Easter is always a fun holiday for kids. Adults make Easter baskets and fill them with coloring books, crafts, and activities and color eggs that signify the colors of spring. But explaining what Easter is really all about is more difficult. That is because we have no earthly explanation for what happened to Jesus. As humans, our earthly bodies stay here, but our souls go to heaven. In heaven, we receive new bodies that never age or get sick. But in Jesus's case, both his earthly body and soul went to heaven.
With a little creativity, adults might be able to get the point across. It's not enough to simply explain the Easter story. Instead, using puppets, flannel graphs, and other crafts to explain how Jesus rose from the grave keeps kids engaged and may answer some of the questions they may have. Here are some age-appropriate ways to explain the death and resurrection of Jesus for each age group of children, along with a specific activity you can do with each age group:
This is the easiest age range to explain Jesus to because toddlers don't grasp the concept of death. Explaining it to a toddler may be as easy as playing a game of peekaboo. Place the child's hands over their eyes. More than likely, the children will believe that because their eyes are closed, the parent is no longer with them. However, when they uncover their eyes, they will see that the adult is present with them. Use a flannel graph with a picture of Jesus going into the tomb. Place the rock over Jesus's body to show that he is where no one can see him. Then, explain that Jesus's body was gone three days later, and nothing was in the tomb. At that age, that explanation will appease most of their questions and give them a simplistic explanation of the Easter story. Although they won't understand the Easter story as well as we would like at this age, this approach will at least lay the foundation that Easter is about Jesus and not the Easter Bunny.
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Although death may be a hard concept for a preschool-aged child to grasp, there are some creative and even fun ways to explain Jesus's death and resurrection. This is where flannel graphs and other craft ideas come in handy. Puppets are also a great way for kids to understand complex concepts in light-hearted ways. Teachers can get a Jesus puppet and create some sort of tomb with a rock covering it. Then, teachers can re-enact passages. For example, one teacher can play Peter and John, asking, "Where did Jesus go?" Relating Jesus's death and resurrection to something like hide and seek might be the best way to do it. Because kids can grasp the concept that someone is hiding and we can find them, it might be the best way practically to show them that Jesus was once here on earth and is now in heaven.
Do an experiment using botany. This experiment would take some planning but can work with a little creativity. Go to your local grocery or department store for some spring plants or flowers. Purchase ones that have not yet fully grown. Have your child read (or read with them) the Easter story for three to four weeks prior to Easter. Each day, have the child check on the plant. They must water it, place it in a prominent place so it can receive direct and indirect sunlight, and then measure the results. Jesus' great love for people allowed him to give his body so that we can all communicate with his father through his grace. Use this illustration for kids to understand that in the same way plants start off as a little seed and, through God's love, grow into a beautiful flower, God's love carries Jesus from earth to heaven. You can use the passage in Matthew that states, "Do not worry about tomorrow." Plants are a great illustration to show that each day, God gives the plant precisely what it needs to become exactly what it was meant to be. In the same way, Jesus became a sacrifice and fulfilled exactly what he was meant to do. When he was done, God's love carried him to heaven; God and His son could be together.
If spring flowers don't work, use another illustration, like a home plant or other source of vegetation. No matter what you use, emphasize that the plant gets everything it needs daily to grow and mature. God cared for his son, and because of his love became the fulfillment of love here on earth.
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This is the age where kids might have more questions about Jesus' death and resurrection. They may ask questions like, "How did Jesus get to heaven?" This can also be confusing if a child is watching television shows at home that are inappropriate for their age range. They may be more familiar with death than they should be and, therefore, challenging to reach. Although resurrection is a hard concept for even an adult to grasp, school-age kids can understand that by using the word "ascension," Jesus rose to heaven. Although kids may mistake Jesus' resurrection with magic, adults may want to equate Jesus' resurrection with someone who physically dies. Explain to them that their soul goes to heaven, but their physical body stays on earth. Except in Jesus's case, both his earthly body and soul went to heaven. Adults can also explain that Jesus has a new body like the heavenly bodies we will have when we go to heaven.
Another way to explain it is to equate Jesus with Marvel comic superheroes. Kids who like Marvel Comics, like Superman or Spiderman, understand that Clark Kent has an earthly body, but once he turns into Superman, he has superhuman powers. Jesus is like this, and God gave Him supernatural power to go to heaven.
Buy the materials needed to build or paint a birdhouse at the craft store. Again, this illustration will take a little bit of planning before Easter. But still works throughout the Easter season. Have your child place the bird seed or other food into the birdhouse each day. Watch together as the bird makes that birdhouse its home. This same illustration can be used with birds who like to use lanterns or other places around your home to make a nest. Each day, watch the nest to see the babies grow. In just a few weeks, your child will look and find the birds are gone. Use the Bible to help them understand that the mother bird, just like God, feeds and cares for her children. Matthew 6:28-31 is a great accompanying passage. God cared for Jesus while he was on earth. When Jesus fulfilled his purpose on earth, God brought him back to heaven to be with him. Children will love being a part of nature and seeing that they can be a part of the care and nurturing of God's creatures. This will help them understand Jesus, His caring nature, and His willingness to give up His life so we can have eternal life.
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Older kids may understand more complicated concepts like atonement, but it may be hard to grasp fully. Kids won't understand the concept that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins through his death. He had to be the ultimate sacrifice so we no longer had to work for our salvation. Adults may want to explain that Jesus did the work for us on the cross. They may add that God took his son to be with him because he fulfilled his purpose on earth.
Create a Bible quiz game where kids learn vocabulary words like atonement. Create a computer-based game where kids can choose from multiple-choice answers to learn about concepts like atonement, sacrifice, resurrection, etc. Because we have no earthly concept to compare it to, it would be difficult to explain the concepts in ways kids can grasp. However, because kids are screen-driven, they may quickly understand the Old and New Testament in new ways. For example, have kids read Old Testament verses where people had to give animal sacrifices. Malachi chapter 3 is a great example of this. God was mad because people were giving less than their best offering to God. When kids understand that offering this animal sacrifice to remove the guilt of their sin was the requirement and Jesus came to fulfill that so we no longer have to do it, adults can bridge the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament and understand that Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.
Kids will also understand the concept of grace versus works by creating a Bible game using Old and New Testament verses as the backdrop for the Easter story. In school and the world, good behavior is rewarded, and bad behavior is punished. This creates a works-based mentality that gets deeply ingrained in children from an early age. However, by studying the Bible to understand grace and mercy as the pathway to Jesus' death and resurrection, kids will at least understand that Jesus is the embodiment of grace and mercy. Because he sacrificed Himself, we all can have salvation through Jesus Christ.
For adults who are tech savvy, use a software tool to create a cartoon or animated version of the Easter story. Have kids design characters that look like Jesus, the Apostles, and other important people in the biblical story. If that's impossible, have them create their own age-appropriate cartoon using characters that look like them. Help them design the plot around the characters that most closely align with the Easter story. For example, a modern-day twist may be a set of five friends who had one friend whom they played with but then one day went missing. Have the kids create and solve clues to locate the child. Help them create the story to end where the child went to be with Jesus. Emphasize the positive side of eternity with God. This will help them understand the concept of death in a way that is not so emotionally heavy.
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In today's day and age, kids question the Bible now more than ever. By teaching them biblically based concepts in ways that are age-appropriate from an early age, kids will understand concepts like grace, atonement, sacrifice, mercy, and the unconditional love of Jesus in new and exciting ways. With a bit of creativity and the use of old methods like flannel graphs and crafts combined with new methods like technology and games, kids may be able to understand Jesus' death and resurrection and the importance of why we celebrate Easter each year.
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