It was the most memorable Easter Egg hunt we have ever experienced. We had just participated in a full week of children’s camp for several families serving as missionaries in Europe. This time was designed to provide a break from every-day pressures and refresh the ministers and their families. The days were filled with traditional children’s games, crafts, and Bible stories.
The retreat took place in Austria, in a castle built in the Middle Ages, perfectly positioned in the Austrian Alps. And it just happened to be the week before Easter! So, you can be sure we had an Easter egg hunt on our last camp day. As my husband and I hid the Easter eggs along the side of a majestic mountain overlooking a very picturesque valley, I said, “Can you believe we get to do this? This place and timing are both amazing!” And then, if that weren’t enough, it began to snow just as the children started their egg hunt!
This Easter celebration was just perfect!
This special moment had nothing to do with eggs, baskets, or finding treasures. None of that mattered. It was the cause for celebrating that mattered. Because of the risen life of Jesus, we were able to stop, be thankful, and soak in God’s presence. His beauty and peace were remarkably evident. The life-giving giggles from the children and the peaceful snowfall filled me to the brim with gratitude for God’s one and only Son, Jesus.
Not all of our celebrations feel so life-giving. Why is it that some celebrations end up draining us of life? How many birthday parties have you planned for your child, only to get past it and realize you were too stressed to enjoy it? Sometimes the distractions of bigger, louder, fancier, and busier can totally flip the celebration from a pause of being thankful to the stress and pressure of how our party will look on Instagram.
We will soon arrive at the space on the calendar for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead of getting caught up in the hunt for more, how can we pause to remember and in the moment be thankful? How can we teach our children the importance of Easter?
Jesus gave His life as payment for our sins so that we might receive the gift of eternal life made possible by His resurrection. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25 (NIV) “Jesus came to give life with joy.” John 10:10 (The Voice) Both remembering His sacrifice and pausing to experience gratitude for that gift are vital to Easter celebrations. And both can be refreshingly simple!
Despite the pressure parents feel, self-induced or otherwise, simplicity can be the most refreshing way to celebrate a special occasion. If you’re wondering this Easter how to provide a fun experience for your children, while keeping things simple and meaningful, you may find the following suggestions helpful. Try one of these natural, simplistic, hands-on experiences this Easter. Keep your words simple and direct while sharing the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Young children need the basic story without a lot of detail. They will grow into the details as they process and ask questions.
Option 1: Resurrection Story
Egg Hunt: Tell the Resurrection Story using plastic eggs. Prepare 5 fillable eggs, each a different color, numbering them 1-5 with a permanent marker.
Egg 1: Place a small leaf, representing a palm branch. Read Mark 11:9.
Egg 2: Trace your child’s hand and fold the paper to fit inside the egg, representing Jesus’ prayers in the garden. Read Mark 14:32.
Egg 3: Make a cross from two small twigs. Read Mark 15:22.
Egg 4: Place a small stone. Read Mark 15:46.
Egg 5: Remains empty! Read Mark 16:1, 4-6.
In order, open one egg at a time. Tell that portion of the story and read the scripture. After egg 5, repeat together, Jesus is Alive!
Option 2: Bake Resurrection Rolls.
Ingredients include: canned crescent rolls, large marshmallows, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Dip marshmallows in melted butter, cover with spices, and wrap each marshmallow with a crescent roll, pinching all sides closed.
As you wait for them to bake, read the Resurrection Story from Mark 16:1-6. Or read A Very Happy Easter Book, by Tim Thornborough. Once rolls are done, cut open to find them empty! Celebrate that Jesus is Alive and enjoy a delicious treat!
Option 3: Planting and Growing
Plant herbs in a pot and place in a sunny windowsill. Each time your child waters it, repeat together John 10:10.
Option 4: Giving Life to Others
Share a vase of flowers with a neighbor. Bless them with the new life God brings in the Springtime. Talk about the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and now we can have new life in Him!
These simple celebrations limit the stress of more and make space for peace, contentment, and pure joy. It’s often the every-day celebrations that make the biggest impact on your child’s life. Pause daily to tell them Jesus stories and say “thank you” prayers. Be refreshed by your child’s care-free giggles. Jesus brings new life to our every-day life! Let’s celebrate that too!
Author Info
Nanette Johnson
Nanette Johnson is a Certified Biblical Parenting Coach, a retired Preschool Minister and continues to live out her calling of encouraging parents to truly enjoy every stage of growth during the early years of family life. She is in love with the ever exciting, always active, genuinely innocent, and consistently simple ways young children live life. Nanette is living her best life with her husband in Salado, Texas enjoying their four preschool-aged grandchildren who are most always active!