Ressurrection Eggs

 

I will admit that I enjoy going a bit over the top with holidays.  I like to eat themed food and make fun crafts and decorate according to the season.  But - I do believe in celebrating holidays for what they truly mean.  Especially holidays such as Christmas and Easter.  And as wonderful and essential as the Easter story is to the Christian faith, it is extremely difficult to explain to young children.  Disucssing death is hard enough - but then adding ressurrection is even more confusing (even to adults!)  Not to mention the whole gruesome manner in which Jesus died - not exactly rated G material.  So, last year I tried to come with with a simplified version of the Easter story that I could used to help Lucy understand why we were really celebrating Easter (not just hunting for eggs and candy.)  I created Ressurrection Eggs.  Now again, I know that this is not an orginial idea - you can find similar things all over Pinterest - but I started with just 6 eggs for now and plan to expand my set as Lucy and Hattie grow and mature. 

 

I used 6 plastic Easter Eggs (different colored and numbered)

1 egg containter to hold the eggs

A children's Bible to use as a guide to read the Easter Story

 

Egg 1:  I started with Palm Sunday, so in egg number one I put a palm leaf I made out of paper.  You could use a fake leaf, an actual palm piece, or something else that represents the palm branches waved at Jesus on Palm Sunday.  Make sure you have enough palm branches for each child to have one.  Have your child shout, "Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Hosanna in the highest!" as they wave their palm branches.

Egg 2:  In this egg I put a cracker or small piece of bread to represent the Passover meal (or communion.)  I wait to put the crackers in the egg until right before we plan to open the egg, so that they don't get gross.  Again, be sure to include enough pieces of cracker/bread for each child (or have extra nearby) so that they all can participate.  Have your child say, "We remember you, Jesus" as you eat the cracker/bread.

Egg 3: In this egg I included a small thorn and a small paper with a prayer to represent Jesus and his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane.  Have your child say, "We are sorry, Jesus" to represent asking for forgiveness. 

Egg 4:  In this egg I put a mini cross.  Have your child say, "Thank you, Jesus" as they hold the cross.

Egg 5:  This egg contains a rock to represent the rock rolled to close the tomb of Jesus.  Have your child say, "It is finished" and roll the rock across the floor. 

Egg 6:  This egg is empty to represent the empty tomb!  Have your children shout, "He has Risen!  Alleulia!  He has risen indeed!"

 

There are other ideas you could include as your expand your set:

 

A nail with red paint



A die to represent when the guards cast lots for Jesus' clothes.

3 dimes to represent the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid for betraying Jesus. 

Again, there are plenty of ideas out there on Pinterest, but I just started with the basics (and easier to explain/less offensive pieces first.) 

 

 

Lucy loved this last year and I'm excited to bring it out again this year as she is older and can understand even more about the amazing grace we have been given.  I'm excited to introduce this tradition to Hattie (who was a little too young for this last year.) We are bombarded with candy, presents, decorations, and all sorts of other distractions that can make us forget why we are celebrating in the first place. I hope this helps your family celebrate the true reason for Easter in your home.  Happy Easter!