There is so much joy to be found in parenting young children. They bring so much innocence and excitement to each holiday and special event. As parents, we have the unique opportunity to introduce them to important topics in fun and engaging ways that help them understand at their developmental level. While all of this can be very exciting, it can also be overwhelming. Thankfully we have some parenting tips for you.

Some parents are natural when it comes to planning fun family activities, and others need a little bit of help in that arena. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, we have collected some great faith-focused Easter activities that your whole family will love.

1. Have Fun In The Kitchen

Many families celebrate Easter by coming together for a family meal. This is a great opportunity to get your kids in the kitchen to help and learn important skills and weave in Jesus’ resurrection story. This recipe for Resurrection Rolls is as delicious as it is fun. You assemble the rolls with a large marshmallow on the inside, then when you open the roll, the marshmallow will be gone, and the roll (tomb) will be empty, just like on Easter morning. 

Turning typical Easter treats into faith-based activities is easier and less complicated than you think. What’s most important is that you find opportunities to infuse the stories that mean the most to you into what you’re doing. Even the Easter egg dying can be framed to represent our rebirth through Christ’s resurrection. Just as chicks emerge from their eggs, so too do we emerge from our old selves to become new.

2. Creative Arts And Crafts

Often we think of ourselves as either crafty or non-crafty, but when it comes to kids’ crafts, you’ll find you don’t need to be a Martha Stewart type to wow your kids this Easter. Think of the visual representations of the Easter holiday and imagine ways your family could represent those images through arts and crafts.

A great example is cutting palm leaves out of green paper. This simple craft requires only paper and scissors and allows your kids to practice their cutting skills. Plus, if you make them large enough, the leaves could serve as placemats on your Easter table.

Perhaps the most recognizable Easter image is the cross, and there are a million different ways for you to recreate the cross in kids’ crafts. You could do simple paint or crayon crosses on printer paper. Or, you could create stained glass crosses by gluing down strips of colored tissue paper. But remember, the goal here is not to create perfect pieces of art but rather to carve out moments to have impactful conversations about the important story of Easter. 

3. Fun Family Activities

Finally, Easter is a time to come together and feel gratitude for the gift of life we’ve been given. Gather your family to create a resurrection garden terrarium, and take your time to tell the story of the first Easter and why it means so much to Christians. Include the three crosses and Jesus’ tomb as a reminder of how the worst imaginable situation can be transformed into our biggest blessing. Enjoy this time outside with your kids and invite them to think about and share their feelings about the Easter story.

And, when you need a little bit of inspiration, you can find dozens of excellent, faith-based children’s books that cover the story of Easter. Just like families gather around each Christmas and share the story of Jesus’ birth, our children will one day have other memories of sitting together and sharing the story of Jesus’ gift to the world.

Spending time as a family is always fun, but sometimes we just need some parenting tips to help us figure out how to make ordinary moments into extraordinary storytelling opportunities. The most important thing you can remember about these Easter activities or any other ways you work to incorporate your faith into your family’s life is that the story can stand on its own. When the story of Easter is at the center of your family activities, you’ll have a winner every time.

If you’re interested in learning more parenting tips or want to find out more about becoming a member of our community, contact our office today. We’d love to help your family celebrate Easter.