“Holy Week” refers to the week of the church calendar from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It is our hope that you would be given all that you need to invite your children and the children in your ministry into celebrating the most important week of the Christian calendar. We created this edition with the hope and prayer to put resources in your hands that will aid your families and ministries in celebrating the events of Holy Week together.
Palm Sunday
Celebrating that Jesus is King
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest” (Matt. 21:9a)! These are the words the crowds joyfully shouted on the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. While they were expecting Him to be a king who would conquer the Romans, it was soon made known that Jesus came to be the King in a different way, by dying on the cross for our sins! This King came humbly and sacrificially. Debbie McDaniel from Crosswalk ministries, writes an article grounded in Scripture that can be helpful as you teach children, on this holiday celebration, that Jesus is King. To access, click here.
Sunday School
Ministry Spark, a ministry filled with “ideas and inspiration,” provides an excellent Palm Sunday lesson for pre-school and elementary-age children. It emphasizes for younger children giving praise to Jesus! To access this lesson, click here. For children 1st-6th grade, the ministry called Children’s Church provides Bible lessons that lay out an object lesson, interactive games, a memory verse, and a song to sing as we teach children the Palm Sunday account! To access this resource, click here.
Good Friday
Children and the Cross
It can be difficult to teach children the heavy message of Good Friday. We may be tempted to jump to Sunday’s message of victory before taking the time to teach children about the weight of their own sin upon the cross. To understand the true joy of the Savior we rejoice in on Sunday, children must learn about why Jesus died on the cross. The book Big Truths for Young Hearts takes the heavy topic of the punishment of sin and translates it in a way that can easily be taught to children. To access on Amazon, click here.
Good Friday Object Lessons
In teaching the complex topic of Good Friday, creative object lessons can help illustrate the message in a child appropriate way. Carmen Kamrath, a children’s ministry leader of 20 years, has written an article on creative Easter lessons. Included within the article are some Good Friday object lesson ideas. To access, click here.
Good Friday Literature
A tool for children’s ministry leaders to utilize in teaching Good Friday is literature. The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, geared towards ages 4-8, takes children through the freedom and joy of the Garden of Eden through the death and resurrection of Jesus. To access on Amazon, click here. R.C. Sproul has written the illustrative book The Donkey Who Carried a King to help children ages 8-12 understand the crucifixion of Jesus. To access on Amazon, click here.
Easter Sunday
Story Stones
“Story Stones” is a tool created for the purpose of telling the story of Easter to children. This resource provides an interactive and hands-on approach. All eight stones symbolize a different portion of the story. This can be used in a classroom setting on Sunday morning, or given to the whole family to use at home. Also available is a video explanation, a printable mat to lay the stones, and a printable booklet that tells the whole story. Access to all of these resources can be found here.
49 Easter Sunday Read Aloud Story
A beautiful telling of the morning of Easter, when Christ was not found to be in the tomb, is Twas the Morning of Easter. This storybook, written by Glenys Nellist, is meant to be read aloud to children. It contains beautiful illustrations and easy-to-understand language. Access the book here.
More Sunday School Ideas for Easter
Ministry to Children compiled resources for children’s ministries to use on Easter morning such as videos, poems, coloring pages, crafts, lesson plans, object lessons, and more. Access to this resource can be found here.
Celebrate Holy Week at Home
Family’s Easter Heritage
In addition to celebrating Holy Week in our churches, there are many ways we might bring these holy days into our homes. The award-winning author Barbara Curtis shares engaging ways for children to learn about the events of Holy Week-foot washing on Maundy Thursday, a devotional about the crucifixion on Good Friday, and Resurrection Eggs with child-friendly lessons on Easter day. To enrich your families’ celebrations, access these lessons here.
Activities for Different Age Group
Focus on the Family shares a collection of different authors’ posts on interactive activities for celebrating Holy Week and Easter with different age groups of children from preschoolers to teenagers. These activities are meant to help children understand the power of Christ’s Resurrection in a Christian life of faith. To read, click here.
Activities for Holy Week
Founder of The Purposeful Mom, Jennifer Thorson blogs to encourage women to trust in the grace of God and embrace motherhood with confidence. She shares creative ideas for families to worship together during Holy Week beginning with Scripture verses to read, a suggested craft or activity, and reflection questions to engage the family in discussion. To access, click here.
“IT IS A COMFORTING THING TO KNOW THAT THE LORD WILL NOT BEGIN THE GOOD WORK WITHOUT ALSO FINISHING IT.”
