Easter Activities for the Whole Family

Written by: Makda Araia

Easter is a very special observance for our family as with many Christian believers. My fondest memories of Easter growing up is dressing up in new clothes, attending resurrection service and gathering for family dinner (not to mention hunting for chocolate eggs).

When starting my own family, I wanted to ensure that my kids would have these same happy memories, but beyond that they would also have a deeper understanding of the significance of the day. This aspiration has been made possible through our involvement in our local children’s ministry, HAKids. HAkids is a children’s ministry program at Hiyaw Amlak church in Ottawa, Canada which serves Eritrean and Ethiopian children and youth of all ages. I have had the privilege of working with the HAkids team for a number of years now. 

At HAkids, Easter celebrations may look slightly different from year to year, but the underlying goal is the same- to foster a deeper appreciation and understanding for God’s unconditional love for us all and do so in a fun and engaging way! Examples of the types of activities that the children may participate in include: concerts/plays, Easter bake sales, crafts and trivia. 

Easter celebration in our home will look different this year as is the case in many homes as the global pandemic has presented increased challenges for gathering. Nonetheless there are a number of great resources providing ideas for activities which will undoubtedly help create memorable experiences for the whole family.

Children learn from modelling, so one idea I love is the idea of role play. This year we decided to create ‘Holy week’ stations around our home (this can be done outdoors as well). For this activity we selected various areas around our home and set up posters to correspond with the different days leading up to resurrection Sunday. Each station would have a poster, a description of the event and activity sheets (these can be worksheets or coloring pages depending on the age(s) of the child/children). These posters and worksheets are available for a minimal fee ($3.00 USD) at: Holy Week and Easter Activities~ Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter (teacherspayteachers.com) Alternatively, your kids can create their own posters for free!

Through experience I have found that young children really enjoy creating! One craft that I have found to be a real hit in our kinder class is the ‘paid in full’ craft. Kids get to create artwork using paint and cardboard that illustrates the price that Jesus paid for us. What you will need for this craft: 

• Construction paper (black and brown)

• White & red paint

• Scissors

• Paint brush

• White marker or crayon

• Glue

For this craft, children will begin by cutting out a cross on brown paper and gluing it to the black background. Next, a parent can assist the child in painting his/her hand with white paint and make a handprint over the cross. Once the paint has dried, the child can use the red paint to mark the middle of their handprint. Finally, have the children (or a parent) write ‘paid in full’ using a white marker or crayon. This activity creates a great opportunity to have a discussion on why Jesus died.

Activities for older kids

Have older kids? No problem, there are many activities that would be suitable for school age kids. In our home, Bible trivia is our go to game. Kids can play for chocolate (who doesn’t like a treat?). Another great activity is Easter Bible Scripture Scavenger Hunt. Here the object of the game is to find objects mentioned in specific Bible verses about Easter. An example of this is available from Arabah Joy and can be downloaded for free at: Easter Story Bible Verse Scavenger Hunt.indd (arabahjoy.com)

Regardless of whether you are able to celebrate Easter with your church group or at home with the family, there are many options to make it memorable for the whole family. 

If you are looking for more great Bible-based resources for your children, I encourage you to visit our social media pages:

Facebook: Hiyaw Amlak Sunday School
Instagram: @HAkidsmin
Youtube: Hakids

about the author

Makda H. Araia, is a mom of

three beautiful children (ages 4 to 9), and has been

involved in children’s ministry with

Eritrean and Ethiopian youth for close to 20 years

with at least half of this time spent as an

educator for HAkids Ministry.