Countdown to Easter: Helping Kids Understand the Easter Story

Have you ever noticed that we tend to do a whole lot to prepare our kids for Christmas and not nearly as much for Easter? It's not hard to understand why: it's a lot easier to talk about a cute baby in a manger surrounded by cuddly animals than it is to explain the crucifixion to a preschooler. Even so, I think it is important for my little C's to have an understanding of Easter beyond candy and a bunny, so this year I set out to create an activity to help them get excited about Easter while becoming more familiar with the Easter story.

When brainstorming about this activity, I thought about how much they loved their Advent calendar at Christmas time. They got excited about opening the little doors, reading the Bible verse, and, of course, getting their piece of chocolate. I decided to create this countdown activity which begins on Palm Sunday and walks them through Holy Week, explaining the events that occurred. Each day they will open a little box that contains a symbol related to Holy Week, a portion of scripture that we'll read together, and a couple Hershey's kisses just for fun. 🙂

Want to make your own Countdown to Easter? Here's how:

1. Gather your supplies.

• Purple, Black, and White Ribbon
• 8 Small Boxes (I used wedding favor boxes from Michael's.)
• Hershey's Kisses (optional)
• "Palm Branches" (Mine are pieces of Easter grass.)
• Small LED Light or Tea Light
• 30 Silver Coins
• Something to Represent a Basin and Cloth (I used the bottom of an Easter Egg and a small piece of fabric.)
• Small Cross (I made one out of sticks and yarn!)
• Torn Piece of Cloth
• Bible Verses and Days of Holy Week, Found Here: {Bible Verses and Days of Holy Week Printable}

2. Assemble your boxes.

Put together your boxes, attaching the days of the week to the front of the box and the Bible verse to the inside of the lid.

3. Fill your boxes with symbols {and chocolate, if desired}.

Each day will include the symbol, a passage to read {feel free to read it from your Bible, a children's Bible, or just tell it in your own words, depending on the ages of your kiddos.}, a short explanation, and some suggestions for getting your little ones involved.

Day 1- Palm Sunday

Symbol: Palm Branches
Verses: Luke 19:28-44 (also found in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, and John 12:12-19)
Details: Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey to a warm welcome. The people are shouting, "Hosanna! {which means "Save now!"} Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" They wave palm branches and lay their cloaks on the road for Jesus to ride over. They think Jesus has come to save them politically, not knowing that what he is about to do is even more important--redeeming the sin of the world.
Make It Memorable: This would be a great part of the Easter story for your kids to act out. As you read about the Triumphal Entry, have them wave palm branches, lay out their coats on the floor, and shout "Hosanna!"

Day 2- Monday

Symbol: LED Light or Tea Light
Verses: John 12:20-36
Details: After the Triumphal Entry, Jesus tells his disciples, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light...Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." (v. 35-36) Jesus had already declared, "I am the light of the world" in John 8:12 and challenged them to "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) In his last days, Jesus encourages his disciples to soak up all of his "light" that they can while he is still there in person so they can carry it on when he is no longer with them.
Make It Memorable: Go into a room of your house that has no light and turn on the little light from their box or a small flashlight. Talk about how a little light can illuminate a large part of the room, just as we can affect those around us by showing Jesus' light in us. Come up with a way you can "be a light" to someone this week.

Day 3- Tuesday

Symbol: 30 "Pieces of Silver"
Verses: Matthew 26:14-16 (also found in Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:1-6)
Details: Judas agrees to betray Jesus to the chief priests for thirty silver coins, thus setting into motion the plan to have Jesus arrested and eventually crucified.
Make It Memorable: Make it real for your kids by asking them what someone would have to give them in order for them to give up their mom or dad. Hopefully they conclude that no amount of money would be worth it!

Day 4- Wednesday

Symbol: Basin and Wash Rag
Verses: John 13:1-17
Details: Washing guests' feet was a job delegated to the lowest servant. Think about it: they only wore sandals, so their feet were exposed to everything, including mud, dust, animal droppings, and even raw sewage. No one wanted to be the foot-washer...can you blame them?! By washing his disciples' feet, Jesus, the only human who has ever been perfect, humbled himself to the lowest place and demonstrated that to be human was to serve others.
Make It Memorable: Get out a large bowl and cloth and wash your kids' feet. If they want, they can also wash yours. Determine to try to serve one another, just as Jesus humbly served his disciples.

Day 5- Maundy Thursday

Symbol: Communion Cup and "Bread"
Verses: Luke 22:7-23 (also Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26)
Details: {"Maundy" comes from the Latin mandatum, which means commandment, and refers to John 13:34 where Jesus commands his disciples to love one another.} During the Passover meal, he also breaks the bread and tells his disciples, "This is my body given for you," and the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." The parallels here are undeniable. They are sitting here celebrating the Passover, a feast to remember when God protected the Israelites during the final plague in Egypt (Exodus 11 & 12) by having them slaughter a lamb and paint the lamb's blood on the sides and top of their doorframes so that they would be "passed over," and their firstborn son would survive. In the same way, Jesus' blood is about to be shed so that all who believe in Him are "passed over," spared from an eternity separated from God.
Make It Memorable: Have crackers and grape juice for a snack today and be thankful to Jesus for all that he has done for us.

Day 6- Good Friday

Symbol: Cross
Verses: Mark 14:43-15:32 (also found in Matthew 26:47-27:44, Luke 22:47-23:43, John 18:1-19:27)
Details: Good Friday commemorates the death of Jesus on the cross.  You may want to go into more or less detail about the crucifixion, depending on the ages of your children.
Make It Memorable: Make a crown of thorns out of play doh and some tooth picks. Talk about the fact that Jesus was willing to endure all of that pain and eventually death in order to save us.

Day 7- Holy Saturday

Symbol: Ripped Cloth
Verses: Mark 15:33-47 (also found in Matthew 27:45-61, Luke 23:44-56)
Details: After Jesus breathed his last breath, the curtain of the temple, which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, was torn in two. Previously, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies into the presence of God once a year; the curtain denoted a separation between God and men. Now that Jesus had given himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, there was no longer that separation. We can access God directly because Christ erased our sins when he died for us.
Make It Memorable: Hold up a sheet between you and your child, showing how people were formerly separated from God. Then drop the sheet so they can see how freely we can come to God because of Jesus.

Day 8- Easter Sunday

Symbol: Empty Box
Verses: John 20:1-18 (also found in Matthew 27:62-28:10, Mark 16:1-19, Luke 24:1-12)
Details: Christ is Risen!! He is Risen Indeed!! Because Jesus left the tomb empty and conquered death, we can live for eternity in Heaven!
Make It Memorable: Go to church with your family and celebrate!

Are you still with me?! I know that was a lot! Just two more simple steps...

4. Tie a ribbon around each box.

Palm Sunday through Maundy Thursday get a purple ribbon, the traditional color of Lent which stands for royalty and repentance. Good Friday and Holy Saturday should have black ribbon, symbolizing sin and death, and Easter Sunday gets a white ribbon to signify resurrection and new life.

5. Display the boxes in a place where your kids will see them often.

I put ours on top of our Expedit, which houses all of the boys' toys. They noticed them when they came downstairs this morning, and now we'll have a few weeks for them to get excited and speculate about what could be in the boxes!

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, just a mama trying to teach her kids about Jesus! 🙂

I hope this activity has given you some ideas about how to prepare your little ones for Easter. If you are interested in a printable guide to this activity, you can find a PDF version here: {Countdown to Easter}. I am looking forward to going through Holy Week with the C's and seeing their reaction to each of the days!

**Thank you to my brilliant and amazing mama for her help with this activity!**

What activities do you use to prepare your kids for Easter?

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