I don’t know about your children, but mine love things in boxes. So here’s an Easter activity in a box.
I’ve used it with my children since they were toddlers, but the simplicity of it lends itself to use with all ages, including adults. And using it each year, gives further depth to each Holy Week and Easter.
This lovely idea came from Camille LeBron Powell, was adapted by Mary Hawes, and is presented here with pictures by GodVenture.
The idea is to have a short time to share some of the Easter story together, using items from the box as a focus and stimulus to chat and pray.
The suggestion is to use this each day in Holy Week, starting on Palm Sunday and going through to Easter Sunday. But you might choose to use it on other days in the run-up to Easter. You do what works for you and your family.
As well as your Holy Week Box, you will need a Bible to find the stories each day. You could read the Bible’s words or tell them in your own words. With my 7 and 8-year-olds, I’ve been using the Contemporary English Version of the Bible with them since they were 3, as it works particularly well for reading aloud to children.
I’ve created a FREE download with all the instructions in a printable format, as well as a pdf of the Bible verses from the Contemporary English Version.
How to use your Holy Week Box:
Before or on Palm Sunday, find a place for your Holy Week Box where your family can see it. You might put a special cloth for it to be on, or draw a picture for the background.
Each day from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday you share a Bible story together, either reading it or retelling it and chat about the item in the box to which it relates, then say the Lord’s Prayer together.
To make your box, you need
- a small cardboard box (I got mine from here but you could easily re-purpose a small box which would otherwise be recycled)
- a small wooden person (like this or use a small play person e.g. Duplo / Lego)
- a piece of white cloth (I cut up an old white t-shirt but you could use felt or cloth scraps)
- some green paper
- some wire or pipe cleaners
- 3 chocolate coins
- Holy Week Box instructions (FREE download here)
Looking for a fun, easy Easter activity? These Easter puppets are simple to make and you'll have fun telling the story together using the storyboard. Available as a book or a download
