Our teachers at Seeds Kids Worship know that teaching your children about Easter may feel overwhelming. You might wonder if talking about the Cross will make your children feel sad, overwhelmed or even scared, but as we seek to raise the next generation to be Jesus followers, we must find the words to teach our children the whole story.
Let’s break the Easter season down into three parts to begin teaching your children about the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Palm Sunday is one of the most significant events leading into Holy Week. This popular Bible story is a beautiful depiction of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey while the people laid down palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9b NIV)
Teach them what Hosanna means:
“Hosanna!” is an expression of joy, adoration, and praise to God. The people in Jerusalem were treating Jesus like a King, and they believed that He was God.
Teaching our children about Good Friday involves the reading of the Passion of Jesus as found in John 18 and 19. Spend the days leading up to Good Friday reading about Him being anointed, washing the disciples’ feet, the Last Supper, and His betrayal by Judas. Good Friday is the day we focus on His suffering.
The culmination of Easter on Sunday is great joy and celebration, but it is preceded by death. And not just any death – a very ugly, brutal, seemingly senseless death of an innocent person. It can be intimidating for us as parents to approach this subject with our children, but as one of the most important foundations of our faith, the crucifixion on Good Friday is something we need to make real for them.
Easter is a glorious celebration for Christians, but only in the context of the darkness of Good Friday. Without Good Friday, Easter morning loses its meaning. It’s important for us to help our young kids understand Easter and all that goes with it – even the crucifixion.
Read from the Bible and ask questions.
Read Matthew 27:33-56. Ask: Why do you think God planned for His Son to die on the cross? How does this story make you feel?
Read Matthew 28:1-17. Ask: If you were one of Jesus’ disciples, would you have believed that Jesus had risen from the dead? Why or why not?
Assist your child in looking up and reading the following Scriptures: Matthew 28:6. Mark 16:6; Luke 24:12; John 20:3-7. Ask: What can we know is true from each of these passages?
Have some planned quiet or worship time based around the Cross. For older children, provide a journaling prompt that they can write or draw about based around the Cross. For younger children, choose songs that remind them of God’s great love for us.
In discipling our children, we must talk about the cross, sin and hope of Jesus often in our home, not simply save it for Easter weekend. We are Easter people every day of the year. As a parent, I’ve experienced God use these conversations with my children to impact and sharpen my own faith. The more we talk about the things of God in our home, the more we all will grow in relationship with Him.
