“Should I do the egg-hunt thing?” “Do I need to dress up my kid in the brightest pastels I can find?” “We forgot Lent (again) this year. Is it even worth it to try to lead my family around Easter?”
All sorts of parents ask questions like these this time of year, and you’re definitely not alone in wondering how to celebrate or share the Easter story with your kids. No matter who you are or what your background is, you are the BEST person to lead your kids to know and love Easter.
Before we get started, don’t worry—this isn’t a parenting blog with an overwhelming list of intensively expensive creative crafts. Not to say those are bad things in and of themselves, but finding joy on Easter Sunday doesn’t require breaking the bank.
Instead of big, grand gestures, I believe the following simple and easy “layups” can make the Easter story clear and enjoyable in your home.
There is also more wisdom out there in your real life, among your neighbors, parents, extended family, and friend groups (and yes, in the occasional TikTok video). This article is one source of many, so take as many or as few as you’d like. Here are just a few ways to connect with the Easter story AND your kid:
6 Layups to Celebrate the Easter Story With Your Kids
1. Go Ahead With the “Egg Thing”
Seriously, there’s nothing wrong or sinful about Easter eggs. Yes, the practice has some non-Christian roots, and like anything in America, it’s been uber-capitalized. But the egg is a universal symbol of new life hidden in plain sight. That’s the Jesus-honoring nugget of truth at the center of the whole Easter egg thing. And it’s just a fun activity to do with your family on a day designed for joy. So go for it!
Layup: Whatever “egg thing” you choose to do, have fun with other people–even if the only other person is your kid. Dye eggs together. Color and cut out paper eggs together. Stuff plastic eggs with money and treats together. Host a hunt for your family or neighborhood together. Use this as a chance to love and serve your neighbors, invite the marginalized, and practice hospitality.
2. Look for Other Symbols of New Life
Similar to eggs, a lot of the traditional Easter symbols are rooted in the idea of death and resurrection. Flower seeds go into the ground and rise to seek sunlight. A sunrise follows the darkness of the night. A caterpillar disappears into the “tomb” of a chrysalis only to emerge later in glorious beauty. Hardwired into creation itself is the Creator’s belief in second chances and His promise to redeem all things—even death—eventually.
Layup: Start a new catchphrase with your kid, like “Hey, that’s new life!” or “Thank you, God!” Count how many times you and your kid use the catchphrase on a nature walk. Try to find more symbols of new life than you did the day before. For some extra parenting inspiration, check out William Martin’s poem, “Do not ask your children to strive.”
3. Get Into the Bible Together
Didn’t think this list would end without mentioning the good ol’ B-I-B-L-E, did you? But remember, the Bible was made for you, not you for the Bible. In other words, the goal isn’t the Bible itself; it’s the God who inspired it and the person it points to—Jesus. There are plenty of “Easter reading plans” you can find, and even some pretty good ones for kids and families, But there’s no substitute for experiencing the Bible itself on its own terms, with no edits or skipped passages.
Layup: You know your kid best, so choose a method of getting into the Bible that works best for them. (This article has some good suggestions.) Maybe listening to an audio version of the Easter story in the Gospels (all told in different accounts in Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, John 18-20) unlocks your kid’s imagination; listen to it together. Maybe your older kid can handle an interactive Bible app; navigate the units together. Maybe you’re that rare family who gathers regularly around the fireplace hearth for a Little House on the Prairie-esque Bible read-a-thon; more power to you!)
4. Share Your Story
There’s a high-likelihood that your kids love you and want to know the REAL you. Who were you before you met Jesus, and who are you now? How has knowing Jesus changed your life? Your story is powerful! Where has God done a miracle in your life, freed you from something, and replaced your weeping with dancing? How has he helped you through a hard time? Sharing these things with your kids helps them connect with the fact that God is real and interested in their daily lives.
Layup: Parents have shared that when they tell their kids a story about when they (the parent) messed up and got into trouble, kids’ ears perk up. Don’t shy away from the vulnerable stuff, the mistakes you’ve made, or the times you realized how much you needed someone outside yourself to be your rescuer.
5. Start Talking About Easter Before Easter Sunday
Many things happened leading up to and following Jesus’s resurrection (check out John 12-21 for reference). He was anointed with perfume, rode a donkey while people waved palm branches, washed feet, reinvented Passover, and was betrayed in a garden. Chances are there’s a church near you offering immersive, kid-friendly activities you can do as a family, including learning about and taking Communion.
Lay-up: One of their most powerful experiences I’ve noticed is sharing communion together with family around a dinner table. Kids engage more when there is a tactile or movement component, so activities like drawing a picture, kneeling to pray, writing a poem, acting it out, or tasting a certain food make the experience memorable.
6. Watch Our Church’s Kids’ Club Family Experience (13 min video)
A few years ago, our Crossroads Kids’ Club team filmed the Easter story where it actually took place: Israel! This video starts with a quick intro from one of Crossroads’ pastors, Chuck Mingo, and then puts you right in the middle of Jerusalem.
Layup: What better way to break the ice than telling them they get to watch a video?! However, don’t just give your kid an iPad and headphones and walk away. Put this on a screen you can watch together, and afterward, ask your kid if anything stood out to them or if they have any questions. The Kids’ Club YouTube channel has plenty more videos about Holy Week and Easter (and discussion questions in each video description).
The Only “Rule”: Connection Over Content with the Easter Story
By “connection,” I mean being present in your kid’s experience. And by “content,” I mean your kid’s experience of the story. Say you’ve chosen a video to teach your kid a part of the Easter story (content), and you sit and watch the video with them with no distractions (connection). This is a great way to practice connection over content or even connection through content.
All the suggestions below follow this central ethic. Why? Because in study after study, what most influences a kid’s faith journey is not content—meaning the style of Sunday school, Bible reading plans, worship music, church size, or whether or not they have a “quiet time” in the morning. For Easter specifically, content can mean a church service or the neighborhood Easter egg hunt because those are both experiences.
What matters most is connection–whether the adults in their home (that’s you) practice their faith in view of their kids and, in the best cases, alongside their kids. Connection means keeping things light and fun, letting your kid’s curiosity drive the conversation, and avoiding the normal distractions that get in the way of your kids having your full attention (looking at you, iPhone).
Remember: in the Kingdom of God, Jesus teaches that we must welcome kids into our midst and not keep their spiritual experience separate from ours. Integrate your spiritual journey with your kid’s spiritual journey as much as you can. And it’s OK if you feel like you’re a beginner yourself—so is your kid! You can learn more about this Jesus-following thing together.
I know you want to make this Easter fun, memorable, and (most importantly) something that will help your kids know and love Jesus. I hope it goes well. Even if it doesn’t go the way you expect, remember that the whole point of Easter is that God believes in second chances.
Parenting is no exception. If anything, parenting is a long string of second chances.
Whatever you try, give yourself grace! You don’t have to understand it all, know it all, or be a Bible scholar to talk to your kids about Easter. Just making an effort to do one thing will have an impact–whether it’s sharing a bit of your own story, reading a book together, or talking about what you both learned that day. God will honor and multiply any effort you put toward teaching your kid about Easter.
No one’s spiritual journey rests on whether you do an egg hunt, or if Aunt Betty makes the potato salad, or if you scour the internet and find the “right” Easter video to watch together. What matters most is practicing your faith, being a disciple of Jesus, and coming alongside your kid on their own spiritual journey with God.
You ARE the best person to lead your kids to know and love the Easter story. (Even if you don’t have a new TikTok reel or Instagram story to prove it.)
Disclaimer: This article is 100% human-generated.
Reflections to share? Got an idea for an article? Email us at articles@crossroads.net
The contents of this article were additionally inspired by several other parents in the Crossroads Kids Club community, including the insight of Dawn Webb.
