Easter’s Not Just About the Bunny: Easy & Fun Christ-Centered Easter Activities

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Easter is not about the bunny, it’s about the lamb – the lamb of God. Use these simple but FUN activities to create Easter traditions that bring your family closer to Christ. 

Cadbury eggs, peeps, Easter baskets, eggs full of candy and money… What do these things remind you of? EASTER!

Easter is a happy time of year! Sunshine and rainbows fill our hearts as the Earth starts to warm up. But what are we focused on? Commercialized propaganda, perhaps?

Wait, wait, WAIT a minute! Is it so wrong to buy Easter baskets and teach our children about the Easter bunny? 

Well in my opinion, it’s not so much that these things are wrong, it’s more of a missed opportunity and distraction from the real meaning of Easter. With all of these cute, fuzzy and tasty things that we’ve come to associate with Easter, they are mostly centered around… ourselves. 

As I listened to a conference talk about the importance of focusing our attention on Christ this Easter, I sadly realized that the true meaning of Easter for me was more of an afterthought rather than the main event. 

This realization led me to hunt for more Christ-centered traditions to teach my kids (and myself) about the true meaning of Easter – without giving up that warm-fuzzy “Easter” feeling.

Here are some of my favorite finds!

Christ-Centered Easter Baskets

A Christ-centered basket is a clever way to keep the Easter basket fun AND have Easter centered on Christ.

Create an Easter basket full of messages, scriptures, and symbols of Christ.

Here’s What I’m doing: Include a bunny in your basket with a gift tag like this Easter gift tag template I made. I love including a unique Easter treat like these freeze-dried peep bunnies! ↓

This Etsy shop, Twisted Sugar, has a ton of freeze-dried treats like the ones in the picture below.

Resurrection Rolls

Resurrection rolls are a tasty way to keep our minds on Christ for this Easter season. Not only is it delicious and easy, each ingredient has symbolism to teach and remind us what happened during Christ’s resurrection. 

Jump to the recipe!

• The marshmallow represents Christ
• the dough represents the linen cloth for covering the dead
• the butter represents the oils used to anoint the dead
• cinnamon sugar represents the spices people used to prepare the body for burial
• the oven represents the tomb
• the cooking time represents the time Christ’s body was in the tomb
• When the rolls are done, the marshmallow disappears – representing Christ’s resurrection! 

This Is How I Used the Resurrection Rolls to Teach about Christ

My preschool-aged son and I tried the recipe below together and we loved it! 

Before we made the rolls, I read him a story about Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection to prepare him to better understand the symbolism behind the resurrection rolls that we planned on making together. 

When we came to the kitchen, I gave him a bowl of large marshmallows (which he, my toddler, and I all ate immediately!) and told him that for these resurrection rolls, the marshmallow represents Christ’s body. 

We opened with a loud “POP!” the crescent roll tube and rolled out the dough. I explained that the dough represented the linen cloth that was used to wrap Jesus’ body. 

Then we came to the bowl of butter and cinnamon sugar. As we dipped the dough into the butter then into the sugar mixture, I explained that the butter represents the anointing oil and the cinnamon sugar reminds us of the spices that were used to dress Jesus’ body. 

Side note: He later innocently said that the spices and oil were used “so the bodies don’t stink”. 😂

We then wrapped the dough around the marshmallow and we discussed how we were wrapping the dough just like Christ’s body was wrapped in the cloth. 

Placing the resurrection rolls in the oven, we talked about how the oven was like the tomb where Christ’s body was laid to rest. 

I honestly forgot to explain that the time that we wait for the rolls to cook could symbolize the time that Jesus’ body was in the tomb. –But I know you won’t! 😉

As they cooked, we watched a short video about a girl who learned about the best Easter gift, Christ, as she went on an Easter egg hunt. 

When the rolls were done, the marshmallows were gone! My son was slightly disappointed that there weren’t any marshmallows in the rolls but we talked about how we might feel sad like Mary Magdalene did when she saw the savior’s body was missing. 

We discussed how the savior’s tomb was empty because he was resurrected and that because Jesus overcame death, that one day we would too! 

The rolls were a big hit with the entire family and it was a great way to keep my son’s attention. This activity helped me to teach this abstract concept in a way that my preschooler could visualize. This activity is definitely a keeper and going to be added to our Easter traditions each year!

Tag you’re it! Now it’s your turn to try them with your kiddos!

Recipe – Makes 8 Resurrection Rolls

As you and your children are preparing the resurrection rolls, discuss the symbolism of each component in the recipe. (See list above for reference).

Ingredients:

• 8 Large Marshmallows
• 1 Crescent Rolls Tube – Includes about 8 per container
• 4 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons of butter

Instructions:

1. Mix together 4T of sugar and 1T of cinnamon in a small bowl.
2. Melt the 3T of butter in another small bowl.
3. Open the crescent roll tube and dip each piece in the butter then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
4. Wrap the dough over the marshmallow and pinch closed any areas where the marshmallow is peeking through. (This will help the disappearing effect during the cooking process)
5. Place the completed rolls on a cookie sheet.
6. Follow cooking instructions on your crescent roll tube – (ours said 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown.)
7. When they are done, allow them to cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Read more about this activity at wetalkofchrist.com!

Christ Washes Away Our Sins – Science Experiment!

I discovered this clever experiment in our primary singing time during church when the teacher taught the class about how Christ’s atonement washes away our sins. I was blown away! 

This experiment is sure to keep your children interested while learning about the important Easter event, Jesus Christ’s Atonement. It also demonstrates how sin can stain our hearts but through Christ, we can be made clean again.  

Find one version of this experiment at here.

Jesus “Dyed” For You Egg Dye Activity

A favorite Easter activity for many of us is to dye boiled eggs, but did you know that the egg is symbolic of Christ’s resurrection?

The egg represents rebirth and new life just as Jesus Christ overcame death and began a new life. As you dye eggs, talk about how Christ died or “dyed” for all of us so that we could also one day be “born again” from sin and one day resurrected as Christ was. 

You can also include secret Easter messages on your eggs using a white crayon. Write words or letters (Christ, lamb, tomb, cross) to make words with a white crayon before you dye your eggs and watch them appear when the eggs have been colored!

Read a Story or Watch a Video About The True Meaning of Easter

I’m a firm believer that storytelling is one of the best ways to remember a lesson. Choose an Easter story that brings Christ’s life, atonement, death, and resurrection to life for your children. Use the story to discuss how these events help them in their lives.

Start by making this booklet about the events in Christ’s life together!

Christ Aid Kits

Create a Christ Aid kit of small items that symbolize how Christ helps us in our lives. You can center the items around Easter, names of Christ, or symbols of the gifts Christ gives us. 

Ideas to fill your kit:

• Bandaid – Christ heals our wounds
• Flashlight – Christ is the light of the world
• Bread – Christ is the bread of life
• Candy rings – Chist is the bridegroom
• Gummy Bears – Christ bears our burdens
• Soap – Christ washes away sin

Find this activity and more ideas of items to fill your kits at playpartyplan.com

Easter Bag

You can also create an Easter bag with items that symbolize events and important symbols of Easter. Pull an item out of the bag each day and read the scripture associated with it. You can have your children guess and match the scriptures to the items or attach them to the items ahead of time.

Ideas to fill your bag:

1. three coins – Matthew 26:14–15
2. small cup – Matthew 26:36, 39
3. knotted string – Matthew 27:1–2
4. Soap – Matthew 27:22, 24
5. small piece of red fabric – Matthew 27:28–29
6. small toothpick cross – Matthew 27:31
7. white cloth – Matthew 27:59
8. cinnamon stick or other spice – John 19:40
9. small stone – John 20:1–4
10. folded white cloth – John 20:5–7
11. picture of Jesus – John 20:10–20

Find this activity and other Easter activities at churchofjesuschrist.org

Easter Activity Eggs

Instead of hiding Easter eggs around your home that only have candy in them, hide eggs that include Easter activities that remind us of Christ. Each day, open an egg and do the activity that’s inside as a family.

Easter Activities Ideas:

• Mail eggs – Send a large egg with a gift inside to a friend in the mail.
• Easter chocolate bunny note – Deliver a chocolate bunny to a friend with the note “No bunny loves you more than Christ”.
• Chalk messages – Write Christ-centered messages and images on the sidewalk.
• Egging activity – Fill plastic eggs with candy and Easter messages but leave one egg empty. Hide the eggs around a friend’s front yard. Write them note about how Christ’s tomb was empty because of the resurrection.
• Find these activities and more at Happyhomefairy.com

Conclusion: 7 Easy & FUN Christ-Centered Easter Activities

There you go! I hope this list of simple Christ-centered activities inspired you to add to your list of fun Easter traditions this year. 

Easter is a time to celebrate our favorite spring-time traditions, it’s true! But why not add some traditions around the resurrection of Jesus Christ which help us reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that he made for us.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the commercialized aspects of this holiday, through these fun and simple activities, we can create traditions that help us to remember the true significance of Easter. 

So this Easter, let’s make an effort to center our traditions around Christ and to create lasting memories that focus on the love and sacrifice of our Savior. By doing so, we can create a more meaningful and fulfilling Easter experience for ourselves and our families.

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