these are the eggs we get with the most beautiful carton!!
CLASSROOM PREP
Write: “He is not here, for he is risen” Matthew 28:6
Post up by the scripture the Church's resurrected Jesus artwork
OPENING ACTIVITY
Pass everyone an Easter egg that’s closed with washi tape
Have them all not open it until you say they can
They open it -- it’s empty!
Why is it empty?
We’re going to learn today about what we are celebrating when we celebrate Easter.
(another option would be to bring in a glove and have them discuss how a glove relates to Easter ---> when we die, our body and spirit are separated and then are reunited again and perfected when we are resurrected)
LESSON - USE LDS.ORG ARTWORK TO ILLUSTRATE THESE
We know that Jesus died for us on the cross.
Do you guys know what happened after he died?
The people who loved him were very sad.
They took his body off the cross and wrapped it in a beautiful white cloth.
They carried his body inside a tomb → like a cave where people were buried.
They laid him down gently.
Then they closed the entrance to the tomb by rolling a large stone in front of the doorway.
Some soldiers guarded the tomb.
Jesus’ friends (apostles etc) had been told He would be resurrected, etc but it was hard for them to really believe and understand.
On the third day after he died, before the sun came up, angels came and rolled back the stone from the door.
His body was not there!
The soldiers were afraid and froze. Finally they just ran away.
Later that morning, some women came to the tomb. They loved Jesus and wanted to put some sweet spices on his body like they used to do. They saw the stone rolled away and went in. There was an angel dressed in white in the tomb - the women were afraid but the angel said, “Do not be afraid. He is not here, for he is risen.”
What had happened?
His body had been changed and perfected and joined with his spirit to be a resurrected body.
His body had been changed and perfected and joined with his spirit to be a resurrected body.
He would never die again and would live forever.
His Atonement made it so we can also be resurrected! We can live forever with our families.
Do you see why Easter is such a big celebration for people who believe in Jesus?
*Adapted from Primary 3’s Easter lesson
VIDEOS TO ILLUSTRATE WHAT WE JUST DISCUSSED
Jesus is Laid in a Tomb 3:30
Jesus is Resurrected 4:00
"NOT ABOUT THE EASTER BUNNY" ACTIVITY
When you go into a store to look at Easter things, why do you think there's a lot of bunnies, chicks, lambs, etc.? (new life)
Jesus's sacrificed allows for everyone to have new life after death.
We know that Easter isn't about the Easter Bunny, but the Easter Bunny can remind us how to be a good follower of the Savior.
Jesus's sacrificed allows for everyone to have new life after death.
We know that Easter isn't about the Easter Bunny, but the Easter Bunny can remind us how to be a good follower of the Savior.
Pass out large white or pink pieces of paper that has written at the top:
EASTER ISN'T ABOUT THE EASTER BUNNY,
BUT BUNNIES CAN REMIND US HOW TO APPRECIATE THE SAVIOR.
LIKE A BUNNY, I CAN...
Tell them to each draw themselves (full body) with:
- A heart drawn where the heart is
- A carrot in one hand
- A big smile
Below are the things I'll print out (one per kid)
We will tape them on near their body where it refers
After, we'll roll it up and secure with washi tape to take home
Place near the ears:
...have ears that are quick to listen
“let every [person] be swift to hear” James 1:19
Place near the hand holding the carrot:
...eat what is healthy by filling up on the gospel every day
“feast upon the words of Christ” 2 Nephi 32:3
Place near the mouth:
...have no voice for complaining or arguing
“and there were no contentions or disputations among them” 4 Nephi 1:2
Place near the foot:
...have feet that are quick to do the work of the Lord with faith
“And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint” D&C 89:20
Place near the heart:
...be gentle, kind-hearted, and forgiving
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…” Ephesians 4:32
Place near the eyes:
...have big eyes to look carefully and choose what is good
“And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord” Deuteronomy 6:18
Adapted from this on Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/84442561735458490/
GAME
Use an egg carton and bring in a jelly bean or small Easter candy egg.
Have written inside each compartment a number 1-12
Have 12 slips of paper, folded up, either numbered or just placed in each section.
They will take turns tossing the candy in to see where it lands.
Use the following for the game (you can assign any number to them)
- Sing “Hosanna” (Songbook, 66)
- Quotation: “No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel: ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.’ ” - President Thomas S. Monson
- Scripture → “Here is not here: for he is risen, as he said." Matthew 28:6
- Kid who threw it tells their favorite thing about Easter
- Kid who threw it tells their favorite thing about Easter
- Sing “He Sent His Son” (Songbook, 34)
- Kid who threw it tells their favorite thing about Easter
- Scripture → “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” John 11:25
- Sing “He Is Risen” (Hymnbook, 199)
- Scripture → “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Luke 24:39
- Kid who threw it tells their favorite thing about Easter
- Kid who threw it tells their favorite thing about Easter (and any remaining kids share their favorite thing)
TAKE HOME
Cellophane bag treats, snacks, class photo printed out, your testimony printed out or handwritten, a small Easter toy, etc..., and this printed out quotation:
“No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel: ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.’ ” - Thomas S Monson
