Kids Activities for Easter

Holy Week is upon us and I've been trying to think of ways to show my daughter, nephews and Goddaughter the true meaning of Easter without beating it over their heads. Here's a great way that my friends Stacey from MOPS shared.

Sometimes referred to as the jelly bean poem, this simple activity is great for encouraging kids to talk about Easter. When the kids look at the jelly beans, you ask them what the colors might mean about Easter. They always have a lot of answers, but guiding them to the answers in the poem below give the true meaning of Easter. You can print a copy of the poem to put in their Easter baskets with a bag of jelly beans in each color of the story.

Poem:
Red is for the blood He gave,
Green is for the grass He made,
Yellow is for the sun so bright,
Orange is for the edge of night.
Black is for the sins we made,
White is for the grace He gave,
Purple is for His hour of sorrow,
Pink is for our new tomorrow.

A handful of jelly beans, simple, colorful and sweet, remind us of the reasons He makes our life so complete.

Another kids activity to try is to bring meaning to everything in the Easter basket. You can use old, raggedy baskets or even a box to explain that when Jesus came his birthplace was alot like our box or basket. Nothing new, nothing pretty- an old stable. Then put grass in it to remind your family of the manger hay Jesus slept in. Use candy animals to signify His birth surrounded by animals. Add a cross to symbolize Jesus dying on the cross and talk about His wonderful life, then His death. But then focus on the eggs, which bring new life. Just as Jesus' death was awful and sad, it brought new life to all who believe. I love the eggs! Some folks even add a random thing or two -- one family says they had a rooster in their basket and the kids remembered the rooster crowing and Peter denying Him. There are many lessons we can learn and teach our children from everyday life.

Have a wonderful, blessed Easter. Until the next nap time...