Here are some simple activities you could include in your online learning for families to do at home focusing on the Christian Easter story.
All of our activities (other than watching the story) need no tech and are encouraging active learning whether it’s inside or outside. They are also simple and quick and most need minimal parental input.
Families will need to read or watch the Easter story together. Here’s a short video we made to help you do that.
10biblestories.org’s retelling of the Easter story.
Of course you could read it in the Bible or a Bible storybook or find a video on the internet. This clip is a nice retelling.
ACTIVITY 1: CROSS HUNT
Christians remember at Easter that Jesus died on the cross.
How many ‘crosses’ (Cross shapes) can you find around your house or garden? Could you have a competition with someone in your family or class? Who can find the most? Maybe you could look for crosses when you’re out for your one walk in a day. How many will you find on your street?
ACTIVITY 2: MAKE A CROSS
Christians remember at Easter that Jesus died on the cross.
Can you make a cross? What will you use? Can you make it stand up? I wonder who in your family or class can make the smallest one? The biggest one? The most colourful one?
ACTIVITY 3: OBJECTS THAT ROLL
Christians believe that Jesus’ body was put in a tomb and a big stone was rolled in front of it. But on Easter Sunday morning an angel rolled the stone away. The Angel said: “Jesus is alive!”
Can you find a round stone? Will it roll? (don’t throw it!) What else can you find that will roll? Challenge someone in your family to find something that will roll too. Whose object will roll the furthest?
ACTIVITY 4: EGG DECORATING
Christians believe that Jesus’ body was put in a tomb and a big stone was rolled in front of it. But on Easter Sunday morning an angel rolled the stone away. The Angel said: “Jesus is alive!”
Hard boil an egg and decorate it. Have fun rolling it in your garden. How many times can you roll it before your egg cracks and breaks?
ACTIVITY 5: CHARACTERS IN THE STORY
Think about the Easter story. Can you list the characters? Choose one character and make a picture of them? If you have a garden why not use natural objects to create your picture? Inside you could use crayons or collage materials or whatever you have!
Discuss together or write down: How did that character feel in the story? Why did they feel like that? Did they feel the same the whole way through the story?
ACTIVITY 6: EASTER GARDEN
Make an Easter garden.
Spring is here! Grab a seed tray, small crate or box and use your creativity to make an Easter garden out of natural objects. Make sure you include the cross where Jesus died and a tomb with a stone. Remember, the stone was rolled away. Christians believe that on Easter Sunday, Jesus came alive again.
If you don’t have a garden don’t worry, you could junk model your Easter garden or use whatever you can find at home!
ACTIVITY 7: EGG HUNT
This activity needs some set up. Maybe an older sibling could set it up for younger brothers or sisters? After you’ve done it have some fun creating egg hunts for each other. Maybe you’ve even got some chocolate eggs you could hide and find! Who can find the eggs the fastest?
Ask someone to hide 4 coloured plastic eggs around your garden or home with the following inside them – a small twig, a slightly larger twig, a stone, nothing
If you don’t have plastic eggs, cut out some eggs shapes from paper and stick the appropriate item on the back. You can peg the paper eggs on to bushes or fences to stop them blowing away!
Now run around and find the four eggs. Open (or turn over) the eggs and use the two twigs to make a cross shape. Place the cross beside the stone. These two items are really important in the Easter story. Why do you think the last egg is empty (or has nothing on the back of it)? Find out what they all have to do with the Easter story by watching or reading the story together.