Easter Egg-citement
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "Easter Egg-citement"

Scripture Reading:Mark 16:1-8

HIDE AND SEEK:

Children can divide into teams and play hide and seek... whenever they look in a place that is empty and no one hiding there, the children will shout... HE IS NOT HERE.. and continue to play in various areas for hiding as time allows.

EMPTY EGG HUNT:

Let all the children HUNT for eggs in a designated area. Many eggs will have one small candy, trinket, or a small coin inside. SOME of the eggs will be empty. Tell children to see how many EMPTY eggs they can fine during the time allowed. Let children know that the EMPTY egg has a story to tell in today's lesson.

JESUS LIVES LETTERS:

The teacher can have the letters for J-E-S-U-S L-I-V-E-S, hidden around the room for children to find. Children will bring the brightly colored letters back to their table and add glitter glue for decoration and hang the letters on a poster board that is cut in the shape of a heart or a cross.

EASTER CARD:

Provide the children with a piece of card stock paper to fold in half sideways. There will be 2 rows on the front of the card for pictures of children that can be cut and used from a magazine or an old book. Three children pictures can be glued to the top row and 2 pictures on both corners of the card with a drawn or cut out heart in the middle of the bottom row. Children can use colorful magic markers to write JESUS DIED FOR YOU AND ME, or HE IS RISEN FOR ME, etc. Children can write words or the Bible verse from today's lesson on the inside of the card, as well as heart and cross stickers to decorate the card.

TISSUE PAPER CROSSES:

Give the children a piece of construction paper, a cut out cross and some tissue paper to wad up into little balls that can be glued onto the cross after the cross is glued to the construction paper. Children can then draw or add flower stickers and grass to the art work, to hang on the classroom wall when finished.

EASTER 4-FOLD CARD:

Children can be given a piece of construction paper and fold 4 times (back and forth folds), so that the paper will stand on its own. Give children supplies to draw and decorate words and pictures (drawn or from magazines) to tell today's Resurrection Story. Ex: A cross on the front, another fold can have HE LIVES, another section can be decorated and say JESUS LOVES ME, and another can have a bright sun shining with flowers and the empty tomb with the stone moved to the side.

STAND UP TOMB:

Children can draw a tomb on a folded piece of paper or card stock so that the tomb will stand up like a card. The rock can be drawn separately so that it can be taped to the tomb and moved when telling today's story. On the back side of the tomb, children can write HE IS NOT HERE, HE HAS RISEN AS HE SAID.

TOMB ART:

Children can be given several different colors of construction paper or the cut out parts of a picture for each child to glue to the construction paper, such as the tomb, a stone that can be fastened to the tomb door with a brass fastener, flowers to glue onto the picture, as well as a cut out cross and a sun. Children can write today's Bible verse on their art work or JESUS LIVES, etc.

BUTTERFLY WINGS:

Provide children with a drawn butterfly to cut out. Then children will cut out an extra pair of wings that will be glued to the middle of the drawn and cut out butterfly -- so that the wings can flap. Only the middle section of the wings will be glued. Let children color or paint the butterfly wings and add glitter to the edges if desired.

RESURRECTION EGG CARTON:

Each child can be given an egg carton (or half an egg carton if desired) and various colored plastic eggs. Children can place items that the teacher supplies, that can tell the Easter Story as in today's lesson. The teacher can have up to 11 items to complete the full egg carton -- with one egg EMPTY for the empty tomb!

SING A SONG:

JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN (with second verse as JESUS DIED FOR ALL THE CHILDREN, etc); HE LIVES; HE IS LORD

SHARE A SNACK:

Chocolate cross candy, or egg candies

Song: "He Lives"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track (right click to save to your computer)

Song: "He Is Lord"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track (right click to save to your computer)

Song: "Jesus Loves the Little Children"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track (right click to save to your computer)