With life turned upside down for so many around the world this Easter season, I thought it might be helpful to share a few simple ideas and links to great videos that teach the true story of Easter to young children. Most of us will be unable to attend an Easter service at church this year as we had expected, but we don’t want to miss the chance to share this wonderful, life-changing story with our little ones who may have never heard it before.

Here are two short, but excellent YouTube videos that tell the story and also share the message of salvation in a simple way even for small children:

The Story of Easter (Jesus’ sacrifice)  by Saddleback Church

God’s story: Easter  by Crossroads Kids Club
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A fun activity to follow would be a SCAVENGER HUNT for the following objects found around the home (inside and outside):

1) a large round rock
2) coins
3) thorns or prickly vine
4) bandage or piece of plain white cloth
5) small piece of lumber or length of wood
6) empty plastic egg
7) a nail (iron, not a fingernail!)

When all the items have been found, the children should decide in which order to lay them out to recount the Easter Story. (The correct order is: 2,3,5,7,4,1,6)
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Then the following true story can be read and discussed:

The Empty Egg Easter Story
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Finally the children can make an EASTER RAINBOW  according to the following poem. Either jellybeans (or other suitably colored candy) or candy-filled plastic eggs can be used as a surprise reward for getting the colors in the correct order according to the poem.

YELLOW   God made the sun so bright
ORANGE   is for the edge of night
PINK          He made the blossom so sweet
GREEN      is for the grass beneath our feet
BLACK       is for the sins we made
RED           is for the blood Jesus gave
WHITE       He made us new and clean
PURPLE    is for Jesus our King!

HAPPY EASTER! from Shirley