Note: this has been adapted from this webpage at Sweet T Makes Three
What you need:
Instructions:
Optional extras:
Before making this with your children, read the Easter story together:
As Julie Hintz says in this article, it's important for our children to not just skip from the cheering crowds on Palm Sunday to the joy of the resurrection on Easter Day, but to wrestle with the events of Holy Week in a way that is age appropriate.
Firstly, read the events of the Easter story from a Children's Bible (such as The Jesus Storybook Bible, available to borrow from the church library) and/or watch a video about Easter designed for children such as this one from Saddleback Kids or this reading of the book The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross. Ask your children if they have any questions about what they've read or watched.
For young kids, don't avoid talking about the fact that Jesus was killed, and acknowledge the sadness and confusion that his friends felt, however keep away from the horror of the crucifixion and remember to say that this wasn't the end - Jesus came back to life and his friends were happy again. Also remind them that Jesus is still alive today (kids sometimes think that Jesus died again later...)!
Conversation starters whilst you make the Easter Garden with your child:
What is Holy Week?
Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter Day, starting on Palm Sunday. It is also the last week of Lent and includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Saturday.
Some helpful resources for your family
Lent + Easter (Strandz) - check out this website for a huge number of ideas to help you journey through Holy Week and Easter, including:
Easter crafts to make with your kids:
Talking with your kids about Good Friday and Easter - this is not easy, however it's important to do. The below articles provide ideas for talking about Jesus' death with your kids in age appropriate ways and without scaring them!
Making Holy Week 'holy' this year - some ideas for helping to make Holy Week 'a thing' and avoiding it just passing you by:
What is Lent?
Lent is the period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) immediately prior to Easter Sunday. It is traditionally a time of repentance and renewal of faith in Jesus.
Why 40 days?
Good question! The number 40 is significant in the Bible, usually referring to a period of testing or trial, eg.
What's with Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and Ash Wednesday?
'Shrove' is from the verb 'shrive', meaning to confess, ie. to admit all the things that you have thought, said and done that are wrong. In French this is Mardi Gras - 'fat Tuesday', and for Spanish-speaking people it is Carnival which may have originated from the Latin carne vale, meaning 'to farewell meat' (often given up during Lent) or even 'to say goodbye to the flesh' (possibly giving rise to the modern day trend of giving up something you enjoy during Lent).
In earlier times, many Christians would fast from eggs and milk for Lent; using these up before Lent gave rise to the cooking of pancakes, and hence 'Pancake Day'. This also gave rise to the tradition of giving eggs at Easter when the fast was broken (see this article for more details).
Ash Wednesday is when ashes (often from the burned palm crosses from the previous Palm Sunday) would traditionally be worn, symbolising grief or shame (see Esther 4:1, Jonah 3:6). This marks the start of Lent, a season of repentance from our sin and humble acknowledgement of our own mortality and dependence on God.
Some helpful resources for your family
Lent + Easter (Strandz) - check out this website for a huge number of ideas to help you journey through Lent:
Jesus Storybook Bible Lent Guide - see here for daily readings and activities from the brilliant Jesus Storybook Bible.
Lenten Family Devotions: (Storyboard) - check out this website for a creation devotional entitled Lions, and Camels, and Goats! Oh my! that runs through Lent (using 2020 dates). It’s simple to do and takes 5 minutes to read the daily devotional, ask the question, and then pray. You can use this devotional while you eat dinner, lunch, or breakfast together, in the car, or before bed.
Lent: A Journey to Easter (Anglican Diocese of Auckland) - check out this website for an interactive Lent calendar:
Lent: What do Christians remember during Lent? (RE:start) - check out this website for a whole series of pages relating to Lent and Easter:
Fasting from, Feasting on Ideas (Building Faith) - some great ideas for fasting from and feasting on for Lent
Praying through Lent (Praying in Color) - various different calendar templates to use for a daily prayer practice.
Lent Giving Calendar (My Faith, My Life) - this Giving Calendar (note you'll need to translate the references to US coins...!) helps families:
Family Lent Ideas (Flame - Creative Children's Ministry) - this blog post (or this PDF) have fun, simple and creative activities for each day of Lent, such as:
We live in a world where each day there are acts of terror and violence as well as natural and man-made disasters where men, women and children are killed.
In today’s media-saturated society, many of our children are more aware of this than we might think. It is important for us to talk with our children about these matters in a way that is age appropriate and in a way that doesn’t cause them to fear. Home should be a safe place for our kids to talk about their fears and concerns, and so here are some helpful tips as you help your children with this:
There are some great resources out there, and here are a few: