Hide and Seek Easter Game

Here's one more fun, memorable way to teach your kids the true meaning of Easter.

All you need is a stuffed animal, doll, Playmobil figure to be Jesus and a tomb built out of couch pillows.

You first have your kids "take Jesus off the cross" and put Him in the tomb and then seal the tomb with a big rock, really another pillow.

Your kids are then to "go to sleep" and keep their eyes closed while you sneak Jesus out the back of the tomb and go and hide him.

When they "awake", your kids go to the tomb. One kid is an angel who rolls the stone away and announces the resurrection.

Everyone then goes searching throughout the house looking for Jesus. It's like hide and seek and the the kids ask to play over and over.

Here's our family playing, plus a neighbor friend.
My Anna made this video.

If you are getting this post in email, you will want to click the blue title of the post "Hide and Seek Easter Game" so you will be taken to my actual blog and you can watch the short video; that way you'll know exactly how to play (wink, wink).

Happy Easter from our family to yours!!
Be sure to click here for other fun Easter ideas, ideas from this year and last.

I'll be back Tues.

Hide and Seek Easter Game

Here's one more fun, memorable way to teach your kids the true meaning of Easter.

All you need is a stuffed animal, doll, Playmobil figure to be Jesus and a tomb built out of couch pillows.

You first have your kids "take Jesus off the cross" and put Him in the tomb and then seal the tomb with a big rock, really another pillow.

Your kids are then to "go to sleep" and keep their eyes closed while you sneak Jesus out the back of the tomb and go and hide him.

When they "awake", your kids go to the tomb. One kid is an angel who rolls the stone away and announces the resurrection.

Everyone then goes searching throughout the house looking for Jesus. It's like hide and seek and the the kids ask to play over and over.

Here's our family playing, plus a neighbor friend.
My Anna made this video.

If you are getting this post in email, you will want to click the blue title of the post "Hide and Seek Easter Game" so you will be taken to my actual blog and you can watch the short video; that way you'll know exactly how to play (wink, wink).

Happy Easter from our family to yours!!
Be sure to click here for other fun Easter ideas, ideas from this year and last.

I'll be back Tues.

Yummy Dessert Tells Easter Story aka Ressurection Rolls

Shannon emailed me this fun, memorable way she teaches her kids the true meaning of Easter. She makes Resurrection Rolls. We made this yummy dessert this weekend and the kids loved it. . loved making them, loved the symbolism, and loved the taste!

Ingredients needed:

Crescent Rolls, Large Marshmallows, Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture, and Butter (melted)

Directions:

1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus. The kids think this is pretty funny; a marshmallow is Jesus!!

2. Tell the kids that after Jesus was taken off the cross, his body was prepared to be buried. Dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.

3. Dip the marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. This represents the anointing spices.
4. Wrap the marshmallow (Jesus) in the crescent roll. This represents Joseph wrapping Jesus' body in a linen cloth after He died on the cross (Matthee 27:57-61). Don't do it like a typical crescent triangle. Instead, pull the edges up and seal it. Pinch it tightly together so the cloth does not pop open while baking.

Here is Jesus all wrapped up in the linen cloth. We did sprinkle some of the cinnamon mixture on top of the crescent roll dough. Tell your kids that this was the way Jews prepared bodies for burial in order to preserve them. Oh, but this was not needed for Jesus. . .if they only knew!!


5. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb. Pretend 10-12 minutes is really 3 days!! When the Ressurection Rolls come out of the oven (tomb), they look like this:


6. Let the rolls cool slightly. Let your kids open up the "cloth" and see that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN! The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed and hollow.

And as the kids eat their yummy dessert, read Matthew 28:5-8 and explain what a special time this was. Explain how Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel who told them not to be afraid, that Jesus had risen from the dead. And how the angel told them to go tell the disciples what they had seen. Can you imagine how excited they were? This is what we celebrate at Easter.

If you missed my other fun and memorable ways to teach the true meaning of Easter to your kids, click here and here. And also make sure you check in again tomorrow, where I will share a few more ideas.

And I am sharing this Easter treat over at the blog Mom's Crazy Cooking. Tina is having a linky party where bloggers can link up their recipes for Easter cookies and treats. Click here to check out some cute and yummy ideas.

Yummy Dessert Tells Easter Story aka Ressurection Rolls

Shannon emailed me this fun, memorable way she teaches her kids the true meaning of Easter. She makes Resurrection Rolls. We made this yummy dessert this weekend and the kids loved it. . loved making them, loved the symbolism, and loved the taste!

Ingredients needed:

Crescent Rolls, Large Marshmallows, Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture, and Butter (melted)

Directions:

1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus. The kids think this is pretty funny; a marshmallow is Jesus!!

2. Tell the kids that after Jesus was taken off the cross, his body was prepared to be buried. Dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.

3. Dip the marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. This represents the anointing spices.
4. Wrap the marshmallow (Jesus) in the crescent roll. This represents Joseph wrapping Jesus' body in a linen cloth after He died on the cross (Matthee 27:57-61). Don't do it like a typical crescent triangle. Instead, pull the edges up and seal it. Pinch it tightly together so the cloth does not pop open while baking.

Here is Jesus all wrapped up in the linen cloth. We did sprinkle some of the cinnamon mixture on top of the crescent roll dough. Tell your kids that this was the way Jews prepared bodies for burial in order to preserve them. Oh, but this was not needed for Jesus. . .if they only knew!!


5. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb. Pretend 10-12 minutes is really 3 days!! When the Ressurection Rolls come out of the oven (tomb), they look like this:


6. Let the rolls cool slightly. Let your kids open up the "cloth" and see that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN! The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed and hollow.

And as the kids eat their yummy dessert, read Matthew 28:5-8 and explain what a special time this was. Explain how Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel who told them not to be afraid, that Jesus had risen from the dead. And how the angel told them to go tell the disciples what they had seen. Can you imagine how excited they were? This is what we celebrate at Easter.

If you missed my other fun and memorable ways to teach the true meaning of Easter to your kids, click here and here. And also make sure you check in again tomorrow, where I will share a few more ideas.

And I am sharing this Easter treat over at the blog Mom's Crazy Cooking. Tina is having a linky party where bloggers can link up their recipes for Easter cookies and treats. Click here to check out some cute and yummy ideas.

Another Game to Teach an Easter Truth

Another game we play to celebrate Easter is Egg Bowling. This game, like the Egg Spoon Race I shared yesterday, teaches an Easter truth.

Supplies Needed:

masking tape
colored, plastic Easter eggs with bouncy balls in them (a different color for each player)
1 special plastic egg for the center, like a glittery egg or extra large egg

Directions:

Each player gets a plastic Easter egg (the ones with the bouncy balls in them; the balls help the eggs to roll). Tell kids to remember what color egg they have. Kids are to stand in circle around the one special Easter egg that you have placed in the center of the circle. Players take turns "bowling" to see who can roll their egg closest to the center egg.

Instead of Egg Bowling, you could play Egg Golf or Egg Hockey. You would just need a putter or a hockey stick.


After you have played this a few times, laughed, and had fun together as a family or as a neighborhood or as a Sunday School class, it is time for the zinger.

Ask the kids, "How many of us got to the egg perfectly"

Kids answer "No one. . only one person, etc."

Then you say:

"That is how it is in real life. No one is perfect.
The Bible says: 'For all have sinned (which means done wrong things) and fall short of the glory of God.' (Romans 3:23).
Only God is perfect. He is pure and holy. God has never done or said or even thought anything wrong. God hates wrong things (sin) and cannot allow them into His presence because He is perfect. And because we have all done wrong things and have sinned. Because we are not perfect and can't even work harder to get to perfect, God made a way for us to be forgiven and be with Him in perfect Heaven. That way is Jesus."

And you can just leave it at that or you can elaborate based on the kids' age and attention span. Again teaching zingers are big, abstract, glorious stuff so do not get overwhelmed that you have to present the whole Easter story or worried that your kids are not grasping it. You want exposure and little understandable bites. And the above is just that. You want your kids to remember that:

God is perfect. They are not perfect and will miss the mark (miss the egg in the center). But God has made a way for all of us to get to be with our pure, holy, perfect God. And that way is Jesus.

So tell me do you have any fun, memorable ways you teach your kids the true meaning of Easter?? Shoot me an email. leave a comment. I'd love to share your idea here on The Intentional Home.

Another Game to Teach an Easter Truth

Another game we play to celebrate Easter is Egg Bowling. This game, like the Egg Spoon Race I shared yesterday, teaches an Easter truth.

Supplies Needed:

masking tape
colored, plastic Easter eggs with bouncy balls in them (a different color for each player)
1 special plastic egg for the center, like a glittery egg or extra large egg

Directions:

Each player gets a plastic Easter egg (the ones with the bouncy balls in them; the balls help the eggs to roll). Tell kids to remember what color egg they have. Kids are to stand in circle around the one special Easter egg that you have placed in the center of the circle. Players take turns "bowling" to see who can roll their egg closest to the center egg.

Instead of Egg Bowling, you could play Egg Golf or Egg Hockey. You would just need a putter or a hockey stick.


After you have played this a few times, laughed, and had fun together as a family or as a neighborhood or as a Sunday School class, it is time for the zinger.

Ask the kids, "How many of us got to the egg perfectly"

Kids answer "No one. . only one person, etc."

Then you say:

"That is how it is in real life. No one is perfect.
The Bible says: 'For all have sinned (which means done wrong things) and fall short of the glory of God.' (Romans 3:23).
Only God is perfect. He is pure and holy. God has never done or said or even thought anything wrong. God hates wrong things (sin) and cannot allow them into His presence because He is perfect. And because we have all done wrong things and have sinned. Because we are not perfect and can't even work harder to get to perfect, God made a way for us to be forgiven and be with Him in perfect Heaven. That way is Jesus."

And you can just leave it at that or you can elaborate based on the kids' age and attention span. Again teaching zingers are big, abstract, glorious stuff so do not get overwhelmed that you have to present the whole Easter story or worried that your kids are not grasping it. You want exposure and little understandable bites. And the above is just that. You want your kids to remember that:

God is perfect. They are not perfect and will miss the mark (miss the egg in the center). But God has made a way for all of us to get to be with our pure, holy, perfect God. And that way is Jesus.

So tell me do you have any fun, memorable ways you teach your kids the true meaning of Easter?? Shoot me an email. leave a comment. I'd love to share your idea here on The Intentional Home.

Teach Real Meaning of Easter with Egg Spoon Race

I pulled out my Fat File on Easter. Over the next few days I will be sharing some fun and memorable ways Rob and I teach our kids the true meaning of Easter.

Because Easter baskets, egg hunts, and chocolate bunnies sometimes overshadow the true Easter story, Rob and I try to celebrate Easter with an activity every evening of the week leading up to Easter. Our hope is that these hands-on activities will make the true meaning of Easter "stick" with our kids.

Rob and I enjoy playing games with our kids and then using the game to teach a short lesson or what we like to call a"zinger". We have been known to take advantage of the teachable moments that games or crafts provide when all the neighborhood kids are over at our house. We also use this teaching technique in Sunday School.

For example, one game we play at Easter time is Egg on a Spoon Race.

Supplies needed for this game:

making tape or rope to mark lines
hardboiled eggs (one for every 2 people)
a spoon for every person (plastic spoons are fine!)

Directions:

For this game you need 2 lines. Each child needs a partner (so perhaps Mom and Dad will have to play too! or the neighbors!) The #1s line up on one line and the #2s line up on the other line. Partners need to be facing each other. Give each kid (#1 and #2) a spoon. Players #1 put a hardboiled egg on their spoon and race to the other line, to their partner where they will transfer the egg to their partner's spoon. Then Partner #2 will race to the other line. If the egg should fall, players must walk back to the line where they began and begin again. The first pair to get their Player #2 to the other line wins.

Now here is the teaching zinger. After you have played this game a few times and laughed and had fun, you ask your kids, "What do you think I should do with these broken eggs?"
Kids will give lots of answers. David always says, "Eat them!" But one kid will say, "Throw Away." And that is when you jump in with the zinger.

You say, "A lot of times we are like these broken eggs. A lot of times our hearts are all dirty and yucky. What things make our hearts dirty and yucky?"

Kids will say "lying, stealing, disobeying, being selfish, etc."

And you continue on with "Some would say that because we have done these bad things, we are no good and should be thrown out. But Jesus loves you and He is very good at taking broken things and putting them back together again. Jesus is really good at taking those yucky things out of our heart and replacing then with good things."

So in 2 minutes you have taught some big, abstract, glorious truth!!

Do not get overwhelmed that you have to present the whole Easter story or worried that your kids are not grasping the point. The goal is to expose your kids and give them little understanable bites.

And when Easter has passed. . .
and the chocolate bunny's head has been bitten off. . .
and Easter grass remnants are being found throughout the house. . .

the truth that Jesus loves your kids (and you!) even when they are broken and do bad things will be remembered. Now that is Easter!

I posted this idea at Censational Girl's and Someday Crafts' Easter Link Up Party. Check them out here and here. Easter recipes, crafts, decor, and ideas galore!

Teach Real Meaning of Easter with Egg Spoon Race

I pulled out my Fat File on Easter. Over the next few days I will be sharing some fun and memorable ways Rob and I teach our kids the true meaning of Easter.

Because Easter baskets, egg hunts, and chocolate bunnies sometimes overshadow the true Easter story, Rob and I try to celebrate Easter with an activity every evening of the week leading up to Easter. Our hope is that these hands-on activities will make the true meaning of Easter "stick" with our kids.

Rob and I enjoy playing games with our kids and then using the game to teach a short lesson or what we like to call a"zinger". We have been known to take advantage of the teachable moments that games or crafts provide when all the neighborhood kids are over at our house. We also use this teaching technique in Sunday School.

For example, one game we play at Easter time is Egg on a Spoon Race.

Supplies needed for this game:

making tape or rope to mark lines
hardboiled eggs (one for every 2 people)
a spoon for every person (plastic spoons are fine!)

Directions:

For this game you need 2 lines. Each child needs a partner (so perhaps Mom and Dad will have to play too! or the neighbors!) The #1s line up on one line and the #2s line up on the other line. Partners need to be facing each other. Give each kid (#1 and #2) a spoon. Players #1 put a hardboiled egg on their spoon and race to the other line, to their partner where they will transfer the egg to their partner's spoon. Then Partner #2 will race to the other line. If the egg should fall, players must walk back to the line where they began and begin again. The first pair to get their Player #2 to the other line wins.

Now here is the teaching zinger. After you have played this game a few times and laughed and had fun, you ask your kids, "What do you think I should do with these broken eggs?"
Kids will give lots of answers. David always says, "Eat them!" But one kid will say, "Throw Away." And that is when you jump in with the zinger.

You say, "A lot of times we are like these broken eggs. A lot of times our hearts are all dirty and yucky. What things make our hearts dirty and yucky?"

Kids will say "lying, stealing, disobeying, being selfish, etc."

And you continue on with "Some would say that because we have done these bad things, we are no good and should be thrown out. But Jesus loves you and He is very good at taking broken things and putting them back together again. Jesus is really good at taking those yucky things out of our heart and replacing then with good things."

So in 2 minutes you have taught some big, abstract, glorious truth!!

Do not get overwhelmed that you have to present the whole Easter story or worried that your kids are not grasping the point. The goal is to expose your kids and give them little understanable bites.

And when Easter has passed. . .
and the chocolate bunny's head has been bitten off. . .
and Easter grass remnants are being found throughout the house. . .

the truth that Jesus loves your kids (and you!) even when they are broken and do bad things will be remembered. Now that is Easter!

I posted this idea at Censational Girl's and Someday Crafts' Easter Link Up Party. Check them out here and here. Easter recipes, crafts, decor, and ideas galore!