Authentic Easter For Kids!

My fabulous cousin Amy agreed to share her Easter tradition with us- I can hardly wait to do this with my girls this year! I am so excited! Here you go! 

{This is Amy's darling family at their Seder Dinner last year}

Easter...for real! 

Last year my husband and I decided to do a Seder dinner with our kids. We wanted to start some Easter traditions to teach our kids about the real meaning of Easter in a fun, relatable way. Sure, the Easter bunny and the candy are fun, but that's not why we have this special holiday. So what is a Seder Dinner? It's a ceremonial dinner that marks the beginning of Passover. This was the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples before he died on the cross. This is the night before Good Friday (otherwise called Maundy Thursday.) I used this site (LINK[) to prepare our Seder meal, but because I have small children I wanted to keep it simple. So I pulled out the highlights. 

Here's what I used:

-Tablecloth (or an old sheet that can get dirty)

-Goblets

-Votive candles

-Tin foil

-Large bowl

-Warm water

-Wash cloth and towel

-Chair 

-For the food I simply picked the items up at the store (keep it easy):

Whole roasted chicken (these are already cooked and ready to go in the deli. I opted out of lamb for my kids because I knew they wouldn't eat it.)

Fruits like grapes, oranges, apples

Mixed nuts

Grape juice

Flat bread 

Spread out the tablecloth on the floor and set out the candle, drinks and food. Light your candles and dim the lights. Serve your food on tin foil, sit on the floor and eat with your fingers. That's how they did it back then! Also, play some calm music or Christian worship music in the background. Talk to your kids about why you are eating like this and the meaning. The website mentioned above gets a little too detailed for me so I pulled out what I thought was appropriate for my kids' age and attention spans. We simply ate and drink freely as we read scripture and talked about Jesus.

Here are some scriptures to share as you eat:

Mark 14:14-17, Luke 22:14-16 Jesus invites the disciples to the Passover dinner.

Matthew 26:26-28 The breaking of bread represents Jesus' body; the drinking of wine represents Christ shedding his blood on the cross for us.

When your meal is finished, begin by taking turns washing each other's feet just as Jesus washed his disciples' feet. This is a cool experience if you've never done it before! Share the scripture below and point out that it was unheard of for a master to wash his servants feet. Ask your children what might be going through the disciples' minds. Discuss what it would look like to be a servant master in today's world.

John 13:3-17 The washing of disciples feet

Complete the meal by singing the Doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him all creatures here below

Praise Him above all ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen. 

I hope you enjoy celebrating the real meaning of Easter with your kids as much as we did!

Blessings,

Amy