Easter Sunday

Subscribers only: Download as a PDF here. 

MEETING AIM: To hear about Jesus’ resurrection and to discover what the angel told the women to do. 

BIBLE PASSAGE: Mark 16:1-8 

BACKGROUND: Check with parents and carers that they are happy for children to take part in an Easter egg hunt. Decide beforehand when the children can eat their eggs and iced biscuits. 

 

 

CIRCLE TIME

5 MINS 

Welcome the children by name and chat about their week. 

 

 

INTRO ACTIVITY

10 MINS 

You will need: small, wrapped Easter eggs; small containers such as yogurt pots 

Before the session, hide the wrapped eggs around your meeting space. Give each child a container and send them  off to find the eggs. If some children have more eggs than others, share them out more fairly at the end (let children know that you will be doing this before you start the Easter egg hunt, so that they don’t get upset). 

 

 

BIBLE STORY

10 MINS 

You will need: two candles; a candle lighter or matches; the ability to darken your room 

Before you start the story, darken your space and light the two candles. Sit around the candles, making sure that  the children are at a safe distance. If you can’t have real candles, use battery-operated ones. Tell your story: 

 

Has anyone ever got up in the morning when it is still dark? Talk about what it is like. Can anyone remember the names of the three woman who followed Joseph to see where Jesus’ body 

was placed? They were Mary, another Mary and Salome. Very, very early, two mornings after Jesus had died, these three women set off to go to the tomb. They wanted to wrap some sweet-smelling perfume around Jesus’ body. 

Can anyone remember where Jesus’ body had been laid? The three women had a big problem but didn’t know 

what to do about it. Can anyone work out what their problem was? Get the children to give their ideas. It was how they were going to move the stone from the tomb’s entrance! 

The children creep round the circle, as quietly as possible, pretending to carry a heavy bag of perfumes. When they got to the tomb however, the huge stone had already been rolled away. 

They were very surprised. The children act out their surprise and then sit down. 

By now it was beginning to get light. Blow out the candles and introduce more light. The women crept into the tomb. 

They were in for an even bigger surprise! Sitting there was a man dressed in  white clothes. And it wasn’t Jesus! By now they were frightened. But the man told them not to be scared. 

He gave them some information and some instructions: 

 

• Look where Jesus’ body was laid. He’s not here. He’s come alive. 
• Go and tell Jesus’ friends what has happened. 
• Tell Peter what has happened. 
• Jesus has gone back to Galilee. You’ll find him there. 

 

Check whether the children can remember these instructions in order. Devise actions to accompany each instruction. For example, ‘Peter’ could be the letter ‘P’ drawn in the air or in sign language. 

The women were still very shocked and shaking. They ran away from the tomb. But eventually the other disciples discovered that Jesus really was alive. The angel had been speaking the truth. They all met him. He also met them in Galilee, by the side of the lake. 

 

 

CHATTING TOGETHER

5 MINS 

Continue chatting about the story, using these questions to help: 

 

• What do you like best about the story? 
• What do you think happened to the huge stone? 

• Why do you think these women couldn’t believe Jesus was alive? 
• How difficult do we find it to believe that Jesus had come alive again? And is still alive? (Tell the children why this matters to you personally.) 
• What does this story say about Jesus? 

 

 

CREATIVE RESPONSE

10 MINS 

You will need: simple round biscuits (such as rich tea or digestives); grey icing; white icing; spoons or blunt knives 

Give each child two biscuits and show them how to ‘paint’ grey icing on one biscuit in the shape of a cross. They should cover the other biscuit with white icing. Once the icing is dry enough to hold the biscuits up without it all dripping off, hold up the biscuit with the grey cross up. Say that this represents the cross Jesus died on. Then cover the cross with the white-iced biscuit to show how the stone of Jesus tomb was rolled away, with Jesus coming alive again! 

 

 

PRAYER

5 MINS 

You will need: simple musical instruments; Easter music and the means to play it 

Give out the musical instruments and play a celebratory Easter song for children to sing and rejoice that Jesus is alive! 

Conclude by standing in a circle and say the following acclamation together, with actions which may need explanations: 

 

Jesus was arrested! Cross wrists and shake them. 

Jesus has died! Stretch arms out in a cross shape. 

Jesus was buried. Close eyes and bend over sideways. 

Jesus has come alive! Everyone dances around on the spot three times. 

Alleluia! Shout this three times, getting louder each time, with arms stretched in the air.