Easter is always a special celebration of Christ’s victory. This year is no different. Jesus still died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven—and that’s worth celebrating. It will likely be a different kind of celebration this year, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t exciting.
Full transparency; this is my first year married. When holidays come around, my husband and I have to create our own traditions—traditions that we will hopefully share with our children someday. We both come from families that celebrate holidays in BIG ways. Merging our two families’ traditions has been a great joy! As we look ahead to Easter and how our celebration will look different, I am planning to try some new activities. Some of which can be found in the free Easter activity guide that is linked at the bottom of the article.
Make a New Treat
When Christmas was rolling around, I asked for advice from friends and family members on what I should do during our first Christmas as a married couple. The top response I got was to do something food-related! I plan on making special food for Easter as well.
The first time I heard about resurrection rolls, I was in high school getting ready for my first Easter in a church. My friend told me about her favorite Easter tradition. Every Easter morning (after church, of course), her family would read the account of the empty tomb and then make resurrection rolls. I loved the idea, and I have been planning to someday start this tradition with my own kids. Resurrection rolls combine marshmallows, crescent rolls, butter, and cinnamon sugar. When you bake the rolls, the marshmallow disappears: a visual representation for children that Jesus died and was buried, but three days later the tomb was empty! He had risen indeed! There are plenty of recipes on Pinterest, so you can find one that works for you.
If you’re looking for something healthier, something that includes more fruits and veggies, a fruit-and-veggie butterfly is also a great option. Take some of your favorite fruits and vegetables and create a beautiful butterfly by thinly slicing your chosen foods. Butterflies are a good symbol of the resurrection because of the metamorphosis that the caterpillar goes through to become the butterfly. As the butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, we think of the even greater mystery of Jesus leaving the empty tomb. Instructions for this recipe can be found in the Easter free activities guide.
Create Artwork to Commemorate This Year
Since I grew up in a small town in the Great Lakes region, it’s no surprise that I was a member of a 4-H club for thirteen years. One of the classes you could take in my club was crafts. Around the holidays, we’d always have a craft dedicated to the coming celebration. Our leader encouraged us to write the date somewhere on the craft so we would remember when we made it. My parents still decorate for holidays with many of the pieces of art my sisters and I made during our time in crafts class.
This Easter, have your children paint a garden tile to keep as a reminder that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden after His resurrection. You’ll need the items outlined in the Easter free activities guide. While your children are making this craft, take the opportunity to ask them questions about the Easter story. Ask them why it’s important that Jesus came back from the dead and listen to their response. Talk to them about why we celebrate Easter and emphasize why this was important not only two thousand years ago but also now. And don’t forget to write or paint the date on the tile somewhere so you have reminder for years to come.
Object Lessons
I was not known for my skills in crafts class. In fact, I was the worst of my sisters. (Apparently all the arts and crafts genes were given exclusively to them.) I know I wasn’t the only kid to not be great at art. If crafts aren’t your kid’s thing, object lessons give you the opportunity to teach the lesson of Christ’s resurrection in a different way.
The object lesson we’re sharing in the activities guide with you is actually an old VBS Bible Challenge! This experiment doesn’t have many parts and involves your own bodies. Directions can be found in the Easter activities guide. The goal of this experiment is to explain the excitement the disciples must have felt learning that Jesus was alive. Putting myself in the shoes of the disciples has been a helpful practice for me. Understanding that these were real people with real emotions has made a difference in how I understand the Bible. Encourage your children to recognize that this actually happened to someone like them!
This is an activity you can draw attention to every year if you’d like. Eventually, you can ask your children to lead it.
This Easter morning will be different than other Easter mornings. But we will still celebrate that Jesus has the ultimate victory over sin, death, and the devil. I pray these ideas give you a new tradition you can take beyond this year’s unique holiday experience.
Find instructions for activities and other Easter teaching tools.
