How do I talk to my kids or teenagers about Easter?

There is no one right way to talk about Easter and what it means—as we’ve seen, throughout the history of Christianity, there have been many different options offered! But there are more age-appropriate ways to do it than others.

Younger Kids:

Keep the conversations more on the themes of Easter than the specifics of Jesus dying. For example, say things like:

Say: Jesus died [or say “went away” for really young kids,] but on Sunday, he came back to all of his friends!

Ask: How do you feel when someone you love has gone away for a bit? What does it feel like when they return?

Say: Easter reminds us that our sadness isn’t the end.

Ask: Have you ever been surprised by something good coming from something bad?

Say: Just like we see with Spring coming after the Winter, Easter shows us that life can come out of death.

Ask: Have you seen any signs of Spring yet, outside? What are the things you look for to know that Spring is coming? 

Older Kids:

Help your older kids put themselves in the position of different people in the Easter story.

What would it have felt like to be a disciple and see your leader arrested and killed? Or Jesus’ mother at the cross?  

Imagine being Mary Magdalene as the first person at the tomb on Sunday morning and discovering it empty. What would that have been like? How do you think it felt to go from one extreme of emotion to another?

The disciple Thomas, famously known as “Doubting Thomas,” wouldn’t believe the news that Jesus was alive until he could see Jesus for himself and put his hands on his wounds. Do you relate to Thomas? Would it have been hard for you to believe?

Tip:  Use a feelings wheel to help them identify what different people in the story may have felt.

The people who were most sad about Jesus dying were the most excited to see him alive again. Have you ever noticed a relationship between how happy you are and how sad you are? How do you think not allowing yourself to feel sad about something can keep you from feeling as happy as you want to?

For Teenagers:

Teenagers are able to get a bit more abstract and can talk about the themes of resurrection in broader and more participatory ways.

Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff writes, “Wherever in mortal life goodness triumphs over the instincts of hatred, wherever one heart opens to another, wherever a righteous attitude is built and room is created for God, there the resurrection has begun.”

We tend to think of resurrection as a moment in time, and something that “happens” to us. But this perspective on resurrection seems to be about noticing where it’s already happening, in process, around us. But even more than that, it’s an invitation to participate in resurrection. 

Ask: What would it look like this Easter season, to not just celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, but to be bringers of resurrection to the world we live in? To be part of the process of resurrection? What around us needs new life? And how can we be part of making it a reality? 

Ask: Where have you seen resurrection begin? In a relationship? In a circumstance that seemed beyond repair? 

Ask: What is an area where you want to see resurrection happen?

For more research, history, and activities to explore with your kids about Easter, create a free account and check out the new questions in “Your Biggest Questions!”