The Importance of Celebrating Easter
For Christians, Easter is one of the most sacred times of the year. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a clear reminder of the unconditional love of Jesus and God for the human race, and is an essential story to add into your children’s ministry curriculum. While many young Sunday school members may be vaguely familiar with the Easter story, it is often effective to break down Bible stories into smaller portions when ministering to kids.
Although there is only thought to be one Easter Bible story, this overarching story can be broken down into four key sections for leaders and volunteers to base their curriculum on. In the weeks leading up to the Easter weekend, you can base your lessons around each of these Bible story subsections so that they can be discussed in greater detail to improve the children’s understanding of Easter. Plus, this curriculum plan creates more opportunities for fun Easter activities such as crafts and family church videos. To learn more about stories to include in your Easter curriculum, keep reading...
Easter Bible Stories
The Last Supper
The Last Supper is often considered the beginning of the Easter story, so it makes the perfect introductory lesson to your Easter curriculum. Thought to have taken place just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, it is during the Last Supper that Jesus foretold the betrayal at the hands of one of his disciples, which would lead to His death and resurrection.
Young children may be unsure why church members take communion by way of eating bread and drinking wine or juice at Easter, so the story of the Last Supper helps to explain the meaning behind this act. Involve kids by preparing bread and any kind of red-colored drink, such as cranberry juice, and taking the time to collectively thank Christ for redeeming us from our sins.
Judas Betrays Jesus
Judas, one of the 12 original disciples of Jesus, is infamous in the Bible for turning Christ in to religious authorities in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. It is important for children to learn the story of Judas, as it was his actions that set into motion the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, which is the foundation of Easter as we know it.
Although the Bible suggests various reasons for Judas betraying Jesus, this story should be a key part of your ministry’s Easter curriculum, as it encourages children to consider the importance of staying faithful to Jesus. This story brings about the perfect opportunity for discussion questions, so encourage participation from children by asking them their thoughts on Judas’s actions, and what we can do to stay faithful and close to Jesus.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The death of Christ is one of the most well-known parts of the Easter story and explains the iconic cross symbol seen in churches across the world. After being betrayed by Judas and put on trial for alleged blasphemy, Jesus was condemned to death by Roman governor Pontius Pilate. He was left to die on the cross as part of God’s divine plan to save humanity before rising from the dead on Easter Sunday.
This story is one of the more harrowing parts of Bible study classes, so make the lesson easier for children by including creative activities such as this simple Easter cross craft which combines both contemporary Easter imagery with traditional symbolism. Plus, children can take their crafts home to their parents where they can then discuss what they have learned about Easter.
The Resurrection of Jesus
Arguably the most celebrated Easter story, the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday is one of the main pillars of the Christian faith, and is an excellent story to plan your final Easter lesson around. According to the New Testament, Jesus’s tomb was found empty on Easter Sunday by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James, who discovered that Christ had risen from the dead.
Through His resurrection, Jesus demonstrated that He had brought salvation from sin, assuring us that our future is secure. This is the biggest reason that we celebrate Easter, so be sure to include this story in your kid’s ministry curriculum to help them understand why this occasion is so important. To complement your lesson, our guide to The Top 10 Bible Story Videos to Use in Your Kids Ministry includes a child-friendly video on the life and death of Jesus which is sure to help consolidate Easter learning and leave kids feeling secure in their knowledge of Jesus’s resurrection.
Store your Curriculum with Playlister
After you’ve planned out your Easter curriculum, you need a way to store and share all of your resources, making it easier for your volunteers to follow the lesson plans. Playlister provides a place for you to store all of your church media so that everything will be accessible when staff members enter the classroom.
You can schedule when the pre-built lesson appears in the classroom, and volunteers can instantly import media files, such as videos, to save time and eliminate the need for endless USB sticks. This means that group leaders can focus on supporting young church members in their learning, rather than worrying about working with unreliable and outdated software.
We understand that teaching young church-goers about complicated topics such as Easter can feel like a difficult task, but with the help of a solid curriculum and reliable church software, you’re sure to feel confident in your ability to educate children about their faith and help bring them closer to God. Begin preparing for Easter now and enjoy ministry success with Playlister!