Easter Story Egg Hunt

With Easter just around the corner, I thought I'd share a neat activity idea. We did this yesterday with the 8-11 year old girls I work with at church. We read the scriptures only, but for the sake of my young family, my own version includes a summary to accompany each scriptural account. This is a great way to combine the spiritual aspect of Easter with a fun traditional egg hunt. We will probably start this tradition next year when Chloe's a little older.

Easter Story Egg Hunt

You will first need 12 plastic eggs. If you prefer, gather several more and fill them with candy, but make sure to reserve 12 for this activity. Number the eggs 1-12 with a sharpie and fill the eggs with the corresponding scriptures/summaries and props. When the egg hunt is over, gather everyone in a circle to open the eggs.

#1
Prop: 3 dimes
Scripture: Matthew 26: 14-16
Summary: Judas betrayed Jesus, revealing to the chief priests Jesus' whereabouts in exchange for thirty pieces of silver.

#2
Prop: sacrament cup
Scripture: Matthew 26: 39-44
Summary: Jesus prayed to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. He pleaded to be relieved of His suffering, but only according to His Fathers' will. He had just been betrayed by Judas. His other disciples, who promised to stay awake and wait for Him, had all fallen asleep, leaving Jesus entirely and utterly ALONE! In these final moments of His life, Jesus was literally taking upon himself all the sins and sorrows the world had ever and would ever committ and endure. His agony was so extreme that He sweated drops of blood.

#3
Prop: knotted twine
Scripture: Matthew 27: 1-2
Summary: When morning came, the chief priests and elders of the people decided to put Jesus to death. They bound Him, led Him away, and delivered Him to the governor, Pontius Pilate.

#4
Prop: small piece of soap
Scripture: Matthew 27: 24-26
Summary: Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, but due to the pressures of the Pharisees, he handed Jesus over to them, then washed his hands clean, as if to say, "I want nothing to do with this."

#5
Prop: square of red fabric and thorns
Scripture: Matthew 27: 28-29
Summary: Jesus was stripped down and put in a scarlet robe. A crown of thorns was placed on His head, and He was mocked and whipped.

#6
Prop: nail
Scripture: Matthew 27: 31
Summary: After they mocked Jesus, they took the robe off Him and led Him away to be crucified. The soldiers nailed His hands and feet to a cross.

#7
Prop: dice
Scripture: Matthew 27:35-36
Summary: The soldiers took Jesus' garments and cast lots for them.

#8
Prop: small rocks, pebbles or dirt
Scripture: Matthew 27: 50, 51 & 54
Summary: Jesus died. The ground shook and there was a great earthquake. The people, in fear, then realized that Jesus truly was the son of God.

#9
Prop: strip of white cloth
Scripture: Matthew 27:57-59
Summary: Joseph, a disciple of Jesus took Jesus' body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, then placed Him in His tomb.

#10
Prop: stone
Scripture: Matthew 27: 60, 65-66
Summary: Joseph rolled a large stone in front of the tomb and "sealed" it to ensure Jesus' body would be safe.

#11
Prop: bay leaf
Scripture: Mark 16: 1-4
Summary: After Jesus had been in the tomb for three days, Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Salome brought spices to Jesus' tomb so they could anoint Him, only to discover the stone had been rolled away.

#12 {this one gives me chills}
Prop: leave the egg empty
Scripture: Mark 16:5-6
Summary: When the women entered the sepulchre, they saw an angel, who told them Jesus was no longer there. He had risen!

Because this activity leaves out some of the other important aspects of the Easter story (in my opinion), it may be worth reading it in the Bible from start to finish, and then pausing to open the eggs when those points of the story are reached. Either way, I think this is an awesome idea. Props to whoever came up with it!

No matter the fun activities we each have planned with our families this season, may we all remember why we're celebrating.