaningful – in ways that are age-appropriate, and help our kids deepen their understanding of Jesus’ beautiful love for us!
Create a countdown to Easter.
Right now, we are right in the middle of the Lent season. Lent is a great way to countdown to Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
While Lent has already started, it’s not too late to start counting down to Easter with your family – you still have 30 days until Easter Sunday!
Here are some of my favourite options:
- I love the resources at Minno – and these dinnertime devotionals are great! There are 2 for each week during the Lent season.
- Creating a paper chain for each day of Lent is a great way to count down to Easter together. I’ve seen people do these with Scripture verses for each day or family challenges. The point is to build anticipation – not to make it difficult or overwhelming.
- This cute butterfly craft is a great way to count down to Easter with little ones!
- Consider placing a food bank bin in your kitchen, and filling it with 1 item per day leading up to Easter. Just as we give gifts at Christmas, it’s a great time to remind kids Jesus gave us so much love – and we can give that love to others!
- My friend Christie shared 40 ways to celebrate Lent with your kids that are meaningful, simple & enjoyable!
I’ve been really drawn to the theme of Lament this Lent season, and if your family has been struggling with everything that’s happening in the world, I’d be honoured if you’d check out our Lament Devotional for families – especially for older kids:
Incorporate Jesus into your Easter weekend routines!
So often we separate the “Jesus” part of Easter from the “fun” part of Easter – and so our kids don’t understand the exciting celebration – that we serve a risen Jesus! Consider ways you can incorporate Jesus into every part of your day, not just church. Here are some suggestions:
- Fill your kids’ Easter baskets with some great faith-based treats – we’ll be sharing a list of our favourite Easter gifts next week!
- Include some empty plastic eggs in your Easter egg hunt, as a reminder to your kids that Jesus is alive!
- Play some great kids’ Easter worship during your Easter weekend routines – so kids are reminded to celebrate how amazing Jesus is! (This is one of my favourite playlists we’ve created).
- Resurrection Eggs are an awesome way to celebrate Holy Week with your kids. I think we can appropriately celebrate Easter Week with our kids – and help them comprehend the magnitude of Jesus’ death – without diving into too many gory details. Resurrection Eggs are a great, meaningful way to do that – and we have a free guide right here on our iste. Check it out here.
- Don’t let Easter end on Easter Sunday! I love the thought of following up with kids after the Easter season – and there are so many ways we can do that. One way is an intentional family devotional – this one will walk your kids through the walk on the Emmaus road & encourage them to get out walking too:
