Equipping Grandparents to Share Easter With Grandkids

Written by Deb del Villar, Director of Communications

Are you looking for ideas to share with your grandparenting group this Easter? We have compiled some for you!

We encourage you to have a special time to equip grandparents from your church with different ways they can share Easter with their grandkids.

Take some notes as you read, and let us know what you do!

Pick a Date and Approach

Consider choosing a date early enough that it can be promoted to your grandparents for a couple of weeks. The date should also allow grandparents to prepare what they learned to share with their grandchildren.

The timing of the event could be around breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Of course, your time will naturally lead to what you will serve at the event. For example, during a Saturday morning breakfast event, resurrection buns would be fun to serve.

If you’re doing snacks, consider having all the ingredients for making up the Easter story snack mix. You will need pretzel sticks (cross), raisins (Jesus’ blood), empty plastic eggs (tomb), goldfish (fishers of men), round crackers (stone), white jelly beans or marshmallows (sins washed away), lifesavers (Jesus saved us), and sweet treats (taste and see that the Lord is good).

If you are having a dessert time, consider making the tomb cake and resurrection cookies as a sample for all to see and taste. Be sure to have the recipes for the resurrection bun, cookies, and tomb cake to share with the grandparents.

The tomb cake is made by cutting a cooked round cake in half. Next, place the halves with their flat side down, back to back with frosting in between. Cut out the stone from only the front half and set it outside the tomb. Frost the entire tomb as well as the front of the stone. Place the tomb on a plate, stone in front, and spread some dyed green shredded coconut around as grass. (thanks to Linda Posthumus for sharing the tomb cake idea with us!)

Plan the Event

Will your event be formal or informal? This will make a difference in what you plan.

Consider having circle tables set up as this configuration leads to more sharing and discussion. Decorate each table the same or do a variety of things. Examples would be to use a Resurrection Tree which is like a Jesse Tree (see Pinterest examples here). Another would be to have a Resurrection Garden be the centerpiece (see example here).

A suggestion for the schedule would be to have:

• A welcome or get acquainted time
• Food time
• Teaching/sharing time
• A hands-on activity
• Closing prayer time

The total duration could be about 90-120 minutes long. The important thing is to make the event work for you.

During the get acquainted time, you can have our Let’s Talk Cards – Holiday Edition on each table. Encourage the grandparents to ask one another the Easter questions.

The teaching/sharing time should include Scripture focus along with practical application for grandparents. One great idea is to use something like the Resurrection Eggs (see more info below) which incorporate the Scripture focus and fun as well as a practical idea to use with the grandchildren.

Another idea is to hold a Passover Seder meal teaching about each food item and connecting it to Jesus and His fulfillment. There are great resources online to help you make it have a Christian perspective (see example here).

The hands-on activities don’t need to be complicated. Try to share ideas for the variety of grandchildren ages represented by your group. One church in California had ideas printed out on cardstock for the grandparents to take home.

Here are a few to get you started:

Watch an Easter Movie

The Story of Easter for Children – A 1-hour movie with real actors, not very graphic, presents the gospel. Early Elementary. By Jesus Film Media

The Gospel of John – 3 hours long; the last half hour is about the crucifixion and resurrection. More detailed, more graphic. For later elementary kids

The Passion – 2 hours long; very graphic.

Verse Egg Hunt

Choose an age-appropriate Easter Scripture verse such as John 3:16, Romans 5:8, or Luke 24:6a. Divide the verse up into phrases that will fit onto slips of paper that will go into a plastic egg.

On one side of the paper write the word or words depending on how many slips are used. On the other side, draw pictures in sequence telling the Easter story. Be sure to have the words and pictures match the correct sequence for the words.

Fill the eggs and hide them. Allow the grandchildren to find the eggs, empty them, and put the verse together in order. You can make more than one set using different colored eggs for each set. Go over the verse meaning with them.

Bible Reading

Together, read the biblical account from an age-appropriate Bible. Focus on “Jesus is alive” for the young ones. For those 10-12 and younger, use an illustrated Bible storybook.

For those who read, use a Bible app (like Youversion) to get an audio version of the Easter story. Match the translation with a physical Bible, so your grandchildren can follow along reading silently as you listen to the audio account.

Resurrection Eggs

Purchase a set (or two, if your grandkids live at a distance) and open the eggs together with them. See the example available online here.

Or you can have your older grandchildren help make up your own set with items. If you have a lot of grandchildren, you can find many more than 12 items to put into eggs. A read through the Scriptures starting at Palm Sunday through Resurrection or even the Ascension will give you lots of items to enclose in plastic eggs. One family found 36 objects.

Music

Create a playlist of Easter music, and have it play in the background when the grandkids come over. Find your favorites. Check out videos with songs and watch them together.

Here are a few: Forever (Kari Jobe), Glorious Day (Casting Crowns), Jesus Paid it all, In Christ Alone (Keith Getty), This is Amazing Grace (Phil Wickham), He’s Alive (David Phelps), and Watch the Lamb (Ray Boltz).

Send a Puzzle

Write an Easter Scripture verse(s) and symbols on one side. On the flip side write in a different color, the message HE IS RISEN! along with a special note from you. Place it in an envelope as individual pieces so the grandchildren can put it together to discover the message.

Variation: purchase a puzzle, put it together, turn it over and write your message. Place it back in its box and send it to your grandchildren.

Easter Pictionary

Do you have grandchildren who like to draw? Then this game is for them. Write out Easter words on index cards. Place cards face down in a stack. Take turns choosing a card and drawing it.

Resurrection Scavenger Hunt

This can work inside or outside. An example would be “He is risen! He is no longer dead. Run real quick to look under the bed.” The next clue would be there and so forth till they get to the end with a treat waiting. If you’re outside, the clue could instead say to look in the flower bed. Online resources like Pinterest have lots of clues. Be sure to connect them to the Easter story.

Easter Escape Room

An escape room is an adventure game where a group solves a series of puzzles and riddles using clues, strategy, and hints. Grandkids have a set time limit to find the item in question and/or escape the room they are in. (See example idea here) Be sure to connect to Jesus not needing to escape from the tomb – He rose from the tomb!

Participation is Key

Have the needed items for grandparents to make up some of the shared ideas to take home. Easter story rocks, resurrection eggs, verse egg hunts, or puzzles are great ones. Be sure to check out Pinterest as well as our blog, Making the Most of the Easter Season.

You may want to have a resource table set up with items that will help equip the grandparents in discipling their grandchildren. The Let’s Talk cards, Grandchild Promise Cards, Prayer Placemat, and Grandparenting Planner are great ones to display along with the books in the Legacy Coalition series. Whether you make them available for sale or use them as giveaways/prizes, you can find all these items and more at our store.

As your event comes to a close, be sure to have each table listen to grandparents share their prayer requests for their grandchildren. Then have time in your schedule to end with prayer for the grandchildren and grandparents. 

May God lead you as you seek to intentionally equip other grandparents to share Easter with their grandchildren.