Our Christ-centered Easter 2016
As we approached Easter this year, we overheard lots of disturbing comments from our kids. "Mom, can you tell the Easter bunny to get me ______", "I can't wait to see what toys the Easter bunny is bringing me", "We're going to get SO MUCH candy from the Easter egg hunt!!"
Dave and I kept trying to remind the kids that Easter was not about toys and candy and bunnies. But the kids just brushed us off and ran of to write lists of all the things they were excited to get from the Easter Bunny.
We decided something had to change and it was time for an object lesson. One they would *feel* and hopefully remember.
Our plan ended up having 4 phases, and overall was quite successful!
"Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen"
A picture of Christ was on the other side of the card.
When the kids woke up in the morning they were SO excited to go find their baskets and see what cool stuff they got. And they were SO mad and upset when they found them empty. To be fair, K totally guessed what was going on and tried to remind everyone else to be happy and to remember that Easter wasn't about all that stuff. B was just excited for the hide-and-seek of the baskets. And W slept through the whole thing. But the other 5 were MAD.
In case you care (but mostly for journaling purposes), here's the video of them finding their baskets.
We had church at 9am, so we went to church before moving on to any of the other phases. And actually, by the time we got home from church, picked up the house, ate lunch, and Dave had his 1pm meeting, the kids seemed to have forgotten all about their empty baskets, and the fact that it was still Easter.
Dave and I kept trying to remind the kids that Easter was not about toys and candy and bunnies. But the kids just brushed us off and ran of to write lists of all the things they were excited to get from the Easter Bunny.
We decided something had to change and it was time for an object lesson. One they would *feel* and hopefully remember.
Our plan ended up having 4 phases, and overall was quite successful!
Phase 1 - The empty tomb.
Our kids asked that the Easter bunny hide their baskets. That seemed like a fair request, so after the kids went to bed I hid their empty baskets. At the bottom of each of their baskets was a single card.
"Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen"
A picture of Christ was on the other side of the card.
When the kids woke up in the morning they were SO excited to go find their baskets and see what cool stuff they got. And they were SO mad and upset when they found them empty. To be fair, K totally guessed what was going on and tried to remind everyone else to be happy and to remember that Easter wasn't about all that stuff. B was just excited for the hide-and-seek of the baskets. And W slept through the whole thing. But the other 5 were MAD.
In case you care (but mostly for journaling purposes), here's the video of them finding their baskets.
We had church at 9am, so we went to church before moving on to any of the other phases. And actually, by the time we got home from church, picked up the house, ate lunch, and Dave had his 1pm meeting, the kids seemed to have forgotten all about their empty baskets, and the fact that it was still Easter.
Phase 2
After lunch, meetings, and pickup, we gathered in the family room and watched The Lamb of God. I know it's a bit older, but it does a great job of depicting the crucifixion, and shows the empty tomb. The kids had also watched a short clip of the resurrection in Primary, so they knew what came next.
After the video, we had a discussion on the Atonement and the Resurrection. We talked about what the Atonement and Resurrection were, and why they are so important. Two scriptures were super important in our discussion:
Moses 1:39 - For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
2 Nephi 25:10 - Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.
We pointed out that immortality means never dying. And because of Christ's resurrection, we will all be resurrected, which will fulfill part of God's work. And eternal life means living with God again, and becoming like him. Through the Atonement, if we repent, we have the opportunity to have eternal life, which is the second part of God's work.
Therefore, Easter is the celebration of the most important events in the history of the universe, that provide the possibility of fulfilling God's work, and bringing Him glory. Without the atonement and resurrection, there would be nothing. Just emptiness. Just like the baskets they found that morning.
After a great discussion we handed out these bookmarks I made the night before (I love having awesome tools!).
The kids were actually really excited about the bookmarks and thought the way the two scriptures worked together was really cool. I think they would have been content with Easter at this point.
Phase 3
But the tomb was empty for a reason. Christ LIVES. He was resurrected to provide the opportunity for us to experience true JOY. And we are parents. We love our children and want them to experience happiness also. And for kids, happiness often comes with toys, candy, and prizes.
So, we gave the kids the keys to the basement, and sent them down to find their (very small) surprises.
There was a small bag of goodies for each kid, along with a bag of stuffed Easter eggs for phase 4.
Each bag had a small notebook, a pencil with the Primary theme on it, a tube of bubbles, 2-3 pieces of sidewalk chalk, a Reester Bunny, and a CTR ring (W didn't get a ring though).
Each bag had a small notebook, a pencil with the Primary theme on it, a tube of bubbles, 2-3 pieces of sidewalk chalk, a Reester Bunny, and a CTR ring (W didn't get a ring though).
Here's another video of them finding their surprises. They were all so excited, and very grateful, even though the goody bags had much less than they were hoping for.
Phase 4
Easter should be a time of joy. Most of that joy for children does involve traditions that do not directly relate to the Atonement and resurrection. So, after our wonderful discussion, and their goody bags, Dave and I hid 6 dozen plastic eggs in our backyard and let the kids go find them.
They each got 9 eggs. They were so excited with the candy and the joy of the hunt. At the end, I asked them what Easter was about. They all started yelling out answers, and within 3 seconds I heard "Jesus Christ", "The Atonement", "The Resurrection". No mention of candy, egg hunts, toys, presents, or the Easter bunny.
Mission: Accomplished.
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