Children's Easter Lessons

As Easter Sunday (or Resurrection Sunday as a church elder from my childhood always called it) fast approaches, children’s workers are scrambling for last minute activities. Easter and Christmas can be hard on teachers. We teach these lessons every year so we wonder what fresh angle we could possibly give that old, old story this time. It’s tempting to just dismiss Jr. Church and let the kids go sit with their parents in adult worship so they can listen to the choir cantata as family.

Don’t give in! Think of the children and their parents who seldom come to church any other time. This is a prime opportunity to share the reason why we teach in the first place, that Jesus Christ came to save sinners and He rose from the dead to give us the gift of eternal life.

Be bold in your teaching this Sunday. Make sure you weave the gospel message into your lesson. Tell your kids in words they can understand that they can have the gifts of salvation and eternal life too. Tell them you are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus came back to life and because He came back to life, that changes your perspective in everything you do. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the commercialism and traditionalism the world calls Easter. If you do Easter baskets, Easter egg hunts, or bunny crafts, tie it all back to the reason we’re here in the first place, that Jesus came to give us new life and He’s coming again to give us eternal life. Finally, pray for opportunities to show the love of Jesus to the kids you teach.

So what am I doing as a teacher this Sunday? In my high school class, we’re talking about modern day heroes who have made a comeback then talking about Jesus who made the greatest comeback of all. We’ll put together a melodrama about the Resurrection that gives proof for the Resurrection. (Check out Zondervan’s Youth Specialties materials for great youth lessons.)

My junior church lesson is on the Twelve disciples this week but I’m also putting together an Easter Egg treasure hunt. Each plastic egg will hold a slip of paper giving an event from the crucifixion and resurrection stories. One egg will be empty. Why? The tomb was empty! I'll hide the eggs around my classroom then have the kids go on an easter egg hunt. After they find the eggs, they'll work together, using Matthew 27 and 28 for reference, to put the slips of paper in the correct order.

What are YOU doing this Sunday to promote and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus?