Celebrating Easter with kids
Free Easter activities for kids
When it comes to celebrating Easter with kids, thoughts mostly turn to activities like Easter egg hunts, Easter bonnets and Easter hat parades, the Easter Bunny and hot cross buns. Some parents may buy Easter gifts for their kids, and books are released about lambs, chicks and springtime (even though it is autumn in Australia). It all sounds fun and sweet, but there is more to Easter.
Easter is when we remember Jesus’ death on a cross, which is called Good Friday. And Easter Sunday is when we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. The entire weekend is a reminder to us that God loves us and wants to be our friend. “For here is the way God loved the world – he gave his only, unique Son as a gift” (John 3:16, TPT).
If you are looking for some fun ways to share the real message of Easter with kids, The Salvation Army’s Kidzone magazine has got you covered. The kids in your life will have plenty to do (and learn) over the Easter long weekend.
Read on to find out what Easter activities for families and children are on their website. Plus, visit your local Salvos to get your free copy of the Easter Kidzone magazine for even more fun, puzzles and Easter craft ideas.
Easter story for kids
Many years ago, God sent Jesus (his son) into the world. Jesus did lots of amazing things. He spoke about God’s love and healed people when they were sick. He had a lot of friends and followers, but many religious leaders did not like him. They did not believe Jesus was God’s son and didn’t like the things he was saying. Eventually, they got so angry with Jesus, they wanted to kill him.
They got a crowd of people to support their nasty plan. They went to the city’s rulers and called for his death. Jesus was whipped and laughed at then walked all the way up a hill where he died on a large, wooden cross. That’s the story of Good Friday.
At any time, Jesus could have asked God to stop it because he is strong and powerful. After all, he calmed the lightning, thunder and rain when it stormed, walked on water without sinking and made those who were sick better!
But Jesus’ death was all part of God’s plan. Because Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose back to life. That’s called his ‘resurrection’.
We remember this part of the story on Easter Sunday because on that day, some women who were followers of Jesus, went to visit his body at the tomb where he’d been buried. Instead of finding a tomb with a giant rock in front of it and a dead body – they found an empty tomb and angels!
Jesus showed that he has power over life and death. He died because he loves us and rose back to life so we can have life with him in Heaven after we die. While we are on Earth though, Jesus wants us to experience his love and kindness in our lives, so we never have to feel scared, unloved or alone. That gives us a reason to celebrate and have joy!
This Easter, the Kidzone magazine celebrates Jesus is alive with an Easter wreath craft. This makes a great Easter long weekend family activity — learning the story of Easter and Jesus’ journey to the cross while creating your very own wreath.
The Kidzone Easter magazine also has a delicious recipe for some chocolate treats, a colouring in competition and loads of puzzles! Get your copy when you come say ‘hi’ to your local Salvos at a nearby church or Salvos Store.
Good Friday activities for kids
Good Friday – the day we eat hot cross buns and patiently wait to eat our chocolate eggs. But Good Friday is about so much more than that!
Good Friday is the day on which we remember Jesus dying on the cross because he loves us. When we do bad things, we are separated from God and deserve punishment. But instead of being punished, God shows love towards us. When Jesus died, he took on our punishment because he loves us. He didn’t want us to be punished. He wanted to be in a relationship with us and for us to have a good life.
Our resurrection cookies are an ideal family activity to help the kids in your life understand more about the Easter message. As you make your way through the recipe, you will read a bit from the Bible and learn an Easter fact. Including the fact that – just like the cookies have to stay in the oven overnight – Jesus stayed in a tomb for a few nights before coming back to life.
Another fun Good Friday activity for kids is to make a ‘stained glass’ cross. It’s low cost and relatively simple, so it’s perfect for all ages to try! Find the instructions on the Kidzone website.
Easter Sunday for kids
Easter Sunday is the day when Christians celebrate Jesus coming back to life! This is why we celebrate with the Easter Bunny who represents new life and enjoy eating hollow Easter eggs to remind us of Jesus’ empty tomb.
If you’re looking for some things to do on Easter Sunday for kids, please see our events page and find a Salvo event near you. Lots of our Salvation Army churches host Easter Sunday services which are great for families and kids.
Our Kidzone website also has lots of Easter Sunday activities for kids and families to enjoy together. Check out their website to find a messy activity involving paint, a balloon and an Easter egg!
Another great way to celebrate Easter Sunday with older kids and teens is to talk through an Easter Bible reading and reflection as a family. Download our free 8-day Easter reflection guide.
Easter crafts for kids
Keep the kids in your life busy over the Easter weekend by making a resurrection garden. This fun Easter craft is a great way to involve the kids in recreating the story of Easter Sunday morning and the hope found at the tomb.
All you need is a container, some dirt and some decorations gathered from your backyard or a nature walk. This is a great Easter activity for families or for older kids to do on their own.
Find the instructions and how-to video for the resurrection garden on the Kidzone website.
If you’re hosting an Easter celebration – whether it’s a small breakfast at home, a large family lunch or something with the community – get the kids busy with an Easter puzzles placemat while the meal is cooking. Complete with a crossword, maze, sudoku, colouring in and more – the kids should be happily entertained, all while learning some facts about Easter!
If they are still itching for more free Easter activities, and you’re keen to keep them off screens, download and print an egg-citing puzzle page and colouring sheets from the Kidzone website. While you’re there, consider subscribing to Kidzone so you have fun for kids every week of the year! It would make a great Easter gift for the kids in your life.
Crucifixion and resurrection are two big words used a lot around Easter. Both are about the real meaning of Easter, which is Jesus dying and coming back to life.
Crucifixion refers to the way Jesus was killed. He was hung onto a cross (which looks like a lowercase t) and, in the Bible times, crucifying people was a common Roman punishment.
After Jesus died, he was laid into a tomb, which is a grave cut out of a large rock. A big stone was rolled across the entrance to seal the tomb so no one could steal Jesus’ body.
Jesus, however, because he is mighty and powerful, rose back to life and left the tomb. This is called his resurrection.
"But the man (an angel) said, ‘Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, the one who was killed on a cross. He has risen from death. He is not here. Look, here is the place they laid him,’” (Mark 16:6, ICB).
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Celebrating Easter with kids at your local Salvos
While we hope you enjoy the Easter activities from Kidzone, we also would love to invite you to celebrate Easter in person at your local Salvos – whether you are on your own or are looking for something for the kids in your life.
Throughout Australia, Salvation Army churches will be hosting Good Friday and Easter Sunday church services, some with tailored kids’ programs or family events. We also have churches that host kids’ programs throughout the year, so be sure to visit your local Salvos website or phone them for more information.