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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Copyright © 2001 by Rachel Keller
