How do we celebrate Easter without being swept away by colored jellybeans and chocolate bunnies? How do we intentionally teach our grandchildren about the timeline of events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection, starting with our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminating with the empty tomb on Easter morning? 

Here are some fun, family activities to support you in your endeavor to sow the seed of the Gospel message into the hearts of your grandchildren. Some of these activities will be familiar; others will be new. They are separated into age-appropriateness.

We’ve concluded with some ideas for long-distance grandparents.

Activities for Children of All Ages

• Celebrate Passover and the Last Supper (Maundy Thursday) by hosting a Seder meal for your family and friends.  The following link provides user-friendly steps for Christian families with children and grandchildren:  A Messianic Passover Seder for Families with Children – Jennifer Dukes Lee
• Use “resurrection eggs” to tell the Easter story. You can purchase these in a kit online, or you can create them with the items you have on-hand. DIY Resurrection Eggs with Free Printable Script  
• Paint oil pastel light ray cross . Colorful Light Ray Cross | Housing a Forest
• Read together the chapters pertaining to Holy Week in the Jesus Storybook by Sally Lloyd Jones. (Note: An audio version is available.)
• Talk about the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection by doing the following science experiment to demonstrate how Jesus washes away our sin. Cleansed by Jesus Christ (Object Lesson) 
• Celebrate our new life in Christ by dyeing Easter eggs. For those who have an artistic bent, Pinterest offers thousands of new ideas for decorating eggs. Easter Egg Dye Ideas 
• Talk with your grandchildren about salvation as they create faith bracelets. (Some of your grandchildren, especially the boys, may prefer to make key chains.) How To Make Faith Bracelets (+ A Salvation Bracelet Printable)
• Buy a bag of Jelly Beans and let grandchildren eat one color at a time while you read them the Jelly Bean Prayer. Jelly Bean Prayer Printable | Easy DIY Easter Treat
• Invite your grandchildren to join you for an Easter egg hunt. Before they arrive, fill eggs with candy, coins, dollar bills, or handwritten Bible verses, and other age-appropriate surprises. Hide these eggs around the yard. Don’t forget to hide one golden egg with the best prize inside! If the weather is cold or wet, move indoors.
• Surprise your family with resurrection buns on Easter morning. These yummy, cinnamon coated biscuits provide the perfect conversation starter for discussing the significance of the empty tomb. Homemade Resurrection Rolls (Empty Tomb Rolls) – JoyFoodSunshine
• Worship with your family on Easter morning by being willing to attend your grandchildren’s church.

Activities for Readers (elementary-age children and above)

• Purchase a Bible and tabs for your grandchildren. As you help them place the tabs in their Bibles, talk to them about what God’s Word means to you. Teach them how to look up passages of Scripture. 3-Steps to Teach Grandchildren How to Use the Bible – Christian Grandparenting Network
• Paint clay pots, and plant seeds within them. Read and discuss Jesus’ words to his disciples after entering Jerusalem: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). Talk about how he is preparing them for his crucifixion.
• Create an Easter mural or chalk drawings depicting the main events of Holy Week. Remember to include pictures of our Lord riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, washing the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper, being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, dying on the cross, and leaving the tomb empty on Easter morning.
• Watch the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with your older grandchildren. Compare Aslan’s death on table rock with Jesus’ death on the cross.  (Note: Common Sense Media recommends this movie for children who are ten and older.)

Activities for Long-Distance Grandparenting

Like many of you, my husband and I have grandchildren who live locally and out-of-state. Sadly, we will not be with our long-distance grandchildren this Easter, and yet we are determined to reach across the miles with the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection. We’ve considered ways to adapt some of the activities described above by mailing materials prior to Easter and using technology to the best of our ability to create a virtual experience for the entire family. For example, we can mail resurrection eggs prior to Easter and share the experience of opening the eggs via zoom or Facetime.  We can include the jelly bean poem in their Easter cards along with a pack of jelly beans. We can also record an Easter blessing or Scripture reading on the Marco Polo app. The beauty of this app is that it navigates time zones and busy schedules by saving the recording until our long-distance grandchildren have time to watch it. 

As always, our ministry is interested in your comments. Were you able to use  any of the Easter activities included here? If so, which ones and how did they work for you? 

Happy Easter to you and yours!