Last year I did a Christmas traditions post and so it only makes sense to have a place to store all my favorite Easter traditions I have heard of and love. Most of these also have Christ as the center and focus of the season. Please comment at the bottom if you have any Easter traditions you love to do!

Empty Tomb Cinnamon Rolls / Resurrection Rolls

I’m sure you’ve heard of this tradition and it is one of my favorites. There are dozens of recipes online but this is the one I follow.

When I make these with my children, I will make the first “tomb” roll while telling this story and show my kids how to assemble it. I would follow this story outline:

• The dough represents the tomb that they put Jesus into after his crucifixion. —Read Matthew 27:60
• The white marshmallow represents Jesus. — Read John 19:38
• The melted butter represents the oils of embalming Jesus was anointed with. — Read Luke 23:55-56
• The cinnamon and sugar mixture represents the spices that were rubbed on Jesus after his death before they placed him in the tomb. — Read John 19:39-40
• Wrapping the dough around the marshmallow represents the burial linen that Jesus was wrapped in — Read Mark 15:46
• The baking time in the oven represents the 3 days and 3 nights Jesus was in the tomb — Read Matthew 12:40 & Luke 24:1-8

You could read the above scriptures while you go through each step, or you can read Matthew 27:57 – 28: 9; Mark 15:42 – 16:9; Luke 23:47 – 24:8; John 19: 31 – 20:21. I have been patiently waiting for the day I can do this activity with my kids and I am only a year or so away!

Make a Resurrection Garden

A little resurrection garden is such an exciting way for kids to put together and watch the grass grow. It’s also a hands-on and visual reminder of what Easter is really about — Jesus dying for us and resurrecting from the tomb.

I wrote a tutorial on my site here! You can find other tutorials online (this is a good one) but all you really need is a few gardening supplies like soil, rocks, pots, sticks, and then some wheatgrass seeds.

Christ-Centered Easter Creche

Easter is just as important, if not more important, than the Christmas holiday. So why don’t we have a nativity for that? Deseret Book now has a beautiful wooden set. You can also get a book to help you celebrate a more Christ-centered Easter! This little wooden Easter set is more kid-friendly with brightly colored illustrations and sized for smaller hands.

The Holy Week — Journey to Easter through Scripture

Each day I want to spend a little time talking about the events of that day leading to Christ’s crucifixion. I would be using the book ‘God So Loved the World‘ written by one of my favorite college professors Eric Huntsman. His books are full of great information about Christ’s life and this one focuses on the final days leading to the resurrection.

He is Risen: Lessons from Holy Week — New Tradition Crafts

This Easter set is the perfect kid-friendly activity for your kids to be involved in the telling of the Holy Week. The illustrations are beautiful and the quality of the products will last destroying little curious hands. I love how they are double-sided so you won’t have dozens of pieces to keep track of. They have the prettiest Christmas ornament advent that I mention in my Christ-centered Christmas traditions post so I knew anything else they were going to make would be just as outstanding. Try the CFMT20 for 20% off and check out their whole Easter Collection.

An Expectant Easter Curriculum

An Expectant Easter is a Bible-based, Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum designed with your whole family in mind. It’s an invitation to gather your family to center your hearts on what Easter is all about. You can read more about it here.

Easter Book Basket

There are so many Easter books and just like a tradition to open a book each day leading up to Christmas, you can read an Easter book the 3 or os weeks leading up to Easter Sunday! Because Easter deserves a month of celebrating just as much as Christmas does. I haven’t read the majority of these books but I have curated this Easter book list for years and store it in an Amazon list.

Observe Lent

Lent is a season leading up to Easter where one may choose to “give up” something they treasure as a reminder of the 40 days of praying and fasting by Christ. Even if your church doesn’t observe Lent, I think it is a wonderful idea and a challenge to bring into a discussion with your children to brainstorm things you could as a family or as individuals give up for a limited time for Jesus.

Small Devotionals Every Day during Holy Week

Having a small family devotional about the events that transpired on that particular day of Holy Week is a great way to have your Easter be about Jesus during Easter time. Of course, this is not just to add another thing to your to-do list. It can be short and simple. I am sure you’d find dozens of ideas already laid out for you on Google!

Choose a Christ Name once a Day for the entire Month leading up to Easter

There are dozens of names for Jesus Christ. Choose a few of your favorite, find their scripture verse reference, and have your family pull one out of a hat once a day. Then display them around your mantle or on an Easter tree. Decorate them, make them, use just a slip of paper, whatever makes sense for your family and season of life!

THE HOLY WEEK ACTIVITIES BY DAY

Bake Lazarus Bread Rolls on Saturday Before Palm Sunday

Lazarakia (Little Lazarus Sweet Bread Rolls) are small, sweet, spiced Lenten bread rolls prepared and consumed on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. They mark the beginning of the Holy week and are a great way to celebrate and commemorate Jesus’ as a God of miracles. I followed this blog post‘s instructions for folding them into little Lazarus folded armed shrouds.

PALM SUNDAY

Palm Sunday Paper Crafts

Make Palm Sunday Pancakes

I saw this on Instagram and thought it was genius! Take a large spinach leaf and snip it into a palm leaf and place on one side of a pancake. I haven’t tried this yet but I’ll make sure to come back and update this post with any tips to get it to look just right! What a fun way to make pancakes and a more Christ-centered option instead of the cute little bunny pancakes you see all over during Eastertime.

Reenact Christ’s Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday

If Christmas has the Nativity play, Easter’s equivalent would be the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday. Have Daddy be the donkey, get towels and palm leaves (cut out paper or fake flowers or real large plant leaves) and each child can take a turn riding the “donkey” down an area of your home or backyard. Teach them about the story beforehand and you can chant “Hosanna!” and other phrases from the scripture story.

MAUNDY THURSDAY

“Last Supper in Jerusalem” or Passover Meal

Just like the idea during Christmas time to have a “Bethlehem” meal, a Last Supper meal is a second perfect time to leave the kitchen table and enjoy a meal of Mediterranean food on the ground. Gather pillows, candles, hummus, veggies, grapes, dates, etc. and feast as a family in a unique way! Watch an Easter video or movie, take turns washing each other’s feet, read scriptures, make it your own and appropriate for your children’s age groups.

EASTER SUNDAY

Garden Tomb Angel Food Cake

I made this angel food cake tomb that turned out pretty great! I just used a store-bought box and cut it in half to make it a tomb. We added jam inside and used a sugar cookie as the door. My daughter helped me decorate it with shredded coconut (that we dyed green to make it like grass), crumbs of the extra cake, graham cracker trail, and we added a bit of crushed oreos for dirt. We just kind of threw it together and I loved how it came together and we made it as a family! It doesn’t have to be angel food cake (I liked the pun), just note that it is delicate and it wanted to slump over after an hour or so. I think this will be a tradition we keep!

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns are a wonderful baking option during Easter! They are beautiful and there are tons of recipes online that will suit your needs. The picture above has a recipe here.

Air Dry Clay Tomb Creations

I made this tomb in one evening with airy dry clay and now it is a permanent decor piece — and let’s be honest play item — during Eastertime. You could use the bake kind which I think will hold better (this one cannot be in contact with water). I thought about painting it maybe, each family member could make your own and show them, do whatever makes most sense for your family!

Other Activities

Visit a Cemetery

I think this is a wonderful place to discuss the future resurrection. Cemeteries don’t always have to be sad and poignant, take your family and spread some Easter cheer! They can “hide” Resurrection plastic eggs with little scripture verses inside for others to find when they visit their deceased loved ones. You could use plastic eggs to write sweet words over the outside to uplift and encourage others. Teach your children to respect cemeteries early on.

Jelly Bean Prayer Poem

Since Easter time is full of candy, grab a bag of Jelly Beans and make it Christ-focused with this poem! Download the free printable below to print and cut into little tags or roll inside plastic eggs.

Red is the for the blood He gave
Green is for the grass He made
Yellow is for the sun so bright
Orange is for the edge of night
Black is for the sins we made
White is for the grace He gave
Purple is for His hour of sorrow
Pink is for our new tomorrow
An egg full of jelly beans, Colorful and Sweet
Is a prayer, a promise, a Loved one’s treat!

Egg Time Capsule

Have each of your children write a letter to him or herself that will be put in an Easter egg to open the next year on Easter. It could be as simple as what they were thinking and doing when they were a year younger or you could prompt them to write their testimony of Jesus and each year store them in an album to give to them when they leave the home.

Easter Scripture Scavenger Hunt

A sweet tradition you could add to your family is having a scavenger hunt to find their baskets of gifts. You can use scripture verses that would lead them to certain places in your home. It is a cute way to have them interact with the Word of God in a fun and unique way! Plus, they are excited to see their basket of gifts.

Christ-Centered Easter Gifts

Speaking of Easter gifts, I think this could be an entire blog post by itself but here a few ideas to add into your basket to incorporate Christ in the gift basket as well:

• Engraved new scripture set
• New Church clothes or shoes
• Journals
• Church magazines
• Picture of Christ
• Quiet Sacrament Meeting Activity (puzzle, coloring books, etc.)

Easter Basket of Service

I thought this was a wonderful tradition: in addition to receiving an Easter basket of gifts for themselves, they receive a basket of items to help them in a kind deed serviceable act. For example, a child could receive a basket of baking supplies with cookie mixes, frosting, etc. and an invitation to invite friends to come and make cookies for other friends and neighbors together.

Another child could receive a basket full of bracelet making supplies and be encouraged to invite a friend to make bracelets with them and then share them with others. Giving them the opportunity to gather and share is a wonderful way to reach out and shine their sweet light to others!

Other Easter Activities

Here are a few ideas of other Easter activities you could look into!

• This blog post has an amazing collection of Easter craft ideas.
• Use Cabbage to make a beautiful blue egg dye and then use the leftover juice to do a science pH experiment!
• This blog post has a 30-day Easter Countdown!