If you’re looking for a way to keep your Holy Week simple but meaningful, this Easter advent calendar is just the thing. With music, scriptures, art, videos, and Christian Easter activities for all ages, it’s perfect to create a sacred … Read More
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An Easter advent calendar was new to me a few years ago. While we’d always celebrated a Christmas advent, we hadn’t done much to prepare for Easter day. I loved how Christmas Eve and Day felt like a culmination of a many days of preparation and anticipation, so thought it would be wonderful to extend that to Easter, too. So I decided to put together a set of Christian Easter activities for kids that would help us prepare for this wonderful holiday.
I knew I wanted our Christian Easter activities to be fairly simple and not very time consuming. Dinnertime and bedtime can get crazy with five small children, so I wanted something that would be brief (5-10 minutes) but still meaningful. This fits that bill exactly, but can also be extended with some of the longer activity suggestions.
Music is the best for inviting a sacred feeling, so each day begins with a song to sing together. (I’ve linked a recording for each.) After that, we share a short series of scriptures for what happened on that day of the week during Christ’s final week on earth. While reading the scriptures, we pull up a piece of artwork that can help us remember the respective events.
Following the scriptures and art, we watch a short little video that depicts the same events. Then we finish things off with a low-key activity. Some days include bigger activities, but it’s easy to tailer them to your family’s needs (and attention spans). Young children (and adults!) do well with repetition, and it’s helped my kids immensely to understand the event from different senses.
I knew I wanted to introduce our children to Christian Easter art throughout the week. So I put together a set of slides with images of different pieces of artwork that relate to the events that took place on each day of the week. These works of art are strictly for personal and home use, and are only for viewing. All images are publicly available and the artist information is documented within the speaker notes.
We like playing the art as a slideshow for our children to watch while we read the scriptures that go along with each day. If you’d like to use these in your own home, and only for personal viewing, here is the link to the Easter art slides.
A few years ago, I began including a simple service prompt in our Christmas advent for kids. It became such a meaningful way to remember the actual reason we were celebrating, and to act as our Savior would in a small way. I decided service was an important part of our Easter advent for children, as well. What better way to remember the gift of Jesus’s resurrection than to try to emulate His behavior while on earth?
In putting our Easter advent calendar together, I used THESE TWO books as references. I didn’t want to feel overwhelmed with doing all of it, though, so it felt easier for our family to narrow the scope significantly. Still, if you’re looking for other activity ideas, both of those books have a host of crafts and Easter activities for families.
The ones I’ve included are great religious Easter activities for preschoolers up through adults. Even young toddlers will connect with the songs and some of the activities. I hope these Christian Easter activities and this Easter advent calendar help make Easter a meaningful and moving time for you and your family!
This Easter advent calendar with Christian Easter activities for kids and adults contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. That means I earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, but doesn’t change your price.
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Palm Sunday: What did Jesus do on Palm Sunday? On this day, Jesus had His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem where palm branches were placed in His path. People said “Hosanna” as he passed (learn why we say Hosanna). After entering the city, he went directly to the temple, then retired to Bethany for the night. (clarified in the book of Mark)
Song: Hosanna
Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11
Art: Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, van Dyck
Video: The Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Service: Give everyone in your family a hug
Christian Easter Activity: Learn more about why the people used palm branches. Make pretend palm branches out of construction paper (like these handprint palm fronds). Look at an image depicting the event then act out the triumphal entry – kids will love riding on a parent like a “donkey”
Grownup Devotional: The Way of the Disciple
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Holy Monday: On this day, Jesus went to the temple and was disappointed to see people using it for the wrong reasons. People had to pay tithing with special money, so moneychangers were there to help them trade their regular money for tithing money. However, they didn’t give them the correct amount back and were swindling the people coming to the temple. Because of this, Jesus cleansed and sanctified the temple, just as he can cleanse and sanctify us to prepare us for the Holy Spirit.
Song: I Love to See the Temple
Scripture: Matthew 21: 12-17
Art: Christ Driving the Traders from the Temple, El Greco
Video: Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Service: Hold the door open for someone
Christian Easter Activity: Look at photos of what the temple may have looked like during Jesus’s time (or here are some pictures)Â and build a model out of LEGOs.
Grownup Devotional: Easter Thoughts, and also a Music and the Spoken Word video
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Holy Tuesday: On this day, Jesus returned to the temple. This was the final time Jesus taught in public. He responds to Jewish leaders who challenge his right to cleanse the temple. His response is in a series of parables. Christ goes to Mt. Olivet and gives Matthew 24 “Olivet Discourse.” Judas approaches Jewish leaders and offers to betray Christ.
Song: Did Jesus Really Live Again?
Scripture: Matthew 21: 18-46
Art: Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt
Video: They That Are Wise
Service: Write a letter or draw a picture for someone
Christian Easter Activity: Act out different parables and see if other family members can guess what it is! Or make pretend oil lamps and act out the parable of the 10 virgins.
Grownup Devotional: He Is Risen
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Spy Wednesday: The gospels do not record the events of this day. Historians currently think Jesus may have spent the day outside the city, possibly in Bethany. Judas did choose to betray Jesus on this day, which is why some people call the day “Spy Wednesday.”
Song:Â On a Golden Springtime
Scripture: Excerpts from Matthew 24-25
Video: Thou Art The Christ
Service: Secretly do someone else’s chore today (like a spy)
Christian Easter Activity: “Heart Attack” someone
Grownup Devotional:Â An Apostle’s Witness of the Resurrection
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Maundy Thursday: This is the day Jesus ate the Last Supper with His disciples. He introduced the Sacrament and gave the intercessory prayer. Then he went to Gethsemane that night. There, Judas betrayed him and officers took Jesus to trial.
Song: As Now We Take the Sacrament
Scripture: Matthew 26: 17-75
Art: The Last Supper, da Vinci
Video: The Last Supper
Service: Give someone a compliment
Christian Easter Activity: Have a Jerusalem dinner with foods the Savior may have eaten (Many historians now believe the Last Supper was not actually a Passover seder, but you may want to consider the types of foods that may be common.)
Grownup Devotional: The Olive Press
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Good Friday: On Good Friday, Pilate sentenced Jesus to death. Later that day, Jesus voluntarily gave up His life on the cross. Friends buried Him in a tomb and sealed it off.
Song: He Died That We Might Live Again
Scripture:Â Matthew 27:1-61
Art: The Crucifixion, El Greco
Video: The Lamb of God
Service: Pray for someone else as Jesus prayed for us
Christian Easter Activity: Make a crown of thorns with sticks and leaves. Leave the lights off all day and go about the day in darkness. Taste the difference between water and vinegar.
Grownup Devotional: Sunday Will Come
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Black Saturday: Christ’s body remains in the tomb while His spirit ministers in the spirit world.
Song:Â Beautiful Savior
Scripture: Matthew 27:62-66
Art: Lamentation of Christ, Rubens
Video: Jesus Is Laid In A Tomb
Service: Ask someone how they are doing
Christian Easter Activity: Dye Easter eggs and discuss how Jesus emerged from the tomb on Sunday.
Grownup Devotional: Resurrection
Summary of Jesus Christ’s activities on Easter Sunday: The Risen Christ appears to Mary, Peter, the Apostles, and other disciples.
Song: He Is Risen!, Christ the Lord is Risen Today
Scripture:Â Matthew 28:1-15
Art:Â Resurrection of Christ, Raphael
Video: He Is Risen
Service: Greet everyone with a smile
Christian Easter Activity: Easter egg hunt – enjoy emptying the eggs of their contents. The tomb was also empty after Jesus was resurrected. Have Easter dinner!
Grownup Devotional:Â This Glorious Easter Morn
