Keeping Christ a Part of Easter

It can be tough to keep Christ a part of Easter with all the egg hunts, bunny crafts, and candy distracting us. But if we’re deliberate, we can place an emphasis on Christ while still participating in the more commercial parts of the holiday. Here are some tips for keeping Christ a part of Easter and teaching kids the true meaning of Easter Sunday.

Easter is such a fun time of year! Around here, we love to decorate Easter eggs, eat Cadbury eggs for breakfast (wait, what? I never do that 😳), and do bunny themed crafts. But while all of that is fun and good, it doesn’t get to the heart of why Easter is around in the first place.

The True Meaning of Easter

I’m all about the “fun” side of Easter and I don’t think we have to shun those things in order to teach our kids the true meaning of Easter. But I do believe we need to be deliberate in the way we approach this holiday and the activities we plan. We can’t do all the crafts and Easter eggs and candy and Easter bunny stuff and then expect our kids to understand why we celebrate Easter. We have to teach them and place emphasis on what’s really important.

[bctt tweet=”We can’t do all the crafts and Easter eggs and candy and then expect our kids to understand why we celebrate Easter. We have to teach them and place emphasis on what’s really important.” username=”colormyhappy”]

So amidst all the crafts and candy, here are a few suggestions to keep Christ at the heart of your Easter:

1. Tell the Easter story in various ways.

Read the story right from the scriptures. Act it out. Watch videos about it. Print out coloring sheets of Christ and have the kids color while they watch.

Cut out objects symbolizing specific parts of the Easter story, have your kids color them and put them on popsicle sticks, then have them tell YOU the story using their “puppets.”

Put a small object symbolizing a part of the Easter story inside some Easter eggs and have your kids pull one out, then talk about it. You could do one each night leading up to Easter, or do it all in one sitting. We did this once two days in a row, and by the third day, our three year old was able to tell US the story!

Get creative and tell the story often throughout the week leading up to Easter, then on Easter Sunday, see if your kids can tell you the story themselves.

2. Talk about Christ and the role He plays in your life.

Talk to your kids about Christ. Bear your testimony of Him. Tell your kids what He means to you. Talk about what it means to live a Christlike life. Have your kids write down or share their testimonies of Him.

The week before Easter, have everyone write down something they want to work on to be more Christlike throughout that week, then on Easter, talk about what you learned.

As a family, make a list of reasons you’re grateful for Christ. Or a list of Christlike attributes. Or a list of ways you can show Him you love HIm.

Have an open discussion. Ask your kids if they have any questions about Jesus, His life, or what it means to follow Him. Then answer them. Spend time talking about it.

If we want our kids to live Christlike lives, we have to make Him a part of our homes. Talking about Him often and openly will help develop this.

3. Easter bunny vs. Christ: find what works for your family.

I know a lot of people struggle with the Easter bunny thing because it detracts from the true meaning of Easter. It’s just like Santa and Christmas, but I feel like it’s magnified because Christmas is practically a whole month long, so there’s plenty of time to devote to both aspects. But Easter is usually celebrated for a much shorter period of time and to a much lesser extent, which makes it a tougher balance.

Talk with your spouse about the issue. How do you both feel? Try to get on the same page. There are plenty of things you can do to separate the two. Here a few suggestions:

• Have the Easter bunny visit your house on Friday night and do your Easter egg hunts on Saturday, leaving Sunday free to devote to Christ.
• Have the Easter Bunny bring gospel related things like a new Bible picture book or a picture of Christ.
• Don’t do Easter egg hunts or search for Easter baskets until after you’ve gone to church or told the Easter story as a family.
• Place less emphasis on the Easter bunny. Don’t talk about him. Don’t go visit him at the mall. Just have it be a side-note sort of thing. You could even have Easter baskets be from you rather than the bunny.

Overall, do what you feel is best for your family. I don’t think it has to be one or the other–we can have both! But it is definitely important that our kids know and understand the true meaning of Easter. After all, without Christ, there would be no holiday.

How do you keep Christ a part of Easter in your home? Let me know in the comments below!

If you found this post helpful, share it on social media!

Britney is a wife and mom with a passion for helping other women see the good inside of them. She loves podcasts, polka dots, and dancing around the kitchen with her family.