Fun Easter Tradition: Holy Week Treasure Hunt

Fun Easter Tradition: Holy Week Treasure Hunt
by Rachel Keller

A fun way to have your children learn about the true meaning of Easter.

Every Sunday is resurrection Sunday when we remember the resurrection of Jesus, but Easter is a special time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I enjoy singing the Easter hymns, and my boys enjoy the special Easter traditions we do each year. This is a fun way to have your children learn about the true meaning of Easter.

Holy Week Treasure Hunt

I saved a couple plastic egg cartons in which I store plastic Easter eggs and a couple other items. Starting the week before Easter, I hide the eggs inside the house, and then the boys search for them. All the eggs are empty except one which holds a special surprise. I tell the boys which color egg holds the surprise, and after they find all the eggs, we read the Scripture and discuss what they found in the egg. Each day, the treasure inside the egg relates to the Easter story:

Day 1: a small palm leaf (made from green construction paper) inside a green egg

Read Matthew 21:8 (Palm Sunday).

Day 2: a plastic cup (the kind that ketchup comes in at some fast food stores) inside a pink egg. (I had to cut the rim off mine so it would fit inside the plastic egg.)

Read Matthew 26:27, 39, 42 (references to the cup)

Day 3: goldfish or small crackers in a light blue egg

Read Matthew 26:26. The crackers represent Christ's body.

Day 4: 3 coins inside a dark blue egg

Read Matthew 26:15. Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.

Day 5: a small stone or nail inside an orange egg.

Read Matthew 27:32-35. The nail can represent the nails that hung Christ on the cross. The stone symbolizes the stone rolled before the tomb. (Choose whichever you prefer or do both.)

Day 6: gauze inside a purple egg.

Read Matthew 27:59. The gauze represents the strips that wrapped Jesus' body.

Day 7: an empty yellow egg.

Matthew 28:1-10; Mark:16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-31: The tomb is empty.

If you don't have the eggs, you can have a treasure hunt by hiding these outside. I suggest placing the crackers inside a plastic bag. You can use a real palm branch if you choose, and you can even add a few more ideas:

Instead of 3 coins, hide 30 silver coins (nickels). You can hide these separately or in a bag.

A bottle of perfume (John 12:3)

A cross (Matthew 27:32-35)

A sponge (Matthew 27:48)

Dice (Matthew 27:48)

A thorny branch (Matthew 27:29)

Add to this list any other items you can think of. Involve your children in helping to gather these items before hiding them. That way, they know what they are looking for.

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