What Do You Do For Easter? Making The Effort For Fun And Meaning
Why do we decorate for different holidays? I’ve been thinking about my experience growing up and what my mom placing white bunnies, carrots, or pictures of Christ around the house meant to me. For me, changing the decor was a cue for me to learn that something special was happening. I looked forward to the little reminders that it was Easter, Valentines Day, Halloween, etc. My mom made the effort for fun in the home. I’ve also been thinking about the importance of meaning. What is the “Why” behind why we celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving, decorate for Valentines Day? In my Valentine's Day blog I talked about the “Why” being the opportunity to show our loved ones how much we love and care for them. Christ is the true “why” for the Easter season. The meaning behind why we celebrate Easter is often lost in the bunnies, candy and gifts, but there is certainly room for both fun and teaching the true meaning of Easter during this season. Here are some ideas for both Fun and Meaning during Easter.
Festive ideas to keep the kiddos busy and make the most of the season:
Print out some of these free Easter games and coloring sheets and place them where your kids can easily access them. If they are feeling bored, they can grab a sheet for some easy, festive fun.
If you’re feeling really crafty, get your kids involved in making their own Easter baskets. Grab some baskets from the dollar store or the target dollar section. Buy some googly eyes, pipe cleaners, a button and some bunny ears and make a DIY bunny Easter Basket.
Play Easter egg hunt! Have a basket of plastic eggs available that the kids can hide and find together or that you can hide and let them find.
Pull out some colored paper and have the kids cut out and paste their own Easter/Spring Garden picture. There is so much symbolism that can be drawn from the new life in Spring and the resurrection of Christ. This craft could also serve as a great teaching opportunity.
Easter Day Activities
Easter Egg Dyeing - As a family, decorate the Easter eggs that will be hidden Easter morning. Older children will have fun creating designs on hard boiled eggs and dyeing them with liquid food coloring. Younger children may have difficulty with this craft (and will make a large mess), an alternative option is to purchase easter stickers to decorate plastic or hard boiled eggs with.
Easter Egg Hunt- Do you hide hard boiled eggs? Plastic eggs? If you hide the hard boiled eggs, how do you make sure you find them all? There is nothing worse than a rotten unfound Easter egg stinking up the house. I’ve known families that go ALL OUT for Easter egg hunts: candy, toys, money, and a golden egg with a $50 inside. When thinking of how you will craft an Easter egg hunt for your family, keep in mind the ages of the participants. With a one year old, our Easter eggs will be “hidden” in plain sight and will probably be filled with puffs and small toys this year. If you would rather skip the candy, fill Easter Eggs with clues to a treasure hunt. Have the clues lead to a bigger prize at the end, one for each kid, or one that everyone can share. However you do it, get creative and get everyone involved and having fun!
Easter Basket - When gathering items for an Easter basket, I first think about some of their needs. What is the season they will be going into? In Arizona, the heat is coming quickly so a swimsuit, sun hat, sunblock, or lighter weight clothes are all practical gifts for a basket. What are some items they traditionally get or that you would like the make an annual Easter basket gift? Growing up, every year I got an Easter dress in my basket to wear to church that morning. I plan to continue that tradition for my children. This basket can be filled with many different items, but the idea is to create something that helps them to have fun, and also remember the meaning of the day.
How to Teach the True Story of Easter:
Start by adding images of Christ into your Easter decor. Place a favorite picture of Christ in a prominent place in the Home.
Replace some screen time with shows that are centered on Christ. The Chosen series is a fantastic show to watch during the Easter Season. You can also watch Veggies Tales, 'Twas the night before easter or An Easter Carol for free through Amazon Prime. I also cannot recommend the Living Scriptures subscription more.
Introduce Holy Week. Here are some resources for learning more. This great animation goes through each day of Holy Week.
Holy Week Day by Day in the Home:
Monday: Christ cleansed the temple so that it could be a place where the spirit could dwell. Spend this day picking up and cleaning the house. Think of spring housekeeping as a prayerful preparation for Easter. Read Mark 11: 15-18.
Tuesday & Wednesday: Jesus taught some of his most meaningful sermons during this last week of His life. He taught his followers that the greatest way we can serve God is by loving our fellow men and women. Challenge each family member do perform a secret act of service for a member of the family. At the end of Wednesday have each individual share what they did, why, and how it made them feel. You can also brainstorm together on a meaningful act of service to do as a family for a neighbor, family member, or friend . Read Matthew 25: 31-40
Thursday: This day recalls the Last Supper where Jesus Christ gathered His apostles to share a meal and express His love for them. Have a special dinner as a family and follow in Christ’s example to express love for one another. Read Luke 22: 7-20
Good Friday: This day commemorates the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. Set aside time as a family on this day to discuss Christ’s sacrifice and how because of Him, we can become a better version of ourselves. A powerful family activity could be making a list of things that could be sacrificed in order to come closer to the Savior. Maybe instead of the extra five minutes of sleep in the morning, everyone could wake up for a family prayer; children could commit to making an effort to be kinder to their siblings in order to be more like Jesus, etc. Read Luke 23: 27-34
Saturday: On this Day we think about the time of darkness and waiting when Jesus was in the tomb. It is difficult to imagine how Christ’s followers must have felt without their beloved friend and Master by their side. Christs followers lovingly prepared a place for his body in the garden tomb. and placed a large rock in front. Talk about this part of the Easter story with your family. Go on a family walk and have each family member find a rock that helps them remember the stone placed in front of the tomb. Read John 14: 26-27
Easter Sunday: On this day, focus on Christ’s Resurrection. The truth the He Lives. Enjoy an Easter service with your family and celebrate in both fun and meaningful ways together on this day. The time you spend on your Holy Week preparations will make Easter Sunday more meaningful for the whole family. Read John 20: 1-18
Making these efforts for your family to learn about Christ during this Easter season, as well as have fun as a family and strengthen family connections will be well worth it!
Below are links to some ideas for filling an Easter basket.
Happy Easter!
The Hygge House
