Preparing Hearts for Easter
One of the most significantly meaningful aspects of parenting for me has been preparing for holidays side by side. Advent, in particular, is a beautiful process in which both sacred and secular aspects collide with the lighting of candles, daily readings, acts of service, memorizing and singing carols and more. Having time to ponder, reflect and anticipate the season helped me to appreciate and savor it more thoroughly. I thought in pursuing these rhythms I was giving something to my children, but I found I gained just as much through the process. Reading by candlelight or making a simple ornament to place on our tree was an inherently slow process, something my own heart needed as much as theirs during a season that can get lost in stress and hoopla.
Christmas Advent programs abound, but if you’re not from a liturgical tradition, you might be surprised to find that there are Easter “advents” all their own. Here are some ways to anticipate the season together as a family.
I stumbled upon a series of four historical fiction books written by Dr. Arnold Ytreeride (pronounced “it-tree-ide”) years ago, each offering a unique account of the Christmas story through four different children’s perspectives as their personal narratives kept colliding with famous events of the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth. It was a great way to capture attention, bring life to Advent and help my kids see what life might have been like during that time and place. In Amon’s Adventures, we fast forward 30-some years only to find that one of the initial characters, Jotham, is now married and has a son of his own who—you guessed it—has an adventure that finds him brushing shoulders with Jesus during his final year on earth. We found these books to be well-written, fast-paced and accurate (nothing graphic, but it does elaborate on the real and cruel world that Jesus was born into). If you start reading at the beginning of Lent, you’ll have adequate time to complete it by Easter. As a bonus, there are freebies available on the book’s website, including photos, printables, pronunciation guides, maps and more.
This fun and interactive way to tell the Easter story comes in a set of brightly colored Easter eggs, each containing a clue to the next part of the Easter story. Families can hide them for extra fun or just take them out one at a time and read the booklet that correlates to each egg’s unique symbol that depicts Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection. Our initial set was a homemade one given to me from a Moms of Preschoolers group. If you’re creatively inclined, you, too, could make your own set. Homemade or store-bought, resurrection eggs will be an heirloom piece you can bring out Easter after Easter. We love to pair this with Melody Carlson’s book Benjamin’s Box: The Story of Resurrection Eggs.
When my oldest two were preschoolers, we stumbled upon a resource called Truth in the Tinsel, a wonderful Advent program with simple crafts designed to engage little ones in the story of Christmas. I was thrilled when I discovered its founder Amanda White created an equally immersive Easter program. Amanda describes it as follows: Easter is one of the most beautiful, happy days of the year. However, it easily gets swept up into church attendance, Easter baskets and pretty dresses. How do we make this super holy day into a holiday that celebrates, focuses on and leads our kids to Jesus? This is the same question I had when my kids were little bitty. As we discovered more of the great story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and as I tried to explain it to them in kid-friendly ways, we noticed how hands-on and gritty the story really is. There’s the smell of vinegar, the sound of roosters, the taste of broken bread and the color of a deep purple robe. I began to lead my children in experiencing the story bit by bit using our five senses. We put together crafts, we tasted bread and made memorials in our house and memories during our days. And we started to get a sense of what the death and resurrection of Jesus must have been like.
White’s program is a printable download that can be reused for years to come.
If there’s anything better than cookies, it’s having cookies for breakfast! These simple meringues are to be made the night before Easter. Each ingredient correlates with a verse describing Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. For example, vinegar reminds us that Jesus was forced to drink it on the cross, and egg whites remind us that by giving up his life, we can have eternal life. The finishing touch is when kids tape the oven door shut after placing the cookies inside, as though they are sealing the tomb shut. The cookies remain in the oven, the heat is turned off and, in the morning, everyone awakens to hollow meringues that remind us of the empty tomb! Christ has risen!
A cursory web search will showcase a myriad of ways to make this visual reminder of Easter: a terracotta pot with wheatgrass, three crosses and empty tomb. The benefit of this project is that everyone can enjoy the process of watching the grass grow (it takes a minimum of one week) and, once complete, it makes a perfect tablescape.
Host a seder service
We inherited a seder kit from a family member, and it’s a wonderful way to understand the Jewish culture in which Jesus grew up. Consider hosting this dinner with friends or family during the Easter season.
Attend special services
Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday/Stations of the Cross are all additional church services that signify key events leading up to Easter. These are great opportunities to grow in faith as a family and build memories together.
Additional books for reading enjoyment
- The Legend of Easter Treasury
- The Colt and the King
- The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross
- The Donkey Who Carried a King
Lauren Greenlee is a boymom of four ranging from toddler to teenagers. She writes from her Olathe home.