Easter is one of my most favorite holidays. Aside from all the candy, fluffy animals, and pretty pastel colors, I love celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus, because it means so much to me. Unfortunately, it can be really difficult to direct my children’s attention to what this holiday is all about. It’s so easy to get sidetracked by all that chocolate!
My oldest is 7 years old now, and I’m really feeling the urgency to make sure that she understands how meaningful and important Easter really is. So this Sunday, we are having an Easter egg hunt just for her. We have a pretty big yard, and lots of places to hide eggs. Most of them will be filled with candy, but 12 special eggs will be filled with the Gospel. I’m sure a lot of you have heard of “Resurrection Eggs” already, but I have never done these before. I feel like it is a great idea to explain the events that happened from Good Friday through Easter Sunday, without losing her attention. I read a lot of different tutorials which were all basically the same, but they seemed to be geared a little more towards pre-school age. So I changed mine up a bit to appeal more to my 7 year old.
As you can see, I bought some plastic eggs and numbered them with a Sharpie, 1-12. As each egg is opened, the next part of the story is revealed. Most of the other tutorials do not include the Bible verses inside the eggs, but since my daughter is a little older and reads very well, I typed out the Bible verses for each egg, rolled them up, and put them inside with the object. If you have younger children, you can keep the verses with you and read it to them yourself. Below is a diagram of each object, and what Bible verses go along with it.
- Jesus Rides into Jerusalem > Mark 11:8-9
- The Last Supper > Matthew 26:26-28
- Jesus Prays in the Garden > Mark 14:32
- Judas Gets Jesus Arrested > Mark 14:10-11, Matthew 26:47-49
- Peter Denies Jesus Before the Rooster Crows > Matthew 26:34, 69-74
- They Give Jesus a Crown of Thorns > John 19:1-2
- Jesus is Nailed to the Cross > John 19:17-18
- Jesus’ Death > John 19:28-30
- Jesus’ Body is Prepared for the Tomb > John 19:40
- The Tomb > Matthew 27:60
- Jesus is Alive! > Luke 24:1-3, Matthew 28:5-6
- Jesus Goes Up to Heaven > Acts 1:9-11
I am so excited to do this with my daughter, and I can’t wait to watch her open the eggs and read the Bible verses. This Resurrection Egg Hunt might just become a new tradition for our family. I hope you feel inspired to find a way to show your children the real meaning of Easter this year, and in the years to come!
