Yes, this is my second Easter post in less than a week. I can't help it. I love this holiday!!! I mean, COME ON! What could be better to celebrate than the resurrection of our Savior!!! And just as I mentioned in my previous post (which is also full of craft ideas), I really think we should give Easter the same attention that we give to Christmas. After all, if the Resurrection had never happened, then Christmas would be meaningless!
At Christmas, we often do Jesse trees or other Advent activities that count down to Christmas day with stories about Jesus' lineage and His birth. Why not do that at Easter with stories about Jesus' life? So here's another GREAT idea to help you celebrate Easter for more than just one day:
The 12 Days of Easter Countdown!
Now, I am freely admitting that this was not my idea. I'm not that brilliant. But I am brilliant enough to search the web! ;) And that's where I found this idea. If you click the link above, it will take you to the original blog post that I found with activities or crafts for each day. But, being the hard worker that I am, I decided to do a little more digging and find even more activities, crafts, and snack ideas for the 12 days. - That way you have several to choose from. (I love having lots of choices!) This way, you can pick the activities that are best for you and your child. If you have any other ideas that you think would go along with these 12 Days of Easter PLEASE post them in the comments section! I would LOVE to see them!!!
So, without further ado, I will list the 12 Days below - along with all of the activities and crafts that I have thought of or found that could be appropriate.
Day 12 - "The Name of Jesus"
A.) Playdoh Activity - Read Luke 1:26-38 to your child. Talk about Jesus' name and what it means. Talk about the meaning of your child's name. How did they get their name? Who were they named after? What does their name mean? Then read Philippians 2:10 and talk about the power of Jesus' name. Use the playdoh so spell out J-E-S-U-S.
B.) Try this Optical Illusion Craft - all you need is 10 popsicle sticks and some glue!
C.) Make a Jesus Suncatcher - all you need is a clear sheet of transparency paper for each child, permanent markers in different colors, a hole punch, yarn and scissors.
Read Isaiah 7:14. Ask what "Immanuel" means. Discuss the meaning. Give each child a piece of transparency paper. Let them write "Immanuel" or "Jesus" on the paper with the markers and then decorate the rest of the sheet. Punch a hole at the top of the paper and tie a piece of yarn into a loop to hang your suncatcher in the window (or just tape it to the window).
Day 11 - "Jesus Feed the Five Thousand"
A.) Swedish Fish and Cracker Activity - Read Matthew 14, Luke 9 or John 6 to the kids. Give them 5 crackers and 2 fish and discuss the story.
B.) Make a Loaves and Fishes Necklace - All you need is a piece of yarn, some paper or cardstock (for the fish), and ziti or macaroni pasta!
C.) Make a Loaves and Fishes Snack - Back sugar cookies into squares or rectangles. Give each child a cookie, a spoon full of frosting, and 2 Swedish Fish or 2 goldfish crackers. Have them spread the frosting on the cookies and place the fish on top. Let them eat their snack while you read them the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand.
Gather a bunch of your child’s stuffed animals, a basket, a bag of croutons or crackers (for the loaves) and a bag of goldfish crackers (for the fishes). Pour all the croutons (except for 5) and all the fishes (except for 2) into the basket and then cover them up with a paper towel or napkin. Place the final 5 loaves and 2 fishes on top of the towel. Explain to your kids what you are going to do. Tell them the story, and as you tell it, begin “feeding” the stuffed animals. Remove the napkin without them seeing (if possible) or just reach under it and pull out more loaves ad fishes. About halfway through “feeding” the animals, stop and say, “Wait! Weren’t there just 5 loaves and 2 fishes?” Reiterate how Jesus performed a miracle and all the people were fed. J
Day 10 - "Jesus Calms the Storm"
A.) Toy Boat Activity - Read the story in Matthew 8, Mark 4 or Luke 8 and talk about why this is so amazing. Place your toy boat in the bathtub and try to calm it instantly, which can’t be done.
B.) Paper Plate Sail Boat - Create a sail boat to remind kids of the story of Jesus walking on the water. Cut a paper plate in half and ask the kids to color it. Tape a triangle to a straw and tape the straw to the paper plate to serve as a sail. Write "I trust Jesus" on the front of the boat.
C.) Make a Storm in a Bottle - You can make a large craft using a 2-liter bottle; you can also have the kids make their own individual crafts by using 16-ounce soda or water bottles. The bottles should be cleaned first. Print out one copy of a picture of Jesus calming the storm for each child to color with crayons or markers. Seal the picture in between two layers of clear contact paper so the paper will not be damaged. Insert the picture into the bottle; fill the bottle halfway with water and halfway with vegetable or baby oil. To make it really look like the ocean, you can add a drop or two of blue food coloring and let the children shake away to mix the ingredients and cause a storm.
D.) Make an Ocean in a Bag
Day 9 - "Jesus Heals the Blind Man"
A.) Blindfold Game - Lead the kids in a few activities with the blindfold on. Talk about how hard it would be to live life that way and how you’d feel if you were healed. Read about the healing in John 9. Note how the blind man reacted when Jesus told him who He was. How does God reveal Himself in our lives… how should we react.
B.) Before and After Puppet Craft - A simple paper plate stick puppet gives children a hands-on visual for retelling the story of Jesus healing the blind man. Draw faces on the back of two paper plates; or use craft materials such as wiggly eyes, yarn hair, and buttons to create the faces. One side should have closed eyes or flaps over the eyes to represent the blind man. The other side has open, seeing eyes to represent the healed man. Tape a large craft stick or paint stirrer to the inside of one plate and staple the two plates together around the rim with the faces facing out so they appear alternately by flipping the puppet on the stick.
C.) Mud Painting - Jesus instructed the blind man to put mud on his eyes and wash them in the river. When the man obeyed, his sight was restored. Children can finger paint with chocolate pudding to get a feel for the consistency of mud and act out the story as you read. Give them a picture of a face outline and tell them to spread "mud" on the eyes when you read that part. When the man washes in the river and receives his sight, ask the children to wipe the "mud" away and shout, "Thank you Jesus! I can see!"
B.) Make a Foot-Washing Apron - Take a 12-by-18-inch piece of sturdy cotton cloth and attach 20-inch ties on either side of the widest length, or purchase solid-colored, inexpensive aprons at a craft store. Print the scripture reference along the top of the apron and “Jesus, wash me” on the bottom edge. Prepare pans of tempera paint and place the aprons on the floor on top of plastic dropcloths or layers of newspaper. Have the children step barefoot into the pans and then step on the apron to leave footprints on the apron. Wash the paint off the children's feet and explain why Jesus believed the disciples should serve one another. Let the aprons dry. Alternatively, draw around the child’s feet with a permanent marker and let him color the footprint with a marker or paint.
C.) Decorate a piece of construction or typing paper with footprint stickers.
D.) Make a Foot Washing Kit - Encourage the kids to remember Jesus' example by making foot washing kits. Provide the children with a small box or bag they can decorate with stickers, markers or crayons. One possibility includes drawing or stamping footprints on the box or bag. Give each child a washrag, a small bar of fragrant soup or a small bottle of liquid soap, a small bowl or a recycled margarine container for water and a child’s apron. Remind the children that Jesus said those who had bathed only needed to have their feet washed to be clean -- John 13:10.
E.) Make a Service Tray - Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as one example of serving others. Children can think of many ways to serve. Give kids a bamboo tray to use as a service tray. Allow them to decorate the tray with markers, paint, stickers or stamped footprints. Have them suggest ways to use the tray, such as to bring their mom a snack or carry their eating utensils and napkins to the table. Remind the class to think of something they can to do to serve someone with kindness each day.
Day 7 - "Mary Magdalene and the Perfume"
A.) Sample Perfume or Scented Lotion - Read the story of Mary pouring the perfume on Jesus’ feet from John 12. Talk about how expensive this was back then and what a big deal it was for her to do it. Discuss some other things are important to us now and how we can give them as an offering to God.... time, money etc.
B.) Make Clothespin Dolls - In this activity the children make small figurines of Jesus and Mary so they can act out the scene from the Bible in their own puppet show or diorama. Clothespins are used for the bodies of the puppets. The children can then glue scraps of material to the clothespins to make the clothing and use markers to draw the faces of the Jesus and Mary figures. If the children want to put the clothespin puppets in a diorama, they can paint the inside of an empty shoebox to create a setting for their scene.
C.) Make a Washing Bowl - Give each child a small ball of air-drying clay. Have them fashion a bowl Mary could use to hold the oil for anointing Jesus's feet. Depending on the children's age, they can roll the ball of clay till it turns into a long rope they can coil into a bowl shape or they can simply press their thumbs into the center of the ball of clay to make an indention. Once the clay has dried, the children can paint their bowls using acrylic paint.
Day 6 - "The Rich Young Ruler"
A.) Four Quarters Activity - Talk about what they’d like to do with the 4 quarters. Read the story Jesus tells of the rich young ruler from Matthew 19 or Luke 12 and then Acts 20:35 when Jesus says it is better to give than to receive. Now revisit the quarters and talk about what they’d like to do with the 4 quarters.
B.) Putting coins into a bank – This is a good grasping/pincher activity for toddlers
C.) Coin sorting activity - For older children, you could do a coin sorting game. Give them a handful of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, and 4 bowls (one for each type of coin). Time them and see how fast they can sort all the coins into the right bowls.
Day 5 - "Jesus Visits Zacchaeus"
A.) Make a Pom Tree - Tell the story of Zacchaeus while making this tree.
B.) Make Binoculars - Create binoculars with two toilet paper rolls wrapped with tape. Tape an image of Jesus somewhere in the room out of immediate sight. Explain how Zacchaeus searched for Jesus, but couldn't find him so he climbed into the tree. Let the children use their binoculars to look for the picture of Jesus and wait for them to find it. Ask the children if they had difficulty finding the picture and explain how hard it was for Zacchaeus as well because of his sin. Explain how Jesus found Zacchaeus and forgave him.
C.) Make a Zacchaeus Tree Snack - All you need is some giant marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and some green marshmallow peeps! :)
F.) Don't have lots of supplies? Wanna make something with your little one? Have some cereal? Make a cross out of Fruit Loops!
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