7 Easter Activities to Honor the Last Week of Christ’s Life

While Easter can be a fun holiday full of brightly colored eggs and sugary candy, many families wish there was a way to keep Christ as the focus of their celebrations. One of the greatest ways to do so is to study the last week of Christ’s life, from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to the glorious empty tomb.

These activities will help you and your family walk where Christ walked while still having fun and creating cherished memories. We’ve got a Bible video with scripture references and at least one activity for each day of the week, making sure your Easter week is memorable and Spirit-filled.

Sunday

On Sunday, Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem as His followers waved and placed palm leaves in His path. They shouted Hosanna to the Son of David, as prophesied by prophets of old.

Hosanna Branches

You’ll need:

-Green construction paper- 4 sheets
-4-8 ice-cream/pop sticks
-Tape
-A pencil
-Scissors
-A glue-stick

Directions:

1. Outline your child’s hand on the green construction paper. (Make a minimum of 6 outlines. 8-10 will make your child’s waver really wave!)
2. If your child is old enough to use a pair or scissors, allow him/her to cut around the hand print outlines. Else leave this part to the adult supervising the craft.
3. Now stick the hand print outlines two on each row and build on upwards.
4. Finally tape two ice-cream sticks to the bottom of the “branch” securely with the tape.

(Courtesy of Mommy Snippets)

 

 

Monday

On Monday, Jesus Christ went to the temple. It was one of the first things He did after coming to Jerusalem. Inside of the temple, Jesus saw merchants buying and selling goods. To cleanse His Father’s house, Jesus drove all of the wicked men from the temple.

My Home Can Be a Temple

We have temples on earth today. They are beautiful buildings that are kept very clean. We act very reverently inside of temples. Just as the temple is a place where the Spirit can dwell, it is important that our home can be a place for the Spirit too.

Have your children do some basic chores to clean their house. Then sit down to color this picture of Christ and hang it in a place they personally want to remember Jesus.

 

 

 

Tuesday

Just as Jesus spent the majority of His ministry teaching, He spent much of His final days teaching His disciples and the people in Jerusalem. On Tuesday, the leaders of Jerusalem saw Christ teaching on the Temple Mount. They wanted to trick Him and tried to ask Him a series of questions hoping to make Him seem foolish. However, Christ answers were inspired and the leaders were the ones who looked foolish.

Share Goodness
The Church is consistently ask us to share goodness with the world. Prayerfully consider how you can hear the voice of Christ in your life and share it with others.

Wednesday

The events of Wednesday are unknown. But even though we don’t know where Christ was, we know of His teachings and we know that He was, at all times and in all things, a teacher and friend to those around Him. He can be those things for us. It is important that we learn as much as we can about Jesus, even if we won’t be able to have all the answers.

What would you like to know about Jesus Christ?

 Have your family members write down a question they have about Christ and then give them time to search the scriptures. Encourage them to use the references to Christ in the Topical Guide of the scriptures. For younger children, you can show pictures of Christ’s life from the Gospel Art Book and encourage them to describe what they think Christ is doing in the pictures.

 

Thursday

Thursday begins the Atonement. On Thursday Christ sat with His apostles and instituted the Sacrament. He told them He loved them and washed their feet.

Unleavened Bread

You’ll need:

-1 cup cold water
-2 Tbs vegetable oil
-8 Tbs honey
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-3 tbs softened butter
-1 egg
-5 cups flour (we used white)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix all above ingredients except for the flour.
-Slowly add the flour. Knead until the bread is elastic.
-Oil your hands, then shape balls of the dough in the same way that you shape hamburger patties. Then poke holes in them with a fork.
-Grease the pan, and place the bread on it.
-Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edge.

(Courtesy of Catholic Icing)

It was also on Thursday that Christ visited the Garden of Gethsemane, where He suffered for our sins, pains, weaknesses, and trials. The pain and agony He went through was unspeakable and it made Him bleed from every pore.

Carnation Activity

You’ll need:

-White carnations
-Water
-Red food coloring
-Empty glasses

Directions:

Trim the stems of the carnations to approximately seven or eight inches. Have your children put red food coloring into the water and place the carnations into the water. By the morning, the carnations will have absorbed the red water, and will have been tinged red. Discuss how the white carnation represents the perfect life and example of Christ, and how He took our sins upon himself.

(Courtesy of We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ)

Friday

In the early hours of Friday morning, Christ was betrayed by Judas, one of His apostles, and sent to the local authorities in Jerusalem. He was sentenced to crucifixion. After being whipped, having a crown of thorns placed on His head, and carrying His cross to the hill, Jesus was crucified. They drove nails in his palms, wrists, and feet. After His death, He was carefully buried in a garden tomb.

 

Crown of Thorns Craft/Activity 

You’ll need:

-A grapevine wreath
-Toothpicks
-Brown paint
-Fake flowers with stems

Directions:

Have your family paint the toothpicks and place them into the wreath to represent the crown of thorns. Set the crown of thorns on a decorated platter or plate and set it out where everyone can see it. Tell them each time they sacrifice something for someone, such as letting a family member pick a movie or sharing their toys, they can pull a toothpick out (or have an adult do it) and replace it with a flower. By Easter morning, try to remove all the toothpicks and replace them with flowers.

(Courtesy of Catholic Icing)

 

Saturday

On Saturday, we know that Christ’s body remained in the tomb while He ministered in the Spirit World. Not much is known about what His disciples did. It was undoubtedly a time of deep reflection and mourning.

In preparation for Easter, have each family member spend time in prayer as you listen to hymns before asking them to write down their testimonies. You can help younger children write down what they believe about Jesus Christ. Discuss the importance of thinking of Christ every day.

 

Sunday

Early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene, a friend and follower of Jesus Christ, came to the tomb and found it empty. She was astonished and a gardener began talking to her. When the gardener said her name, she realized it was actually Jesus Christ.

Because of the Resurrection, Jesus Christ lives. Because of Him, you can overcome sin and experience everlasting joy.

Resurrection Rolls

These rolls are an amazing way to help children understand the resurrection. The marshmallow placed inside the rolls, representing Christ’s body, melts away to leave an empty “tomb.” See the full recipe and directions here, courtesy of Meaningful Mama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please share your traditions below!