Simple & Christ-Centered Easter Activities for Kids
Looking for simple and meaningful Easter activities for kids? Read along as I share some simple traditions, books, and resources that have blessed our homeschool.
Over the years, we’ve started some special Easter traditions that my kids look forward to each spring. In this post, I’ll share our favorite Easter picture books, a fun treat we make, a coloring book that also reviews helping verbs, and a Christ-centered activity we do together as a family.
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Reading the Easter Story Together
Each morning leading up to Easter, I read a few chapters from The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible. We start with Jesus entering Jerusalem and read a few chapters each day, walking through the events leading to the cross and resurrection.
While I read, my kids color a matching page from the Easter-themed coloring book I made for them. It helps them stay engaged while listening, and it gives them something quiet and meaningful to do with their hands. I love seeing how the simple act of coloring helps the story sink into their hearts.
Here are the specific stories I read to my kids out of The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible that go along with the Easter-themed coloring book I made. See more about this coloring book below!
- Day 1: Jesus Enters Jerusalem (pg. 490)
- Day 2: Like a Servant (pg. 506)
- Day 3: The Lord’s Supper (pg. 508)
- Day 4: A Night of Prayer (pg. 512)
- Day 5: Betrayed with a Kiss (pg. 514) & A Cock Crows (pg. 516)
- Day 6: Passed Around (pg. 516) & Pilate Washes His Hands (pg. 520)
- Day 7: Mocked (pg. 522), The Crucifixion (pg. 524), & The Death of Jesus (pg. 526)
- Day 8: The Burial (pg. 528)
- Day 9: The Empty Tomb (pg. 530)
- Day 10: Alive (pg. 532) & A Stranger on the Road (pg. 534)
The readings for each of these ten days go along perfectly with the ten pages of the Easter-themed coloring book below!
A Christ-Centered Easter Coloring Book
I created a simple coloring book that helps kids dive deeper into the Easter story. It includes 10 coloring pages, each one focused on a key part of the Easter story. It starts with Jesus entering Jerusalem and ends with Jesus walking with his disciples after He has risen.
Each page includes:
- A title that kids can trace (great handwriting practice!)
- A detailed picture to color that matches the Bible event
- A sentence about that part of the story, with a blank space where they choose the correct helping verb to complete it.
It’s a fun way to review all the helping verbs we learned this year in Cycle 1 of Classical Conversations. My kids love that they get to “do something” with their hands while I read to them. Plus, it helps them think more deeply about what’s happening in each part of Jesus’ journey.
I made one with simpler coloring pages for younger children and one with more detailed coloring pages for older children. You can download either of these coloring books for FREE below and use them with your kids too!
Resurrection Eggs: A Hands-On Way to Teach the Easter Story
One of our favorite Easter traditions is using resurrections eggs to walk through the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Each morning, my kids get to open one egg that goes along with the Bible passage we’re reading that day. Inside each egg is a small object that represents a part of the story—like a cup for the Last Supper or a piece of cloth for the linen Jesus was buried in.
It’s such a simple activity, but it really helps bring the story to life. My kids look forward to it every morning. They love guessing what’s inside and connecting it to what we read. I love that it helps them remember what Jesus did for us in a hands-on, meaningful way.
This is one of those little things that makes a big impact, especially with young kids who learn best by seeing and touching. We use these resurrection eggs, but you can easily make your own with just a set of plastic eggs and a few small objects you can gather from around the house!
Favorite Easter Picture Books
The Very First Easter by Jan and Mike Berenstain. This book follows the beloved Berenstain Bears as they learn about the true meaning of Easter. Mama and Papa Bear read the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection to Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear, helping them understand why we celebrate Easter. This book is a great way to introduce your kids to the gospel story in a relatable, family-centered way.
The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton. This story begins in the Garden of Eden, highlighting the perfect relationship between humans and God. It then depicts the separation caused by sin, symbolized by the temple curtain that acted as a barrier to God’s presence. Then it culminates with Jesus’ sacrificial death, during which the temple curtain tears, signifying the removal of the barrier between God and humanity. This book does a great job conveying complex theological concepts in a simple way children can understand.
Petook: The Rooster Who Met Jesus by Caryll Houselander. This book tells the story of Petook, a rooster who has a brief encounter with a young Jesus. Years later, Petook witnesses the events of the Passion from a distance, unaware that the man being crucified is the same boy he once met. This book does a great job paralleling the hatching of Petook’s chicks with the resurrection of Christ. This is a great introduction for kids to the Easter story!
God Gave Us Easter by Lisa Tawn Bergren. This is a sweet story that follows Little Cub, a young polar bear, as she explores the true meaning of Easter with her father, Papa Bear. Through their conversations and a walk through their Arctic world, Papa Bear explains God’s plan for salvation, Jesus’ resurrection, and the gift of eternal life in a way that’s accessible and comforting for young children. The story emphasizes themes of faith, renewal, and the depth of God’s love, making it a meaningful read during the Easter season.
The Story of Passover by David A. Adler is a simple, kid-friendly retelling of the biblical story of how God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The book walks through Moses speaking to Pharaoh, the ten plagues, the first Passover, and the crossing of the Red Sea. It helps children understand the meaning of Passover and how God rescued His people. It’s a great book for introducing the story behind this important Jewish holiday, and it also helps kids see the connection between Passover and the Easter story.
The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Treasury by Jan and Mike Berenstain is a beautiful collection of faith-based Easter stories featuring the Bear family. This treasury includes several short tales that focus on the true meaning of Easter, kindness, and God’s love. It’s a great book to read throughout the Easter season with young children.
A Healthier Easter Treat: Homemade Gummy Snacks
Instead of filling our Easter baskets with store-bought candy, we like to make our own homemade gummy snacks! These are a favorite with my kids—and I feel good about what’s in them. We use just three simple ingredients: 100% organic juice, high-quality gelatin, and a little raw honey for sweetness.
To make them fun for Easter, I use silicone molds shaped like Easter eggs, but any cute mold will do. My kids love popping them out of the tray and seeing the fun shapes. These gummies are soft, flavorful, and so much better than the packaged kind from the store. Plus, the gelatin is great for digestion, skin, and joint health, making this a treat with real benefits!
It’s a fun little kitchen project that doesn’t take long and doubles as a festive, nourishing snack for Easter time! Get the recipe here!
A Few Fun Easter-themed Games
Here are a couple fun Easter-themed games that you can play with your kids to help them review the memory work they’ve learned this year!
Memory Work Meadowland game. Review the Classical memory work with this fun Easter/spring themed “candy-land” style board game! I made this game because I love to create fun ways for my kids to practice the memory work we are learning in our Classical homeschool. There are cards to review timeline, math, English, Latin, science, history, and geography. This game goes along with memory work topics from Classical Conversations (all cycles!) Check it out in my Etsy shop!
Rotten Egg Review Game. This is a really fun way to review the Classical memory work with your students if you’re a tutor or with your own kids at home! Just cut out and laminate this Rotten Egg sign and egg cards. The egg cards have either a positive number on the back or a negative number with a rotten egg. I split my class into teams and start asking review questions. Whoever can answer the question gets to pick an egg off the wall and see it’s a “rotten egg” card or not. Whatever point value is on the back of the card gets added or subtracted from the team’s score.
Do you have any fun Easter traditions you do with your kids and/or students in your homeschool? Share them in the comments below!
