Death, burial, and resurrection… these are very important themes in celebrating Easter. But, death, burial, resurrection for little ones? How difficult/appropriate is it to teach young children to understand?
Quite often, it seems, that because Easter is so full of difficult topics, we choose to stick with the bunnies and eggs. And, it makes perfect sense bunnies and eggs are so much easier than death and resurrection!
But, I think that one of the very best verses in the Bible regarding parenting is…
Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
There are ways to teach about Easter that are age appropriate, meaningful and fun. Children need to know that Easter is about Jesus. It is our job as parents to raise them to understand Easter in the way that we feel is best understood by our children. You know your children and what they are able to understand.
A couple books that we use at the preschool are:
And, holidays are a wonderful time to begin traditions with your family. I’m sure that you already have some that you do around Christmas. But, do you have any at Easter besides the egg hunt?
Here are a few options that would work for families with young children:
*After reading the Easter story and perhaps going on a walk, talk about symbols that make us think about Easter: perhaps a heart for God’s love, the cross, flowers, etc and have the children decorate a white tablecloth with drawings. Use the tablecloth on Easter.
*Or, go on a walk around the neighborhood. There’s so much beauty in the nature all around us at the this time of year. Spring reminds us of the new life that Jesus gave us. Look for things that remind you of new life.
*Go on a hike at night with a flashlight. Talk about why you would use a flashlight… to keep you from falling and getting hurt! This is just like Jesus. He helps guide our way too and leads us to God!
*Hide some empty plastic eggs along with those filled with treats. As children find one that is empty the child or the whole family could say, “The tomb is empty, Jesus is risen!”
*One of our favorites is making resurrection rolls! We did it today in Enrichment and retold the story of the tomb. You can find the directions here.
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Are there others that you do? We’d love to hear them! We encourage you to comment your own ideas!
Aldersgate Preschool 
April 15, 2014 at 11:54 pm
I really like this post as I have struggled with trying to teach Easter to my kids. A few years ago we started making resurrection rolls after my oldest son did it in Enrichment classes. We talk about how the marshmallow can no longer be seen, but you still know it is there. I also just bought “magic relight” candles with the idea Ms. Shelly used in the devotion with the kids. I love how the light goes out and then returns! Thanks for such great ideas!
This year, I am going to try to do “Preschool Resurrection Eggs” with my kids. There are a few different versions of the idea out on blogs/pinterest. I like the idea of hiding eggs and incorporating the story of Jesus.