Easter is literally right around the corner.
One of my favorite things about Easter is the opportunity for families to worship together.
Even if you don’t normally do “family worship” in your church, I think the Easter season is the best time to do it!
It allows families the chance to celebrate the meaning of our faith – Jesus’ victory over death and our new life! – together.
If you’re not used to family worship though, it can feel a little chaotic – especially on Easter Sunday. Here are some tips to make Easter worship a family affair – and successfully!
Get excited!
Easter Sunday is, in my humble opinion, the most exciting Sunday in the Christian faith. Jesus is alive! He makes us alive! All things are being made new!
So, take the opportunity to make worship exciting. Kids get so excited about the Easter bunny, egg hunts & treats – so let’s allow them to be excited about Jesus too.
I’m not talking about fireworks & light shows. You can make things exciting in a simple way. Here are some ideas:
- Sing lots of upbeat songs that kids (and grown-ups!) can sing, clap and dance to! Jesus is alive!
- Give kids tambourines, shakers or another simple instrument. Let them play along to celebrate new life.
- Encourage families to wear bright colors on Easter Sunday morning to reflect the brightness and new life that Jesus brings!
- Talk to your lead pastor about incorporating an exciting object lesson that reflects the excitement of the Resurrection into the morning service – kids and adults won’t forget it!
Provide opportunities for kids to understand what’s happening!
Lots of churches have traditions on Easter Sunday – and sometimes we just expect kids to know what’s happening! Kids won’t learn or understand without intentionality – so let’s make sure we’re helping them understand. Here are some ways to make sure that happens:
- Use an easy-to-understand Bible translation on Easter Sunday morning to make sure kids grasp what’s happening.
- Consider incorporating a simple, but biblical video into your morning service on Easter. We’ve used these from the UK Bible Society with great success!
- Give kids a “Church Search” printable especially for Easter to help them keep their eyes (and ears!) open to what’s happening.
- Provide a “Why Do We Do It?” sheet or Discussion Questions for first-time families, or all your families if family worship isn’t something you normally do! You can find them in our A Family Guide to Worship.
Help families make a meaningful memory!
I love adding an opportunity for families to create a meaningful memory on Easter Sunday morning (or whatever time your gathering is!). Instead of all their memories being about bunnies & egg hunts, they’ll remember church too! Here are some ideas:
- Set up a photo booth for families to snap a picture with their phones on the way in or out of the church! This can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like!
- Give out a fun treat before or after the service. This could be something traditional, like coffee and muffins, or something a little more exciting – like Easter cookies or chocolate!
- Have “Welcome bags” for first-time gifts. These can be super simple with something like a reusable coffee mug & coupon for a free coffee, as well as some information about your church! It doesn’t have to be extravagant to be memorable. One of my favorite ideas I’ve seen recently for kids in welcome bags is a pop-it/fidget with a “Thanks for popping by on Easter!” tag!
Family worship can be impactful on Easter – but it also needs to be intentional.
How can you create intentional and impactful worship on Easter Sunday for your families? I’d love to hear about it!