Christian Easter Activities for Families and Kids

Make the Gospel come alive for your children with these favorite Christian Easter activities for families.  May this list of favorite Christ-centered Easter activities for families help you celebrate God’s gift of grace, while making memories together.

PIN THIS RESOURCE:

The Goal of Christian Easter Activities for Families

I’ve discovered that focusing Easter activities around the death and resurrection of Jesus makes our Easter celebrations more meaningful, while discipling my children at the same time.

As Christian parents, these activities offer us a unique opportunity to teach our children about the true meaning of Easter.

They go beyond the secular celebrations, like the Easter Bunny, but are a great way to celebrate God’s gift of grace poured out for us at the cross. Truly, Easter is the cornerstone of Christianity and Easter week should be filled with biblical truth.

As we weave the story of Christ’s sacrifice and victory over death into the very fabric of our family traditions, it has a lasting impact. By centering our Easter activities on Christ’s resurrection, we provide children the chance to make meaningful connections to Scripture.

Plus, it allows us to explore the depth of Jesus’ love and sacrifice in a way that is understandable to children. As we engage in these faith-based activities, we build lasting memories and teachings that stick with children long into adulthood. These experiences serve as building blocks for a strong, steadfast faith that lasts a lifetime.

Besides laying a biblical foundation for our children, Christian Easter activities enrich our family connections. As we gather to celebrate Christ’s victory, we also celebrate the love and unity that bind us together as a family.

This unity, founded in our faith in God, leaves a lasting impact on each of us. It is a testament to the strength and resilience of our belief, proving that Easter is not merely a day for celebration but a cornerstone of our lives as Christians.

Indoor Christian Easter Activities for Families

Celebrating Easter provides us with a unique opportunity to engage deeply with our faith, even indoors. While these Christian Easter activities for families may be simple, they help us recognize the real reason we celebrate Easter- Jesus’ death and resurrection.

DIY Resurrection eggs

When my kids were younger one of their favorite Easter traditions was opening the Resurrection Eggs we made together.

To get started, get an empty egg carton, twelve plastic eggs, and hunt around the house for things that represent the last week of Jesus’ life.

Ideally, you want to find items that help you retell the events that took place the last week of Jesus’ life. It’s the perfect Easter object lesson to help both younger children and older children understand the sacrifice Jesus made for us at the cross.

Fill each egg with a carefully chosen item that symbolizes a specific part of the Easter story. Here’s a suggested list of items for each egg:

Christian Easter stories

Dedicating time to reading Easter stories together has woven the message of hope and salvation even more tightly into the fabric of our family life. Such moments are invaluable. They serve not merely as a storytelling session but as a period of reflection on the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

We love using the Jesus Storybook Bible to read through story of Easter. Throughout the Easter season, read through this amazing children’s Bible as a family. As you read, discuss the events of Holy Week through His death and resurrection. This Bible is perfect for older children to read aloud to the family and is enjoyable by kids of all ages.

Christ-centered Easter decorations

Growing up, my mom decorated for every holiday, no matter how small. While I’m not quite the decorator she is, I enjoy Christ-centered Easter decorations that go beyond Easter bunnies or cute chicks.

I use this opportunity to put Scripture reminders throughout my home as a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice for all mankind. These printable Easter decorations in the Faith-Filled Easter Bundle offer a sweet way to display the hope of Jesus all season long.

To make it a family affair, we love to unpack the our box of Easter decorations together and have the kids help me decide where each item should go this year.

Easter family devotional

Family Bible study doesn’t have to be hard or overwhelming! Using the Easter Bible reading plan, read through a bite-size Scripture each day. However, the Bible story of redemption and restoration at the cross can be difficult for children to process and understand.

Therefore, use this opportunity to ask questions and help them understand what the story is about.

We use the Family Bible Study Toolkit to help kids develop a love for studying God’s Word on their own. I love that these Bible study templates can be used all year long as a practical way to help kids have a firm foundation of faith and fall in love with Scripture.

 

Resurrection Tree

The Resurrection Tree offers a simple, but fun way to discuss the life of Jesus and prepare your heart for Easter. Each day leading up to Easter Sunday, we will read a Scripture passage that explores Jesus’ life and the significance of His death on the cross. (This is the free Bible reading plan we follow.)

As we discuss each verse, we will hang a card on the tree. By the time Easter Sunday comes, we’ll have an adorable, but meaningful decoration to grace our Easter festivities.

Or you can add all the Scripture eggs on the tree to start with and hunt for the verse each day. Either way, the Resurrection tree makes a meaningful Easter activity the whole family will love.

Learn more about the Scripture Easter Eggs here

 

Acts of Kindness with the Jelly Bean Prayer

Acts of kindness activities are the perfect way to put the Gospel in action!  I want my kids to learn that the message of Easter shouldn’t be kept for just one day a year.  The best part of Easter is that Jesus came to die for ALL of us and exchange our sinful lives for His perfect grace.

The Good News of the Gospel isn’t something we should keep to ourselves, but it’s something to live each day.  To share the hope of Jesus with our neighbors, we love to bless our neighbors with a sweet treat, such as jelly beans.

Using the printable Jelly Bean prayer,  we gift both the bag of candy and the card to our neighbors. We will also use this card as an invitation for church on Easter Sunday.

Resurrection Rolls

These meaningful Easter treats have become a staple in our house. This family fun activity teaches children about the resurrection of Jesus and gives them a visual for how He rose from the dead.

Supplies needed:

• Crescent rolls
• Large marshmallows
• Baking sheet

Together, discuss the resurrection of Jesus and read through the Scriptures of the Easter Bible Reading Plan that share about Jesus’ death.

Have each child lay roll a crescent roll so it’s flat and open. Then, place one marshmallow in the center of the roll, just as Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb.

After that, have each child fold up the sides of the crescent roll and make sure there are no holes.  Just as the tomb was sealed tight with a large boulder, the crescent roll should be tightly wrapped around the marshmallow.

Then, place the resurrection roll in the oven and bake according to the crescent roll package directions.  Use the time that it’s cooking to read through the Scriptures of the Easter Bible Reading Plan that talk about the resurrection.

Once the rolls are out of the oven and cooled, explain to the children that just like Jesus rose from the dead even though the tomb was sealed, so the marshmallow also “escaped” and the tomb is open!

This Christian Easter activity not only fills our kitchen with delightful aromas but also opens up conversations about the miracle of Jesus’ empty tomb.

These activities, while simple, play a pivotal role in keeping the essence of Easter alive in our hearts. They remind us that Easter is not just about the rebirth witnessed in nature but more importantly, about the resurrection that promises us eternal life.

Easter Bingo

The symbols of Easter can have lasting impact on your family’s understanding of God’s redemption of mankind, too. Playing Easter Bingo is a great idea to help make Gospel conversations happen and foster fun at the same time. Simply print out some Bingo cards, gather some card markers, and you’re ready to begin.

Engaging in these indoor Christian Easter activities has helped us weave our faith into some wonderful family memories.

Outdoor Christian Easter Activities

Christ-centered sidewalk art

When the Covid-19 quarantine began in 2020, stories of encouraging side-walk art flooded the Internet. For a fun and meaningful twist, we created a cross sidewalk art that encouraged our neighbors with the true meaning of Easter.

We used masking tape in our driveway to outline the cross-shape. Then, we then used more tape to section off inside the cross.

After that, we colored in the sections with the chalk and talked about the death and resurrection of Jesus while we worked. Sometimes these casual conversations about faith are just as meaningful as our family Bible study time!

Once we were done, we removed the tape and were left with an encouraging message our neighbors could enjoy. We added some Bible verses around it and even though it was far from perfect, we love the way it turned out!

Easter garden

Another beloved tradition involves Easter garden planting. Each seed we bury symbolizes Jesus’ burial, and every sprout that breaks through the soil represents His resurrection and the new life we have in Him. This activity allows us to witness, firsthand, the miracle of life that comes from seeming death – a powerful parallel to the Easter story.

Washing of the feet

Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper, you too can show your family an act of service through washing each other’s feet. While ideally this works well when the weather is warm, you could easily move this inside if you needed to. Read through John 13:1-17 and discuss how to serve others like Jesus. It’s a powerful example of servanthood.

Faith-focused egg hunts

There’s something so sweet and special about brightly colored egg sprinkled throughout the landscape on a spring day!  And now, there’s a way to incorporate the true message of Easter with this fun, family tradition of an Easter egg hunt.

In some eggs, place Scripture Scrolls inside. When kids sort through their eggs, collect the scrolls, gather everyone close, and read through the Bible verses on the scrolls. The story tells about death and resurrection of Jesus and why He came to Earth.

This precious activity is a meaningful way to make the Good News of Jesus come alive for your family! It will quickly become an Easter tradition you love! (affiliate link below)

Bible Scrolls Easter Egg Toys [Christian – Religious] for Kid’s Easter Basket Stuffers (12 Pack)

Religious Easter crafts

Make the Gospel come alive through these meaningful Christian Easter crafts. Plus, these make great family keepsakes for years to come.

Palm Sunday handprint craft

Read John 12:9-16 and discuss Jesus’ welcomed entrance into Jerusalem as a family. Then, help the children trace their open hands on green paper multiple times. After that, help them cut out their handprints and glue them onto craft sticks. Once these sweet “palm branches” are dry, have the kids wave them up and down, pretending to welcome Jesus with anticipation.

Good Friday suncatcher

Start with a clear plastic sheet and cut it into a cross shape. Now, grab some bright, colorful paper or tissue and cut it into smaller crosses to stick onto the plastic. Use clear glue to stick them on – like magic, your suncatcher is taking shape! Once it’s dry, tie a string or ribbon on top and hang it by a window. When the sun shines through, it’ll make a rainbow of colors! It’s not just a decoration; it’s a reminder of how amazing and colorful God’s love is!

Pom pom cross activity

Using construction paper, have children glue pom poms into the shape of the cross. As they work on this activity, it’s a great time to read aloud a story of Jesus from the Bible or an Easter book. It’s the perfect activity for young children and to keep their hands busy while you read, while soaking in the Good News of Jesus.

Easter coloring pages

In our house, we love to sit and color together. It’s often a time of natural conversation, too. Print off some Bible verse coloring coloring pages and discuss the resurrection story while you color. Simple, yet impactful!

Holy Week cartoon drawings or sequencing

Do your kids love to draw? Use a blank cartoon grid to have the kids draw the events of Holy Week. Or use some cute Bible clip art characters to have them cut and sequence the events. The older kids could take it one step further and write a caption under event, too. It makes a wonderful keepsake, too!

DIY Easter cards

Whether in a Sunday school class or at home, making cards can be a fun way to bless others. Consider adding a sweet treat, even making resurrection cookies, to add with your card. Easter cards make great invitations for church on Resurrection Sunday!

Watercolor Resurrection craft

Help your children understand the significance of Easter day through a simple watercolor painting. First, use making tape on a piece of paper in the shape of a cross. Then, have your child paint with watercolor over the tape. Once it dries, remove the tape and have a beautiful reminder of the significance of Christ’s sacrifice for you.

These creative ideas are a a perfect way to get creative while naturally instilling a foundation of faith in your children. These simple, real life ideas will help the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will plant the seeds for deep, lifelong faith.