Holy Week is one of my favorite times of the year because we get to take the time to focus on Christ’s work on the cross and what it means for us. I’ve shared with y’all about simple ways to bring Jesus in to your child’s daily life here, but talking about Easter and what it means can be a bit more difficult. Christmas is easy with the baby Jesus and all of the manger scene and Jesse Tree activities. Death on a cross for the sin of humanity is slightly more difficult to discuss with preschoolers, am I right? One way we’ve made it personal for our kids this year is to create a thumbprint cross with each of them. Their unique thumbprint represents the personal nature of Jesus’ death and resurrection – that it means the possibility of real relationship with God and eternal life for them. Plus, they are super fun and easy to make.
I used the same baking soda dough recipe from our Easter egg ornaments and simply cut out the shape of a cross using a plastic knife. I used a straw to make a hole and then created a thumbprint with the help of each child. I painted the Pearl Girl’s for her and let the Bear go to town painting his. That boy loves to paint.
We read through the events of Holy Week in our Jesus Storybook Bible and talked about how what Jesus did on Easter wasn’t just a story, but a real event that means something for each of us. I shared that the cross is a representation of Jesus’ love for us, and our thumbprint means he loves us each just as and right where we are. We talk about how the bunnies and chicks and eggs we see everywhere for Easter are all pointing toward the new life we can have in Jesus. Everything we do to celebrate Easter points to His work on the cross and His love for us.
How do you teach your children about the meaning of Easter?
what a cute idea!!