Tag Archives: Easter

Our Easter Box Tradition

Six years ago, I started a simple little Easter tradition at our house. My oldest son had just turned two and I was very pregnant (and nauseous!? and exhausted!?) with my second. I felt like everywhere I turned, I was hearing and reading about other people’s amazingly creative and artistically beautiful plans to teach their kids about Easter.

I was intimidated by those ideas, didn’t think I had the energy or ability to pull them off, and wasn’t convinced my son would even understand the significance of Easter anyway.? So, I made up my own super simple and easy project.

I picked a different short story to read from a children’s Bible every day during the week leading up to Easter. After reading, I put a little object to represent that story into a plain old plastic bin. I left the bin out where my son could reach it. He looked through, played with, and talked about the objects whenever he wanted throughout the week. We called this our Easter Box.

Over the years, we’ve carried on our Easter Box tradition, although it hasn’t looked exactly the same every time. Last year I had all four of our kids decorate a little cardboard box to store our items in. Some years, we’ve missed a few days (or even the whole week!) because … well, life happens.? Now that my oldest two kids know how to read, we can add a few verses of Scripture after reading the children’s Bible story version. The depth of understanding and conversation has changed as my kids have grown. But the simplicity and flexibility of the process has stayed the same.

Here are the stories and objects we’ve typically used, along with the Scripture references. I have found I like to read best from the Beginner’s Bible, because the stories are short and straightforward for my young kids.

  • Palm Sunday

Story: The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11, Beginner’s Bible pg. 427-432)

Object: a palm leaf (either real or paper)

So far, my kids have always come home from Sunday School with some kind of palm leaf, which makes for a nice and easy start to our Easter Box? … and also leads to lots of parades and shouting of “Hosanna” throughout our house during the week leading up to Easter!?

  • Monday Story: Washing the Disciples Feet (John 13:1-15, Beginner’s Bible pg. 437-439)

Object: a washcloth

In the toddler stage, especially, each of my kids have loved pretending to wash Mommy and Daddy’s feet!

  • Tuesday Story: Passover/Last Supper (Luke 22:7-20, Beginner’s Bible pg. 442-445)

Object: a piece of toy bread

  • Wednesday Story: Judas’ Betrayal (Mark 14:10-11 & 43-46, Beginner’s Bible pg. 446)

Object: a quarter to represent the 30 pieces of silver

This part of the story totally went over my kids’ heads for years. They just had fun playing with a shiny coin. (Supervised to avoid any potential choking hazard.?) But, after years of just introducing this story, now my oldest son at least can understand some of what that betrayal really meant.

  • Thursday Story: Jesus’ Arrest and Crown of Thorns (John 18:12 & 19:1-3, Beginner’s Bible pg. 447-449)

Object: a tiny branch from one of our bushes with little prickles (nothing too sharp)

  • Friday Story: Crucifixion (Mark 15:33-39, Beginner’s Bible pg. 450-452)

Object: a cross made of two craft sticks

  • Saturday Story: Burial (Mark 15:42-47, Beginner’s Bible pg. 453)

Object: a rock to represent the stone in front of the tomb

  • Easter Sunday

Story: Resurrection (Luke 24:1-12, Beginner’s Bible pg. 454-458)

Object: a picture that my kids colored in Sunday School

An easy item to put in the bin again for the end of the week.??

Our Easter Box has become a fun yearly tradition. My kids don’t understand everything yet, but I know that I am planting seeds in their hearts. And they are having fun playing while we do it! I’m eager to see God help them understand more and more about the meaning of the Resurrection in the years to come.

What simple ways do you try to plant seeds of faith in your children’s hearts about the Easter story?

?Katie

To read our original Easter post entitled, Unscrambling Easter: Teaching Kids the Importance without the Pressure, click here.

 

To read our original Easter post full of lots of Easter resources to help plant seeds about Jesus, click here.

Unscrambling Easter: Teaching Kids the Importance without the Pressure

Michelle
Michelle

Yesterday I asked Sophie what Easter was about and I wish I could totally remember her response but it included a combination of Jesus and the Easter Bunny and something about the Easter Bunny being at church on Easter Sunday. ?

Michelle
Ashley
Ashley

Ha! I thought I was having a good conversation with Grace about Easter.  She seemed engaged and really into it, and then she just said, “Some kids have red hair.” Their little minds are so fascinating.

Ashley
Desi
Desi

Oh man. Isaiah doesn’t seem to get it at all. He just wants to hide eggs. We played the “hide eggs” game for literally 3 months after Easter last year.

Desi
Michelle
Michelle

Oh us too! ?  When Sophie responded that way, I laughed because kids are hilarious. But…confession time: I have to admit that I actually got a little worried that maybe I wasn’t doing enough to teach her more about the real meaning.  #whydoIdothat

Michelle
Desi
Desi

Why do we do that?? So what did you come up with?

Desi
Michelle
Michelle

Literally in the span of 15 seconds my mind started spinning…what if I’ve failed her that she doesn’t already understand that Easter is a very important holiday in our faith, actually the foundation, and she needs to know that the Easter Bunny is just a fun little commercialized addition, and how in the world do you teach about death and the resurrection to a preschooler… ?

Michelle
Desi
Desi

Lol! Whoa, Mama. Stop. Put the brakes on those spinning thoughts! ?  But I get it. I do the same thing! It’s hard not to!?

Desi
Ashley
Ashley

Oh friend! You haven’t failed her at all!  You are planting seeds; Seeds that are growing a little bit more each day. Someday she will understand that the Easter Bunny and eggs are merely secular traditions and the reason we celebrate is because we have a Savior.  One day we pray she will choose Him over a candy-filled basket any day, and it’s because He took those seeds of truth that YOU planted and made them grow.

Ashley
Michelle
Michelle

That’s so reassuring. I love that. I am trying to include some intentional things during Easter but it all seemed to go over her head. I know that’s totally age-appropriate and I could tell she was ready to move on to a new activity, one that probably included hiding Easter eggs!?   So I have been asking God to give me wisdom on how to guide her little heart to know and love God and I love that thought of remembering I am planting the seeds for God to grow when the time comes.

Michelle
Ashley
Ashley

I totally understand how you feel, because I always try to talk with my girls about God and feed truths into their little hearts (I have really been focusing on God making us brave since our conversation, Michelle).  But I think while they are little I think that’s all we can do is teach and pray, teach and pray, teach and pray.  Sometimes I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to draw our kids’ hearts to the Lord and forget that really only He can draw their hearts to Him.

Ashley
Michelle
Michelle

Yes, I think we (I??) make it more complicated than it needs to be. You know, maybe that’s it: taking the natural opportunities when they come up to discuss these faith-concepts and let God work in their hearts. Such a good reminder and breath of fresh air.

Michelle
Ashley
Ashley

It eases that burden for me knowing that He is ultimately the One in control.  We still need to teach them and guide them in His Word…but He will allow their hearts to understand.

Ashley
Desi
Desi

Well said. I was talking to my mom about this very subject one day and asking her how she explained this whole concept to us as small children and she said, “You just knew. I think His Spirit speaks to little hearts in ways we don’t understand.” It allowed me to give myself permission to take the pressure off and rest in Him and His peace.

Desi
Michelle
Michelle

I feel so much better already.  Take the pressure off. Pray for opportunities to teach these important things to my girls and then pray again that God grows this truth in their hearts. That definitely lets me take a deep breath to remember it’s not all up to me. ?

Michelle

 

Soaking in the Truth

Scripture to encourage you:

  • I planted, Apollos water, but God gave the growth. So neither nor he who waters or he who plants is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6,7
  • “And He said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,  yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32, ESV
  • “Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’” (John 12:23-25,  NIV)
  • “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.  The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, ‘Surely this was a righteous man.’”  (Luke 23:44-47, NIV)

Music to inspire you:

Readings and Resources to come alongside of you:

  • What is Easter? by Michelle Medlock Adams. I love reading this book to my girls because it puts into simple words what Easter is really about. (Planting those seeds!)
  • 10 Ways to Teach Kids About Easter  by LeAnn G Taylor – Such tangible, great ideas! I love #1 and #3 (just using books!) #7 is cool especially if you are going on Spring Break somewhere beachy. And apparently, in #10, Ann Voskamp shares a free devotional and idea for creating the Easter Tree. 
  • Easter Week with the Jesus Storybook Bible from Home With the Boys blog – A great reading for Easter week.

 

Living Out the Truth

Ideas to try:

  • Resurrection Eggs – A more child-friendly way to present the Easter Story. If you don’t have time or money to buy them already made, we just print off pictures from the computer and stick them in there. My daughter still talks about the picture of the thorn crown that was on Jesus’s head. (And don’t worry if they don’t get it all; remember, we are just planting seeds! ? )
  • Miss PattyCake’s Eggstravaganza – She explains Easter in this DVD with Resurrection Eggs and songs. For adults, it’s a bit cheesy, but my preschooler loves it and she does communicate well to that age group. Here is a sneak peak. 
  • Benjamin’s Box: The Story of the the Resurrection Eggs – This book is geared toward elementary aged kids and goes through the Resurrection Eggs to explain the Easter story.
  • Resurrection Rolls – I just heard this idea, and loved it!  Marshmallows, carbs, cinnamon, butter- nothing wrong with piquing your kids interest in Jesus with the help of sugary goodness. ? But in all honesty, the resurrection is a tricky thing for little minds to grasp, so having a simple visual of what we’re trying to convey is really helpful. 
  • Jesus Removes Our Sin – an experiment to tangibly show them how Jesus took our sin away.
  • Try teaching your kids about Passover – Consider reading or retelling the story of the Exodus (Exodus 6-13) to your children, particularly the part where God instructs Moses on how to remember the events that led up to the Israelites’ departure from Egypt.  Ask the Lord to show you how Jesus became our Passover Lamb, so that the punishment of sin literally passes over us because of His sacrifice for us. Kids sometimes need a good visual to really understand (goodness, I sometimes need a good visual to understand these deep concepts of my faith!), and maybe this Exodus story will be what helps you and your kids understand even more fully what Easter is all about.  To Learn more, click here.         

{These suggestions are ideas from novice moms. Sometimes our life situations need more. In that case, seeking out professional help is the right call.}