Holy Week & Easter for Children & Families
Many of us want to make Holy Week (the days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday) more meaningful for our families. These are among the most important days in the church calendar, yet schedules, young children, and length of services might prevent us from attending worship services. Additionally, this season of social distancing and self-isolation keeps us all away from gathering with our church communities in person. Here are a few ideas for families of all sizes and ages to connect to these holy days with just a few minutes each evening. If you find that three nights of activities are too many, simply pick the one activity that resonates the most with you and start there!
Maundy Thursday
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Matthew 26:26-28
Maundy Thursday is the day we remember Jesus’s final meal with his disciples, the Last Supper, which forms the basis of communion at our worship services. At a Maundy Thursday worship service, the altar is stripped of every single item in preparation for the sacrifice that Jesus is about to make on our behalf. Also, because Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, members of the clergy wash the feet of churchgoers to symbolize the message of love and service to others. Here are some activities you can do at home to mirror this service:
Stripping of the Altar at Home: Clean off the dining room or kitchen table and keep it bare (except for meals) until the Easter decorations go up Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Also, take down or drape with a towel or scarf any crosses or other religious symbols around the house.
Foot Washing: Have a family footwashing. Take turns washing one another’s feet as an act of love and service.
Creating a Prayer Garden: Create a prayer garden in the yard, weather permitting, or inside in a terrarium or on a plate. Gather items (rocks, twigs, moss, early flowers, etc.) from the yard or found on family walks. You can lay a bowl or small terra cotta pot sideways to symbolize the tomb.
Play-dough Mats and a Jigsaw Puzzle: There are two great play-dough mats and a Last Supper jigsaw puzzle at Flame Children’s Ministry. There is also a communion coloring sheet.
Ideas adapted from “Holy Week at Home: Family Practices for the Triduum” by Jerusalem Greer on buildfaith.org (March 30, 2015).
Good Friday
“…‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” Matthew 27:46
Good Friday is the day when Jesus dies on the cross. The worship service for Good Friday is solemn—we hear the story of Jesus’s death, we pray, and we read Psalm 22: “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is a day of sacrifice. Some people walk, either literally in church or figuratively through words or images, the Stations of the Cross, which tell the story of Jesus’s journey to the cross. It is important to remember, though, that this isn’t the end of the story! Here are some activities you can do at home to participate in this experience:
Stations of the Cross: There are several Stations of the Cross available for viewing online, including this LEGO version on YouTube. There is a Stations of the Cross to color from a church in Tulsa, and we also have a version adapted for home use here. We love the Stations of the Cross from Illustrated Ministry, available for purchase (if you are from St. Peter’s we have bought them— let me know if you want a copy!)
Technology Darkness: Good Friday services often end in darkness and silence, leaving us to imagine our lives in the aftermath of Jesus’s death. If you can, go 24 hours without technology or devices. If not, try to go from noon to bedtime on Friday. Make a connection with how lost, disconnected, and possibly frustrated you are, and how the disciples must have felt after witnessing Jesus’s crucifixion.
Creating a Paschal Candle: In churches, a new Paschal Candle is lit at Easter, representing the light of Christ in the world. Find a candle at home, perhaps one in a glass jar, and decorate it as a family. Light it on Easter and at other special times, like baptismal anniversaries, throughout the year.
Coloring Sheets and Play-dough Mats: There is a Good Friday play-dough mat and a John 3:16 coloring page from Flame Children’s Ministry.
Ideas adapted from “Holy Week at Home: Family Practices for the Triduum” by Jerusalem Greer on buildfaith.org (March 30, 2015) and “Interactive Holy Week for Children” by Anne-Marie Miller on buildfaith.org (February 24, 2020).
Easter
“‘He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.’” Matthew 28:6
Easter is the glorious day when Jesus is raised from the dead! In his death and resurrection, he defeats sin and death for all of us. The Easter worship service, which is familiar to many of us, is joyful and festive, and so much more meaningful when we’ve experienced the sacrifice of the previous days! In addition to the celebrations of Easter Sunday, remember that it is a season that lasts for 50 days. Alleluia! Here are some activities you can do at home to continue the celebration of the risen Lord:
Making an Easter tree: Put a few branches, either gathered from the yard or faux, into a sturdy vase to decorate with symbols of the season, especially eggs. They can be decorative, plastic, paper, yarn, felt, or any sort. The eggs remind us of the empty tomb and Jesus’s victory of new life!
Including the story of Jesus: Bible stories can be included in Easter baskets! Read these stories, the Easter story and others from the Bible, throughout the year but especially during this season.
Easter greetings: Practice a call-and-response with your family. If someone says, “The Lord is risen!” others reply “The Lord is risen indeed!” And let’s hear lots of “Alleluias” during this season!
Coloring Sheets and Play-dough Mats: There are play-dough mats, Easter story cards, and an Easter coloring page, all from Flame Children’s Ministries.
Ideas adapted from “Seven Weeks of Feasting” by Emily Watkins on growchristians.org (April 1, 2018).