How to Talk to Your Kids About Easter

Reading the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection to our kids is great, but it’s also important to dig deeper into the meaning and significance of it. Here’s a guide for how to talk to your kids about Easter — what it is, what it means, and how it impacts our lives today.

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I’ve been reading the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection to my kids at Easter time pretty much since birth (theirs, not mine *wink*). We have a collection of favorite Christ-centered Easter books I like to use to point my kids to Jesus during this season. And, of course, we read passages straight from the Bible, as well.

Now that the boys are getting older and they’ve shown a spiritual depth and curiosity that both amazes and delights me, I think they’re ready for more.

In addition to reading the story, I want to teach them the significance of it. I want them to know why it’s a central tenet to the Christian faith, why it was such a monumental and miraculous event, and why its impact is still as powerful in our lives today as it was then.

If you would like that for your kids, as well, here is a guide for how to talk to your kids about (the true meaning of) Easter.

How to Talk to Kids About Easter

As you celebrate the Easter season with your kids, here are the main points you will want to talk about regarding Jesus’ death and resurrection, as well as some Bible verses to read together:

The Meaning and Gravity of Sin

Our kids’ grasp of the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice rests on their understanding of sin and the gravity of its effects. You can help explain it in the following way:

In His wisdom and omniscience (i.e. He knows everything about everything), God has a certain way He wants us to live. Any time we do things our way in a way that conflicts with His way, we sin.

Sin often has consequences in our natural world, such as getting hurt, creating conflict, or landing us in trouble with authorities. But it also has the even worse consequences of separation from God and spiritual death.

Verses to use:

Romans 3:23
Isaiah 59:2
Romans 5:12
Romans 6:23
James 4:17
1 John 1:8

Our Need for Propitiation

Why does our sin have such big consequences?

God loves us so much, and He desperately wants to be near us, but He is also just (everything He does is right and fair). He cannot allow sin to go unpunished or He would go against His very Word. Sin has to be paid for.

Since we all sin, we all have the need for propitiation, which is a big word meaning a sacrifice to redeem (make up for) our sins and restore our relationship with God.

In the Old Testament, God told His people to sacrifice animals free of any blemish or defect as atonement for their sins But as we’ll see in a bit, Jesus became the final propitiation, clearing out sins once and for all.

Verses to use:

Leviticus 4:20
Leviticus 17:11
Numbers 6:14
Deuteronomy 32:4
Isaiah 53:5 (this is OT prophecy about Jesus)

Jesus’ Perfection

In order for Jesus to be the final sacrifice, however, it was imperative that He be absolutely, 100% free from sin. And He was.

This is incredible because while Jesus was God, He was also man. He faced the same temptations and struggles we do, and yet He did not sin. This is significant, because if He had sinned even once, He could not have atoned (paid) for our sins.

Verses to use:

2 Corinthians 5:21
Hebrews 4:15
1 Peter 1:18-19
1 Peter 2:22
1 John 3:5

How Jesus Was the Final Sacrifice

The people of the Old Testament offered LOTS of sacrifices to atone (there’s that word again!) for their sins. They had to do it year after year after year because none of their sacrifices could permanently take away their sins. They were like temporary band-aids so God could continue to dwell among His people.

For God’s people to truly live in His presence, a final sacrifice had to be made. Jesus, in His perfection, offered His life as that ultimate sacrifice. He died in our place and took all of God’s punishment upon Himself to pay for sin once and for all.

This is why we refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God. He offered himself as the “sacrificial lamb” to be killed for our forgiveness. The difference is, Jesus was a perfect sacrifice and, therefore, the last one we would ever need.

Verses to use:

Matthew 26:28
John 1:29
Romans 3:25
1 Corinthians 15:3
Hebrews 9:12
Hebrews 10:12
1 Peter 1:19
1 John 2:1-2
1 John 4:10

What That Shows Us About God’s Love For Us

God gave us His Son because He loves us that much. Even in our sin, even in our disobedience, even when we push Him away, He loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us.

Verses to use:

John 3:16
Romans 5:8
Romans 8:37-39

Jesus Lives! (And What That Means for Us)

Jesus did not stay dead for long, though! He rose from the dead and now lives in Heaven with God the Father. Upon His resurrection, Jesus defeated sin, death, and the devil. As if that wasn’t enough, God then sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us.

What does that mean for us today? There’s enough to that answer to fill multiple posts, but in a nutshell, Jesus’ resurrection gives us:

Justification — We don’t have to make up for our sin or earn back our right standing with God. In fact, we can’t! It’s impossible. The great news is, we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ, as a free and undeserved gift from God.
Victory over sin — We do not have to be slaves to sin (doing whatever we feel like doing). We will still face temptation, and we will still sin, but we know that, ultimately, Jesus paid for our victory over it.
Eternal life in Heaven — If we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we get to live in Heaven forever!
Abundant life on earth — We are now alive to God in Christ. The moment we receive Him as our Savior, we receive an abundant life of meaning, purpose, peace, and joy.
All-Access Pass to God — In the OT, only the priests could go directly to God. There was a thick, heavy veil (like a curtain) in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies, where God’s Spirit was, from where the people were. Only the priest could go in, and only once a year. But when Jesus died as our final sacrifice, the Bible says the veil was ripped in two! Now, we have 24/7 direct access to God forever!

Verses to use:

Justification

Romans 5:1
1 Corinthians 5:21
Philippians 3:9
1 John 1:9
2 Corinthians 5:21

Victory Over Sin

Romans 6:6
1 Corinthians 5:17
1 Corinthians 15:17

Eternal Life

John 3:16
John 3:36
John 17:3
Romans 6:23
1 John 2:25

Abundant Life

John 10:10
Matthew 25:46

All-Access Pass

Matthew 27:51
Ephesians 3:12
Hebrews 10:19

Reading the Easter story of Jesus’ death and resurrection to our kids is great. We should definitely do that and do it often. But it’s also important to dig deeper into the whats, whys, and hows — the meaning and significance of His sacrifice and what it means for our lives.

SHARE WITH US: Does this guide help you as you talk to your kids about Easter? Obviously, it’s not an exhaustive list, so what points or Scriptures would you add? Share your thoughts in the comments below!