Easter Resources Compiled by Janette McCormick
Easter is one of the most significant times of year within the Christian calendar. During this period, we have the opportunity once again, as children s leaders to share the Easter message, the impact of Jesus death, his resurrection and the hope we have in living for him. What a privilege this is! I will teach you hidden lessons from our past stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. Psalm 78:2-4 "Don't be afraid of the Easter story. Don't be put off by the gore and the difficult theology. At the heart of it is the story of a man full of love, who shared our hopes and dreams, our friendship, betrayal and suffering. That's worth thinking about, surely?" (Source: from an article entitled Easter Experience by Miriam Garnett, Methodist Church In Britain website) Early in the morning all the chief priests and the elders made their plans against Jesus to put him to death. Matthew 27:1 Check out below some Easter resources that you may find useful as you plan and prepare for this special time of year. You will find some songs, DVD clips, prayer, drama and craft ideas. 1. VeggieTales DVD - T was The Night Before Easter It s Easter time in Crisper County and cable news reporter Marlee Meade is hunting for a way to help others. She plans to save the old theatre. But what happens next? Watch and find out if Marlee discovers the true meaning of Easter and what helping others is really about. 2. Watch a 3 minute clip of the Movie on Youtube. (Click on the link below) Twas the night before Easter 3. Hope s Song - Veggie Song Hope s Song (The department has a copy of the above DVD and many others in our resource section which are available to borrow) 1
Click on the links below to watch the following A Very Special Easter - Video The Beginner s Bible Resurrection Story - video City on a Hill Nicky and Becky Drake -song God is love Nicky and Becky Drake song Games Memory Game Gather together a variety of items that are significant to the Easter story for example Nails, bread, money, purple cloth, a small cross, a stone, thorns etc. Place these items on a table and give the children a short time to memorise them. Cover them with a cloth and take one or two items away or get the children to close their eyes, which ever works best. Then ask the children to recall the missing item/items. Return the items and then remove different ones the next time. Continue doing for a few minutes. As an extension of the game you may wish to use the items to stimulate conversation around the Easter story and get the children with adult help to sequence them in the order each event happened. Picture Round Place around the walls a picture of each place mentioned in the Easter Story where events happened. (you can find pictures or photos online) E.g. Garden Gethsemane, an upper room, tomb etc. Play some music and ask the children to walk around the space until the music stops. When the music stops, the children are asked to choose a picture to stand beside. One of the leaders chooses a picture and when they call that out, the children at that picture are out of the game and must sit down. The game continues until the last child remains. This game provides another opportunity to reinforce the Easter Story with the children. Memory verse challenge Choose a memory verse which you think is appropriate and that ties in with Easter. Eg. Let s take the verse John 3:16 For God so loved the world. Write out on a large piece of paper the memory verse. The amount of times you need to do this depends on how many children you have in your group and how many groups you will divide them into. If you divide the children into 3 groups you only need to write your verse out 3 times. Cut out each word and 2
then place each word in a separate balloon. Blow up the balloons and keep each group s balloons separate in a large bag. Get each group of children to line up. Leaders stand further back and on the whistle or the word go, one child from each group runs up to where the balloons are for their group takes a balloon, runs back to their group and bursts the balloon and retrieves the word from the balloon. The next person does the same once the previous person bursts their balloon. Once all the balloons have been collected and burst the first team to complete the memory verse is the winner. Things to think about some children may not like bursting balloons or are sensitive to noise, may be allergic to latex, the ability of children have well balanced teams so children can help each other. May also need adult prompting. Craft There are a variety of Easter craft ideas available on IMYC Pinterest. Click on this link and have a browse https://www.pinterest.com/imyc0058 If you are not a registered Pinterest fanatic, you may be required to register first if you wish to access the many resources it has to offer. This is a free online resource and registration is very easy. Easter Cross Card You will need the following: One A4 cross template on card (template supplied) One A5 piece of card Coloured paper Scissors Glue Felt tip pens 3
Cut around the thick black line of the cross Leave this to the side Cut up the coloured paper into strips Take the A5 piece of card Stick the strips of the colour paper onto the A5 white card Once completed glue card to back of cut out cross shape To finish off fold the card in half However, children may wish to decorate inside or write a special message to someone they may like to give the card to Children love to bake and of course eat what they have made, so how about making some Easter nests. Ingredients: Cornflakes or rice crispies Chocolate to melt Chocolate eggs small, large or a mixture to place in the nest Bun cases Utensils: Bowl Spoons Microwave to melt chocolate Melt chocolate, add cornflakes or rice crispies to melted chocolate Stir well until dry ingredients are well coated with chocolate 4
Work fast as chocolate hardens quickly Place an adequate amount of mixture into the bun case With spoon flatten centre slightly to allow eggs to sit without falling off Add eggs to nest Leave to set Eat or take home when hardened Creative Prayer Jelly Bean Prayer Red is for the blood He gave. Green is for the grass He made. Yellow is for the sun so bright. Orange is for the edge of night. Black is for the sins we made. White is for the grace He gave. Purple is for His hour of sorrow. Pink is for a new tomorrow. A handful of jelly beans, Colorful and sweet, Is a prayer, a promise. A loved one s treat! Happy Resurrection Sunday! Fill a small plastic bag with jelly beans. Give each child a bag with the poem attached as a reminder of God s love for them. Pray with them at the end of your time together using the Jelly Bean prayer. 5
Drama Ride on Written by Lynda Neilands From her book, 50 Dramas for Children For use in clubs, church and school. (permission to use) Jesus rides into Jerusalem Luke 19:28-40 Suitable for Age 6 + Drama Notes: This is a simple rhythmic drama. It can be performed by a drama team up front, or by dividing a large group into four smaller groups. (Ideally, if this is done it is good to have four people who are familiar with the drama giving the lead to each of the small groups.) Cast: Narrator, donkey, Praise Leader, Pharisee, heart beat. Staging: Narrator stage left, voices in a line stage right Props: Castanets or similar, to make sound of hoof beats, drum, green streamers or ribbons to represent palm branches. (Sound of hoof beats) Narrator: Clippity clop, clippity clop The donkey s hooves made everyone stop. What excitement! What a thrill! Jesus was riding up a hill. Voice 1: (moving from foot to foot) Clippity clop! clippity clop! The donkey s hooves went clippity clop. Narrator: The people hoped Jesus would take up the throne. They longed to have a King of their own. They shouted their praise to God on high. Hallelujah! hear them cry. Voice 2: (waves streamers) Praise to God! Praise to God! 6
The people shouted Praise to God! Voice 1: (moving from foot to foot) Clippity clop! clippity clop! The donkey s hooves went clippity clop. Narrator: But some of the Pharisees in the crowd Had got together and secretly vowed To make Jesus sorry for things he had said. Fearing his power, they wanted him dead. Voice 3: (shaking finger) Keep your followers quiet! Keep your followers quiet! The Pharisees cried, Keep your followers quiet! Voice 2: (waves streamers) Praise to God! Praise to God! The people shouted Praise to God! Voice 1: (moving from foot to foot) Clippity clop! clippity clop! The donkey s hooves went clippity clop. Narrator: Ahead of Jesus lay sorrow and pain. But he didn t hold back. He didn t refrain From doing the will of his Father above. He simply rode on with a heart full of love. Voice 4: (beating drum to represent heart beat) A heart full of love, a heart full of love. Jesus rode on with a heart full of love Voice 4 repeats own lines in unison with voice 3: Keep your followers quiet! Keep your followers quiet! The Pharisees cried, Keep your followers quiet! Voices 3 & 4 repeat own lines in unison with Voice 2: Praise to God! Praise to God! The people shouted Praise to God! Voices 2,3, & 4 repeat own lines in unison with voice 1: Clippity clop! clippity clop! The donkey s hooves went clippity clop. Voices 1,2,3 & 4 all repeat their own lines 7
(voices 2,3 and 4 fall silent, but 4 continues to beat drum) Voice 1: Clippity clop, clippity clop Jesus rode on and he didn t stop. (drum gives three solo double beats before stopping) The above drama works well in an all age service, in Sunday school or kids clubs. I can thoroughly recommend it as I have used it on a couple of occasions. Holy Communion Easter is an ideal time of the year to explain the act of Holy Communion to children as they read how the disciples and Jesus met in the upper room before his death and the act of worship that happened there. As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, Take this and eat it, for this is my body. And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant [d] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Matthew26:26-28 NLT Online you can purchase Welcome to the Lord s Table by Margaret Withers. This is a useful resource to help explain the act of Holy Communion with children. 8
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Dear God Thank you for giving us such good gifts. For our families who love us. For yummy food and tasty drink. For so many different beautiful animals. For parks with tall trees and soft grass. For birds that fly among the clouds. For seas and streams that are fun to paddle in. And thank you for your son Jesus. We like to read about him in the bible. He taught his disciples about you. He healed people who were sick. He walked on water, And even died and came back to life. Help us to remember all the things he did And celebrate him on this special day. Short Easter prayer for children God made you and God made me, He made the world for us to see. God loves you and long ago, He sent his Son to tell us so. Jesus showed us many things, To love and share and dance and sing. To learn and pray, to help and care, He promised he'd always be there. He died but then came back to life, Let's celebrate for he's alive! Amen. Amen. Source: living-prayers.com Easter themed books and online resources 1. Easter Cracked 10
This book covers things such as craft, drama, events and service outlines, available from Scripture Union. 2. Celebrations Make and Do - by Gillian Chapman Craft idea which bring the festivals to life Walking with Jesus through Lent and Easter by Murray McBride this is a visual pilgrimage for families and churches 3. Colours of Easter by Liz Dorton and Christine Wright A visual approach to the Easter story using colour, sound and light. Suitable for Sunday Schools and Holiday Clubs Real Easter Egg An online resource centred around Easter. The company sells Fairtrade Easter Eggs that come with a story book explaining the real meaning of Easter. They also provide a range of resources suitable for children and young people in schools and churches. Check it out and hopefully you won t be disappointed. Premier Youth and Children s Work Premier Youth and Children s Work is a well-known monthly magazine for Youth and Children s ministry. If you check the website, you will find a variety of resources to download that may be useful for you to use with your children and young people. Be aware that you may be asked to subscribe to access resources. Search Easter resources and you will find a number resources available. Easter 11
Jesus is Alive
Easter Word Search E N A X E D T F G B F I J I N O C F J F X L H C M R M E H E E X I C G R J G N O I B S A S Z D U F U H W Z F T D D U I I D I V H I J O K T N A O S S R P D M L W R F V B O Y O H S E K K F E J F C I Q V Z G Q E G R R R A C F U A R Q M P P M X N Z E V Y M I L S P K Z M I W Q U T E Q H D W X A J O B G T P V S S S U B F M L D Y I Y C K G A L F S E I A M O L K Q C K Q E D W I O R R L A I G U Q E V O L H D G R Y Z N N C O R C X W T Y Y N R C G R Q D E M CROSS EASTER FRIDAY THIEF TOMB GOOD JESUS KING LEAVES LOVE MARY MESSIAH PALM RISEN SACRIFICE