When Easter rolls around each year, it can be easy (especially for children) to think about Easter as a fun Sunday morning, with new clothes and maybe an Easter basket filled with favorite candy and a new toy. But Easter is so much more than that – Easter is Resurrection Sunday! It is a day to joyfully celebrate Jesus’ gift to the whole world and what his resurrection from the dead means for those who follow him.
So how do we help our kids focus on the true meaning of Easter?
What’s in the Bible? and VeggieTales® creator Phil Vischer shares his ideas in the above video.
“To keep our kids focused on the real meaning of Easter … it’s important to expand Easter beyond just a day,” Vischer said.
He suggests expanding the conversation about Easter through all of Holy Week – or perhaps even all of Lent, if your church tradition observes that traditional 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter Sunday.
Vischer also shared about Church tradition when it comes to Easter.
“Easter really was Christmas,” he said. “It was the biggest holiday of the year for the early Church and it was also the centerpiece of the entire Church calendar.”
So as you prepare your family to celebrate on Easter Sunday, consider starting the conversation a few days earlier. “You want to start at least with Palm Sunday and talk through Holy Week,” Vischer said.
