5 Intentional Ways to Celebrate Easter at Home

If you’re anything like my family, Christmas gets a lot of attention in our home every year. We focus on the birth of Christ and the advent season by doing an advent countdown with the kids, incorporating Bible verses, fun stories, crafts and activities. And of course the culmination of Christmas day and its traditions are always the cherry on top. However, as my kids get older and are starting to build a solid foundation in their faith, I realize it’s time to hoist some more effort into the resurrection story of Christ with the same enthusiasm as we give to His birth story during Christmas. 

While Easter bunnies and chocolate get all the hype this time of year, I’ve made a vow to not just settle with adorning my kids with cute and meaningless Easter items from the Target dollar section (at least not only). I want to set a precedence for years to come, a family tradition, that honors and teaches my children the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Thankfully, there are many resources out there for Lent and Easter! Many of which are great to incorporate as discipleship tools for kids throughout the year and not just during this season. 

If you’re reading this, you’re probably on the same journey as I am.. so I invite you to join me for 5 intentional ways to share the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection with your kids!

1. Read about Jesus’ death & resurrection

What better way to be intentional about teaching your kids the true meaning of Easter than by starting with scripture? Depending on the age of your child, you may want to tweak reading levels by using a children’s bible to illustrate the story of Christ. However, as a parent, it’s great to follow along in scripture of the events of Jesus’ life starting with Palm Sunday. Here’s a guide from the Gospel Coalition that guides you through a reading plan for each day starting with Palm Sunday all the way through Resurrection Sunday. 

As we all know, the last days of Jesus’ life on earth were not exactly rated PG. It may feel intimidating to go over Jesus’ suffering and death with a younger child with fears of inducing nightmares or unwanted fears and confusion. However, with some careful guidance, parents can definitely present this part of Christ’s life in a way that cultivates a deeper and more whole understanding of the gospel message. For some tips on how to approach this conversation, Risen Motherhood has a helpful article about explaining Christ’s death to younger ones.

Beyond reading from scripture, there are tons of illustrated children’s books that capture the Easter message beautifully for kids. If you’re anything like me, I love collecting a library of books for my kids, especially ones that allow for teachable moments. Here’s a great list to get you started on some recommended Easter picture books, music playlists, flashcards, AND activities you can get started on this Easter!

2. Holy week countdown

Holy week encompasses Palm Sunday through Easter (Resurrection) Sunday. For each of these 7 days, carve out some intentional family time and do this Holy Week Countdown Activity with your kids. You need a few objects and paper to print out Bible verses and you’re good to go. Similar to an advent calendar where you open up a surprise gift each day before Christmas, you can store each day’s Holy Week objects and Bible verse in a container for your kids to open, read and reflect as a family. 

Alternatively, you can even start the countdown earlier next year and do a Lent countdown. This is much longer, as it spans 40 days, but it can take a much simpler form like this Lent Countdown Scripture Paper Chain. Designate scripture verses on strips of paper and staple together a paper chain of 40 strips. You can hang this up in your dining room and pull off a chain each day at a shared meal time, like dinner, and read the verse and talk about its significance. 

3. 12 days of resurrection eggs

pic: kerilynnsnyder.com

You may already be familiar with this popular activity kit. In fact, you can even buy them pre-made if you are not into DIY or crafts. This creative idea stems from a children’s book: Benjamin’s Box: The Story of the Resurrection Eggs. 

Similar to a countdown, this is actually a great introductory tool for kids that are just learning about the Easter gospel message. It is also perfect for younger children as it follows a simple daily object lesson over 12 days. Children will open up an egg each day and see an object inside the egg that represents a particular part of scripture that depicts the telling of the last supper all the way through Jesus’ resurrection. 

You can easily buy Resurrection Eggs online or you can get creative and make a DIY Resurrection Eggs together with your kids at home!

4. Take communion as a family

Growing up in the church, I remember always taking part in holy communion during our Good Friday services. However, there were a select few times I remember taking communion at home with my family. We would set up some grape juice and my parents would even buy the unleavened matzo crackers for us to partake in. We’d sit together as a family and appreciate the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection and my parents would lead us in a short time of scripture and prayer. I’ve done communion countless times in my life, but something about doing communion with my family will always stand out to me. Perhaps it was the shared time of quiet and solitude I had with every member of my family, or seeing my parents model a genuine attitude of reverence to the Lord. 

The act of communion or just “communing” with your family can create a closeness that can sometimes be lost in all the hustle and bustle of a busy day. Sitting down for communion, even if it’s just for a few minutes, can give your family an opportunity for an intimate and intentional moment with each other and with Christ. 

5. Have an Easter scavenger hunt

Now I know Easter egg hunts are the typical tradition, but we tried something new last year and set up a scavenger hunt in our home with clues revolving around Jesus’ resurrection story. It was such a hit with my daughter that I’m excited to keep this tradition going again this year. There are ways to get creative and make this your own, but Kerilynn Snyder has a similar scavenger hunt that can be done in the backyard, at home, or at a park! It’s super easy to put together and it gets your kids on their feet and running around looking for items. All the clues are laid out on this handy printable scavenger hunt list. Parents just need to make sure these items are accessible (i.e. if you don’t have any sticks in your house, take them outside where they can find some!).

This scavenger hunt can be done as a wrap up activity for Easter as its equally fun and serves as a great reminder of the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

How do you traditionally celebrate Easter with your family? We’d love to hear your ideas and traditions!