With all of the excitement over the Easter bunny or Easter eggs, it’s all too easy for kids to get distracted from the real reason why we celebrate Easter – Jesus! Over the years, my husband and I have tried quite a few different ways to have a Christ-centered Easter that highlights the gospel message.

What better gift could we give our family than a better understanding of what Easter is truly about?

Here are a few of the resources we love for maintaining a Christ-centered Easter:

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1. The Lamb by John Cross

This beautifully illustrated book works as a year-round resource, but we’ve found that its gospel message is especially poignant for both children and adults during the Lent and Easter season. The Lamb is a chronological, creation-to-Christ approach to the Bible that helps readers understand the significance of the Passover Lamb and why Jesus’ death on the cross was necessary.

The gospel message is central to the book, so we like to start it well before Easter and read a chapter a week! You could also read a chapter a day leading up to Easter Sunday. This year, we are even using it as our Children’s Church curriculum since each chapter contains discussion questions at the end. If you can’t tell by now, I really love this book. Aside from the Bible, you really can’t find a better Christ-centered Easter resource. 🙂

 

2. Resurrection Eggs

I actually discovered this delightful way of telling the Easter story via pinterest several years ago, and it has since become a yearly tradition that our four children look forward to. With my background in education, I really appreciate the interactive teaching method that gets the kids involved in discovering the story for themselves. And for our special needs guy, being able to touch the symbolic objects helps the lesson to sink in even deeper. For those reasons, Resurrection Eggs are probably my second favorite Christ-centered Easter resource.

We’ve also used these eggs as part of our church’s Easter egg hunt. We hide them with the regular eggs, then use them to teach the Gospel by having the children who found them bring them up one at a time. It’s a really fun way to keep kids engaged.

And the best part is that if the budget is tight, you can actually make them yourself! Find examples here on my Christ-centered Easter pinterest board.

 

3. The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story by Mike Berenstain

Because we love the Berenstain Bears, we bought this book a few years ago on sale. I was happy to see how the book addressed the commercialism of Easter in a way that children can easily understand. This is another solid addition to our Christ-centered Easter library!

4. Veggietales: An Easter Carol

Another favorite in our home is any and all things having to do with Veggietales! We love the funny voices, quirky characters, and silly storylines, but most of all we love how these veggies teach us biblical truth. Pick up this dvd to add to your Christ-centered Easter resources, and your children will learn once again that Easter is about so much more than bunnies.

And if you love Veggietales as much as you do, you might also want to check out ‘Twas the Night Before Easter.

5. Praying the Promises of the Cross

As much as I love the family-oriented Easter books and movies listed above, many parents long for a little more meat to dig into when it comes to having a Christ-centered Easter.  If that’s you, then you’ll want to consider this downloadable, printable resource – a 40-day journey of praying God’s promises that is specifically targeted to point you to the cross.  This is the perfect devotional to lead up to Easter Sunday!

 

Each day includes a brief devotional to read, as well as a scripture to read, write, and pray over. You can write your prayer right in the journal space provided. What better way to prepare your heart for Easter than to spend time in the Word and in prayer? 🙂

6. Easter Scavenger Hunt

My friend Arabah Joy has spent many years creating discipleship resources for all ages, and this is one that she shares for free over at her blog. This photo-scavenger hunt combines scripture with the fun of searching for objects both indoors and outdoors. It’s a unique resource for helping children to actively discover the power of the Easter story for themselves.

Just follow this link over to Arabah Joy’s place to print out a copy for each child and you are ready to go.

This stress-free, Christ-centered Easter resource is a quick and simple way for parents to remind their children of what really matters this Easter!

 

Make the most of Easter by teaching your family more about Jesus Christ this year!

Jen 🙂

Check out this great list for more ideas on how to celebrate Easter with your family!