Christian Easter Traditions that Focus on Jesus (Simple Ideas For Families)
How to Celebrate Easter as a Christian
If you’ve ever looked at your child’s Easter basket and wonder how plastic eggs and a bunny took over a holiday about the Resurrection, you’re not alone. So how do we go about making Jesus the focus of our Christian Easter traditions while still having fun?
I have learned that you can still have the Easter bunny while keeping Christ at the center. Even small, simple traditions can gently point your family back to Jesus.
9 Christian Easter Traditions that Focus on Jesus
Here are a few ideas for Christian Easter traditions that are kid-friendly and will help you remember the real reason for Easter.
1. Resurrection Eggs
Resurrection eggs are a meaningful way to turn a regular Easter tradition into a Christian Easter tradition.
Resurrection eggs consist of a dozen Easter eggs that each have a piece of the Easter story. As you put together or open each egg, share the scripture or story behind the symbolic items. You can find Resurrection eggs here or make some yourself.
Want a simple, FREE DIY Resurrection Eggs Printable? In it, you’ll find items to put in all 12 eggs, scriptures that go with each item, the story behind the items, and links on where you can find each item.
2. Roll Hard-Boiled Eggs Down a Hill
The symbolism behind this activity is the rolling away of the stone to Christ’s tomb. Talk about this event with your family, then have some fun! Boil the eggs, dye them, then enjoy some laughs as you roll the eggs down a hill or driveway and watch them get destroyed. You can even have a competition to see who’s egg lasts the longest.
3. Read the Easter story.
We read about Jesus’s birth during Christmas, so why not read about His Resurrection during Easter? I think this is a great Christian Easter tradition because it brings the family together studying the life of Christ. It also helps us go into Easter with gratitude and remembrance of Jesus’s sacrifice for us. There are a few ways you can go about doing this:
- Find one chapter from the Bible that sums up the happy ending. If you want to keep it short and sweet, I would read John 20. It shows the resurrected Christ coming forth to Mary, the apostles, and Thomas.
- If you want the full story from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, then you can start the Sunday before Easter and read about each of the eight days until you get to Easter Sunday. This website is a great source where you can see the storyline and the verses that go along with each day.
- For young children, it can be helpful to have a picture book that you read with them each year. Here are a few from Amazon that do an excellent job of portraying the true message of Easter:
As you share the Easter story with your child, it can be tricky to explain death to them if they are a toddler or preschooler. If this is the case for you, then head to my blogpost, Explaining Death to Preschoolers as a Christian Parent.
4. Christ-Centered Letter From the Easter Bunny
After hiding the eggs and setting out the Easter baskets, place a note from the Easter bunny for the family to read together. The idea is to remind the family that the main reason we celebrate Easter is to remember that Jesus suffered for us and rose from the dead. Here is an example of what that note might say:
Happy Easter, ______ Family!
I hope you enjoy the goodies I have left you. I want to let you in on a little secret: the real reason I love Easter so much is not because of all the candy and eggs I get to leave for families, but because it is a time to remember Jesus Christ. Without Him, it would be hard to find peace and joy in life. He is the reason that new life can come into the world without fear of death and sin.
I leave these treats for you in celebration of Jesus and that because of Him, we can keep enjoying life and coming closer to Him. So enjoy looking for eggs, but also remember to keep looking for Jesus as you go about your day. I have left a few reminders of Him, see if you can find them all!
Love,
The Easter Bunny
5. Reminders of Jesus in the Eggs
What better way to remind the children of Jesus than by putting Him in some of the Easter eggs? Here are a few ideas of what you can include:
- Jesus/Christian stickers! If you aren’t sure what to look for, take a look at these! These stickers are great because they can go on water bottles, laptops, bikes, cars, etc. So even adults can have fun with them!
- Pictures of Jesus. Cut out small pictures of Jesus that are Easter-egg sized and stuff them in!
- Pieces of a Jesus puzzle. After all the eggs are collected, the kids can have fun bringing all their pieces together to build the puzzle. I recommend fewer puzzle pieces so that the pieces don’t get lost.
- Scripture verses. These could be printed out, on stickers, or even written out.
6. Attend an Easter Church Service
This is a classic Easter tradition for Christians. What better way to worship our Lord than by going to Church? I feel like Easter wouldn’t be complete for me without attending Church, partaking of the Sacrament (or Communion), and singing praises to Him with my family.
Nervous about attending Church with kids? Here are some things to bring to Church that will help you and your kids have a good experience!
7. “Because of Jesus, I can…”
Take turns going around the dinner table and sharing what Jesus has done for you. It is a simple and easy way to add Jesus into the regular Easter tradition of family dinner.
This is a great opportunity to recognize what Jesus makes possible for us. Without His suffering, death, and Resurrection, we would have to live in our sins because we couldn’t repent. We would live in fear because there would be no chance of overcoming death. Life is so much sweeter because of Jesus!
8. Watch a Jesus-Focused Easter Video
Sit down together and watch a video about Jesus. There are a wide variety of options you can choose from that will inspire the whole family! (This one is one of my favorites.) I think this is a great way to bring families together and remember Jesus Christ.
9. Make Empty Tomb Rolls
These rolls are a yummy and fun way to remember the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This wonderful recipe can be found here.
As you make the rolls, you take a marshmallow, which represents Jesus’s body, and roll it in butter and cinnamon and sugar, representing the oils and spices that were put on His body. You then wrap the marshmallow in the dough, which represents the tomb or the burial clothing, and place it in the oven, which could also represent the tomb.
When the rolls are baked, you can take a bite to find them empty! It’s a great object lesson for kids and a fun family Easter tradition everyone will cherish.
Happy Easter!
I hope you have a wonderful Easter! I also hope you will find a Christian Easter tradition that will bring joy to your family and help you spend Easter with Jesus. After all, He is the one who makes family, salvation, and joy possible.
If you would like ideas on how to help your kids keep Christ in Christmas, check out this post!
What do you like to do for Easter with your family? Share in the comments below!
This is what I wanted for my family as a mother. I love it all!
Today a reader，tomorrow a leader！