Ministry-to-Children.com » Easter Ideas

The Backwards Easter Egg Hunt (with a message!)

Nicole VanderMeulen — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:53:11 +0000

Hopefully, all of your Easter Sunday plans for your children’s ministry are in place and ready to go, but if that’s not the case, here’s a user-friendly way to engage and teach little ones in celebration of the resurrection. This method is especially nice for dealing with a large crowd, but can work well with any size group.

Have your kids participate in a traditional Easter egg hunt, using plastic eggs…here’s the best part…that are EMPTY! No stuffing required! I ask the children to find five eggs (one of each color available) and then have them visit a different station for each egg where they receive an object to fill their egg with that represents a part of the Passion story. For example:

Green Egg -Palm Sunday/piece of “donkey” fur or palm branch
Pink Egg-Last Supper/cheerio or oyster cracker to represent bread
Purple Egg-The Cross/small wooden cross or cross sticker
Yellow Egg-Empty Tomb/small chocolate egg (to eat!), egg stays empty to represent the empty tomb
Blue Egg-Jesus Appears Again/nail to remind us of the holes in Jesus’ hands that helped Thomas believe

It’s kind of like Resurrection Eggs, just a bit different! You can alter this to fit your needs and your ministry. This is the quick and simple start. If you want to go above and beyond, consider these ideas:

Provide bags or baskets for the children to use to hold their eggs. I like to use simple colored lunch bags and “He Is Risen” stickers from Oriental Trading Company.
At each station, explore the story more by reading a Bible verse, Bible story, or section of a children’s book that gives more details.
Provide different art materials at each station (stickers/sequins/permanent markers/etc.) to be used to decorate the outside of the egg.

Can you think of other ways to adjust and adapt this concept to make for Easter success? If so, share them in the comments below. You’ll have extra time to make your ministry extra great now that you won’t be stuffing all of those plastic eggs yourself! All laziness aside, my hope is that this activity will combine the ever pleasing egg hunt activity with a meaningful and fuss-free way to share the true message of Easter with children. Blessings to you as you share the Good News! He has risen! He has risen indeed!

Family Worship Guide for Easter

Tony Kummer — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:15:31 +0000

Here is a simple devotional guide to help families worship Christ together during Easter time. It might be ideal for Saturday evening before Resurrection Sunday. Family Worship is the regular and intentional assembling as a family unit to worship God by reading scripture, praying and singing praise. This brief worksheet will help you lead your family in a short time of devotion on Saturday. Children should be involved as much as their age allows. This devotions should last between 15-25 minutes.

Step 1: Gather the family

If this is a new experience for your family, keep it very simple. Have the whole family gather in the living room together. Even the very young children should participate. Turn off any radios or televisions that might be distractions.

Step 2: Read scripture

If your children are confident readers, ask them to read portions of scripture from their bibles. Prepare in advance to explain any difficult words.

Read Mark 15:33-47: Discuss v.35 where Jesus says to God “why have you forsaken me?” Explain this was Jesus quoting Psalm 22, which foretold what would happen to the Christ. As Jesus took on our sins, he suffered the great punishment in our place. He became our substitute and took what we deserved.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: Discuss the central elements to the Easter story. (Died, buried, raised, appeared to witnesses). Discuss the importance of the phrase “according to the scriptures.” Explain that Jesus’ death was predicted and promised in the Hebrew Bible. Discuss the importance of Jesus appearing to many witnesses. Explain this was a real historical event, not something imaginary. Many real people saw it.

Step 3: Pray

Lead the family in a time of prayer. Include elements of Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession and Requests. The pray time should focus on the passages you have just read and be a response of worship to God.

Step 4: Sing

Select a song that is familiar to your family. Using a worship CD may be helpful. Many families prefer to sing without background music. Choose songs that remind you of the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Sojourn Kids has posted some wonderful original music you can use. “The Cross Is Not The End” and “God’s Love Goes On Forever

Need More Ideas? Browse all our Easter Sunday School Lessons & Craft Ideas.

No More Crying: Children’s Bible Lesson

Tony Kummer — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:33:20 +0000

Here is a simple lesson plan that would work well in Children’s Church or Sunday School, especially around Easter. It shows points kids to the future hope that Jesus made real when he rose from the dead. This lesson was written by Doug Wolter, the Pastor of Children & Education at LaGrange Baptist Church. You can read more from Doug at his blog Life Together.

Learn how you can share your children’s ministry ideas on our website too by writing a guest article.

This Bible lesson is based on J.C. Ryle’s sermon for children called, No More Crying. This sermon and other addresses to children can be found in the book, The Two Bears, (Grace and Truth Books, 2004).

HOOK:

Today we’re going to talk about three places:

A place where there is a lot of crying
A place where there is nothing but crying
A place where there is no more crying

BOOK:

There is a place where there is a lot of crying.

The world we live in (John 16:33 … in this world you will have trouble …)
What makes you cry? Why do we cry?
Sin ultimately caused crying … pain, sickness, hurt, loneliness, death resulted from the fall

There is a place where there is nothing but crying.

Where do you think that is?
Hell is the place where there is constant crying (“weeping and gnashing of teeth”)
Hell is real, it is not made up – Jesus spoke about it more than anyone
Why do all people deserve to go there? (Read Romans 6:23)
How can we escape this horrible place?

There is a place where there is no more crying.

Do you know where this is?
Do a Sword Drill (look up Revelation 21:4 – volunteer read)
What do you think heaven will be like? … Bible gives us some clues (Rev. 21:10-27)
What’s the best part about heaven? – Jesus is there!

LOOK/TOOK:

Do you know that Jesus cried when he was on earth?

When did Jesus cry?
Remember the story of Lazarus (May want to refer to John 11:1-44)
Jesus cried for those he loved
Jesus is a man and knows what it feels like to be sad and cry
Jesus is also God and He gives us life
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though he dies, yet he will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26).
How can you live forever in heaven? Believe in Jesus!

Need More Ideas? Be sure to browse all our kids Easter resources. We also have a growing collection of free children’s sermons.

Easter Parade Ideas for Kids Church

Mimi Bullock — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:52:15 +0000

Celebrate Easter in your children’s church by hosting an Easter parade. Work ahead of time if you want to roll out fancy floats. Alternatively, you could help kids make fancy or wacky Easter hats. Make arrangements with your senior pastor to choose a time kids can share their creations with adult worshipers. Organize a parade around the main sanctuary or around the children’s church. Use these Easter parade ideas for kids’ church and get kids involved in this season’s special worship. Play some special Easter music as the children lead the worship parade.

Palm Leaves
Clip palm fronds from a palm tree or buy silk ones to use every year. Instruct kids to walk in pairs at the front of the parade. Teach them to say, “Hosanna” in chorus as they walk.

Purple Ribbons
Buy two-foot wooden dowels and attach purple ribbons on the ends. Glue one short side of the ribbon on to the dowel. After the glue dries, children should be able to twirl the ribbons to the music. Taper the ends of the ribbon with scissors. Leave the ribbons long and flowing or make them shorter for smaller children. Purple is the color of royalty, a fitting color for Jesus, the King of Kings.

Praise Posters
Before the parade, instruct children to create praise posters declaring their love for Jesus. Make some posters that show three crosses or the picture of a large stone, like the one that was rolled by the angel. Allow children to use their imaginations to make pictures of Jesus to show. Have kids work on posters in pairs. The pair then can carry the poster together in the parade.

Easter Lily Hats
Help little girls make some Easter hats. Bring straw hats or ask parents to donate plain straw hats for this craft. Then, kids use glue to add silk flowers, ribbons and many other fun details to their hat.

Wagon Floats
Petition help making floats using small red wagons. These are perfect for pulling small children in an Easter parade. Cover the edges of the wagon with bright colored crepe paper. Cut the crepe paper into four-inch strips and add the strips to the edge of the wagon in layers. Tie a festive purple ribbon around the handle. Add many embellishments to the edges of the wagon and place a pillow inside so small children can ride in comfort.

Musical Instruments
Hand out inexpensive musical instruments like mini drums, recorders and tambourines to children. Let them play instruments in worship to their Lord. You might help them keep time or show them how you want them to play. The best idea is to let kids express themselves how they like.

An Easter parade is a good outreach for a church who wants to reach the families of children who attend. Take lots of pictures during your parade to encourage other children to participate next year. Give your Easter a fun theme for kids and parents to use while preparing for the event.

“How To Make an Easter Basket” Craft Idea

Tony Kummer — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:05:43 +0000

Here is another craft idea from Cullen’s Abc’s. Watch the video below for her full instructions for making an Easter basket with your children. You will need white paper sacks (lunch bag size), decorative scissors, colored construction paper, and stickers or markers for decorating. For a more advanced option you can use paint and cookie cutters for stencils.

I would recommend adding some scripture quotes about Easter to the bag, especially if your using this craft at church. “He is not here, He is risen!” Luke 24:6. This would be a great Easter Sunday School craft leading up to an egg hunt at church.

You can also watch this Easter craft video directly on YouTube. Be sure to check out the rest of Cullen’s Easter Craft & Song Ideas.

Need More Ideas? Browse our full list of Easter ideas for children’s ministry. You can also find a “He is Alive” lesson from our friends at Sojourn Kids.

Easter Resources for Children’s Ministry

Tony Kummer — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:45:36 +0000

Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection is a great time to plan a special activity or lesson for your kids ministry. This page features all of best materials we’ve published on our website on the topic. You can use these ideas for an Easter Sunday School Lesson or Children’s Church. Please leave a comment to add your own suggestions.

Lesson Plans for Easter

Craft Ideas for Easter

Children’s Easter Crafts Resource Page – We’ve collected some great craft ideas and practical tips to help you plan that special activity around Easter.
Craft: How To Make an Easter Basket – another craft from Cullen’s Abc’s perfect for a church egg hunt or Easter Sunday School craft
How To Make Resurrection Eggs (Easter Craft Project For Kids) – check out this great demonstration video on how to make Easter resurrection eggs for the kids at your church.

More Easter Ideas for Kids Ministry

Video: Want to do more with the Church Easter Egg Hunt
The Backwards Easter Egg Hunt
Block Party Outreach Idea (plus Easter Egg Hunt) Here are our tips for turning your simple egg hunt into an outreach carnival for the community.
Plan an Easter Parade for Children
More Easter Ideas For Kids | What Should I Teach On Easter?
Forums: Easter Plans for Children’s Ministry
When Is Easter Sunday 2010? – I posted this just so we’d all get the dates right!
Open Forum: Does Easter Egg Hunting Belong At Your Church? – Sometimes there are different opinions on the use of egg hunting for Easter at your church.
Easter Bible Verses – The resurrection of Jesus is central to the good news. Here are some familiar Bible verses about the holiday. These are useful to add to craft projects to to sprinkle into family conversation about Easter.
Preschool Songs for Easter

Does the word “Easter” appear in the Bible? There is a little controversy about this. The King James Translation does include the word in Acts 12:4, while nearly all other translations stick with the Greek phrase to mean passover. I think this is a distraction. In the English language and most church traditions Easter has become the normal word to describe the Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

Christian Easter Songs For Preschool Children

Tony Kummer — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:19:35 +0000

Here are two songs from Cullen’s Abc’s that would be helpful in a preschool Sunday School class around Easter. These children’s songs are simple and have hand motions to help the preschoolers stay involved. Watch the video demonstrations below to learn the songs. She uses real sign language for Jesus during these Easter songs.

Dear God We Love You Song

Jesus Dies For All The Children Song

This song for Easter is a modified version of “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” It could be used as a second verse or it’s own song. You can always find more ideas directly from Cullen’s YouTube channel.

Need More Easter Ideas? Browse our free resources for Easter Sunday School or find the right craft idea for Easter.

How To Make Resurrection Eggs (Easter Craft Project For Kids)

Tony Kummer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:50:39 +0000

[ad#kids-links]Easter Resurrection Eggs have become a standard Sunday school activity for many churches. Here is a video demonstration showing how you can make your own set as Sunday school craft project. It also shows how to teach an Easter lesson for children.

For more videos like this, you should check out Cullen’s Abc’s. She has hundreds of video demonstrations of Sunday school activities.

Check our special page featuring Easter Ideas for Children’s Ministry.

Open Forum: Does Easter Egg Hunting Belong At Your Church?

Tony Kummer — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:55:07 +0000

Kids love Easter egg hunting, but does that mean we should have one at church? This is an issue our pastoral staff has been working through over the past several years. My first year at the church, I carried forward their existing program called Easter EGGstravaganza.

Check our special page featuring Easter Ideas for Children’s Ministry.

It was a Saturday morning Easter egg hunt that doubled as a massive outreach effort. We did the works – door prizes, crafts, resurrection eggs, and more tubs of stuffed plastic eggs than I care to remember. The event took weeks of planning and a full roster of volunteers to make it happen. We mailed postcards to 500 households with children. The publicity budget for the event was close to the VBS level.

Turnout was great and everyone had a wonderful time. There was only one problem – the event did not meet its goals. No prospects from that group visited our church for Easter. None of the children were enrolled in our Wednesday nightclub program. None of the follow up efforts showed any promise. Six months later all I could show was a mailing list for future ministry events.

That was the end for EGGstravaganza. In fact, we haven’t had any Easter egg hunt since then. For me, it wasn’t a theological decision as much as a programming choice. Our resources are better directed toward events that advance the church’s disciple making mission.

What do you think about Easter egg hunts at church?

Do you see it as a helpful outreach tool? Are you concerned about detracting from the real meaning of Easter? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

Children’s Easter Crafts Resource Page

Tony Kummer — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:33:11 +0000

[ad#kids-links]Easter is a Christian holiday that almost demands special treatment in your children’s church and Sunday school. Here are some craft ideas online that can help you get started. Please add a comment below to share your favorite Easter Craft ideas.

Easter Craft Ideas For Children – Some Advice

Keep your church’s Easter craft simple. Remember the larger number of kids on Easter will make leading the craft more complicated. So keep your Easter craft ideas simple.
If you use printable Easter crafts, be sure to print extra for guests. Easter is high attendance day in most churches and Sunday schools. Print enough crafts or coloring sheets for every child.
Find crafts for toddlers, preschoolers and younger children also. These simple crafts can make the best keepsakes for parents. Don’t leave out the little ones!
Use Easter Bible verses on your crafts to make the religious message of Easter clear. Sometimes traditional Easter crafts get wrapped up in the Easter bunny and Easter eggs. Adding a simple Christ-centered Bible verse about Easter can remind parents and kids of the spiritual truth behind the Easter crafts.

Free Online Easter Crafts For Children

You can find a wide selection of free Easter craft ideas online. Start your search on these websites that offer free Sunday school crafts. Typically they will have a whole section devoted to Easter Craft ideas. Look for Easter crafts for preschool & toddlers and free printable Easter crafts for kids.

From Our Website

Making an Easter Basket How To Video – another craft from Cullen’s Abc’s perfect for a church egg hunt or Easter Sunday School craft
Making Resurrection Eggs for Easter – check out this great demonstration video on how to make Easter resurrection eggs for the kids at your church.
Share Your Easter Ideas For Kids – this post features some new resources and a forum for readers to share their ideas. Don’t miss the video demonstration for making Easter Resurrection Rolls.

From Other Websites

Shrinky Dink Easter Art by Robin Tillman. Check out this 45 minute creative Easter art project from the Sojour Kids blog.

Danielle’s Place page on Easter crafts is a great place to find religious Easter crafts.
Kaboose Easter Crafts: These are less religious but off several pictures of projects. They list some more complicated projects that would need to be tackled over several weeks in Sunday school or at home with the family.
Family Fun Easter Crafts: More projects and crafts for Easter. These are also more traditional than religious. Many of these are larger projects that would fit well for a homeschooling project or a family activity.

Check our special page featuring Easter Ideas for Children’s Ministry.