Several years ago, Maria Eckersley found herself exhausted from Easter preparations. Between the matching outfits, the baskets, and the Easter egg hunts, she was worn out.
Around this time, she remembers watching “Hallelujah,” a Church video in which people share the joy they feel at Easter because of Jesus Christ. “I was like, ‘I think my family is missing this,’” Maria says in an episode of the Magnify podcast. “We’re missing the ‘hallelujah’ part of Easter morning.”
As she reflected on how her family celebrated Easter in previous years, she determined that now, their traditions would simply focus on learning about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. “The how is the fun part,” she says.
Maria started coming up with creative, approachable activities to teach her children about Christ during this season. Now, she’s sharing these ideas in her new book, Teaching Easter: 15 Hands-on Lessons to Help You Study, Teach, and Delight in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This resource is filled with everything parents need to create an impromptu teaching moments, including scriptures, teaching hints, and step-by-step instructions for object lessons and paper crafts.
To get you started, Maria offers three bonus ideas that you can use to center your family’s Easter celebrations on the Savior.
1. You’ve Been Egged! A Christ-Centered Object Lesson
For this activity, invite your children to help you decorate an empty egg carton. Fill plastic Easter eggs with candy or prizes. Then, take the carton and eggs to the home of the person you want to “egg.” Hide the eggs in their yard, then leave the carton on their porch with a note inviting them to find the eggs. Knock and run!
Maria says there are many Christ-centric object lessons that we can draw from this activity. For example, she explains that she helped her daughter see the connection between preparing the carton and sharing Christ’s love:
“We did the work so that somebody else could have joy. … That’s what Easter is all about. The Savior gave this incredible gift, this sacrifice, so that we could find packets of joy tucked into the nooks and crannies of our life. … That’s Easter, to me. It’s not just looking at a picture of the Savior—it’s reflecting His love for somebody else in your life.”
Download a free PDF of this activity’s instructions.
2. Hallelujah Breakfast and Activity
To Maria, celebrating Easter feels like embracing new beginnings.
She connects this feeling to the story of Mary speaking with Christ at the tomb after three days of worrying and wondering. “[Mary] recognizes ... not just that her beloved friend and Savior is there but that [it] means every promise He ever made is true.”
One way that Maria likes to commemorate this theme is with a “Hallelujah Breakfast” on Easter morning. Whatever you choose to eat for this activity, she encourages you to pair the breakfast with reading those verses about Mary at the tomb.
She says that honoring the story with a special breakfast creates a memorable reminder that, no matter what happened the day before, “This is our fresh start. This is our new beginning.”
3. The Spiritual Egg Drop Challenge
This activity is modeled after a traditional egg drop challenge. To make it more fun for the season, Maria suggests using your dyed Easter eggs.
First, grab a timer and materials to help cushion the eggs’ falls. She says she usually gives her kids 15 minutes to create their creative contraptions to keep their egg safe. If you’re working with a large group, you can divide the kids into teams.
Go somewhere where you can drop your eggs safely, whether that be your back porch, a playground, or a bridge. When your children have dropped their eggs and are checking to see if their eggs survived the fall, Maria recommends using the time to teach about Christ.
She loves to share a thought from Elder Tad R. Callister about how the Atonement is like a parachute, protecting us from breaking after we inevitably fall and make mistakes. Elder Callister says:
“We can be saved only because the Savior, through His Atonement, mercifully provides us with a spiritual parachute of sorts. If we have faith in Jesus Christ and repent (meaning we do our part and pull the rip cord), then the protective powers of the Savior are unleashed on our behalf and we can land spiritually unharmed.”
The Spirit Will Help You Teach
While these are all fun activities, Maria says the most important aspect is to make them Christ-centered and Spirit-led.
When you find an activity that you want to use to teach about Christ, she recommends bringing the Spirit into the process by praying and asking Heavenly Father how you can best teach your family. And when you take this approach, she knows you can receive divine guidance and insights: “He loves your kids. He wants them to understand the Savior, so you’ll get ideas. … The Spirit knows your kids, and you’ll get the help you need.”
Maria believes that creating meaningful Christ-centered memories for your children is something they will always remember. “It means your Easter joy isn’t something you only experienced in April,” she explains. “You’re going to get residual benefits from it throughout the year … and as your kids grow up.”
Hear more from Maria Eckersley on the full Magnify episode.
Meaningful Easter. Minimal prep.
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