Holy Week is an important time to reflect on all that Christ has done on our behalf. It’s also filled with teachable moments as you explain to your children the significance of Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter.
How crucial it is for our kids to know that these holy days are about much more than chocolate, the Easter Bunny and jelly beans!
Prepare for Good Friday and Easter
Holy Week is the last week of Lent, when we follow Jesus from Palm Sunday to His death on Good Friday in preparation for His rising from the dead on Easter.
These family activities offer ideas for the week prior to Easter Sunday and give creative family activities beginning on Palm Sunday.
Make sure to also prioritize attending church as a family this week. Even younger children will appreciate and better grasp the story of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to His resurrection on Easter Sunday if they participate in Sunday school and special Good Friday services.
Read the Bible together as a family
The foundation of the Christian faith is built on the events that took place Good Friday and Easter Sunday over 2,000 years ago. Take time during Holy Week to read the biblical accounts of what happened on these important days.
- Ask each family member to choose one of these Bible passages to read at the dinner table one night during Holy Week:
● Read the story about Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24 or John 20 at breakfast on Easter morning. Pray together as a family, expressing thanks that Christ is risen!
Teach Bible truths in the kitchen
The kitchen might not be the place you think of to explain biblical truths to your kids. But at Easter, the truths of God’s Word can come alive in creative ways:
- Make resurrection cookies to explain the Easter story. Find the recipe on the Family Life Web site and search for resurrection cookies. Each step of the recipe connects with a particular aspect of the Easter story. The ingredients are minimal. Make them the night before Easter because they turn into “empty tombs” on Easter morning!
- Dyeing eggs is a fun tradition that can also be a teaching moment. Explain to your kids that eggs are the promise of new life just as Jesus’ death and resurrection has promised us new and eternal life. Consider writing messages on the hard-boiled eggs with crayons before dyeing. This will remind your family of the true meaning of Easter. Examples: “He is risen,” ”Jesus loves you,” “Hallelujah” and “Remember.”
Explain Easter words to your kids
When reading the Easter story from the Bible, pay attention to any words your children don’t recognize. Use a Bible dictionary or concordance for help in explaining any confusing words.
- More than any other religious holiday, Good Friday and Easter are full of terms your children may not understand. Words like resurrection, crucifixion, betrayal, the Last Supper, cross and burial may require some age-appropriate explanations.
Reach out to friends and neighbors
For some non-believers, Christmas and Easter are the only times of the year they step foot in a church. As a family, think about neighbors and family members who don’t know Christ and might be open to going to church this year.
- Pray together as a family for who you might invite. Ask God for boldness.
- Challenge your kids to invite friends from school or sports teams to your Easter church service or to Awana if their Awana ministry is doing an Easter-themed night. Teach your children about evangelism and why it’s important to tell others about Christ.
- Go as a family to a nursing home or hospital. Hand out flowers, Easter bookmarks or other simple gifts to residents along with an Easter-related Bible verse on a note card, picture or card made by your kids.
- Consider hosting a neighborhood Easter egg hunt with a twist. Focus on the Family suggests leaving one egg empty. Give a large basket filled with Easter gifts or candy to the child who finds the empty egg. Explain to the kids that this egg represents the empty tomb. After the hunt, share the Easter story with the children. Focus recommends The Parable of the Lily.
Have a blessed Easter!
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Use this test to rate your family’s love quotient
Valentine’s Day is a day of flowers and chocolate and a time to communicate love to those important to us. But hopefully loving your family members happens the other 364 days of the year, too.
Perhaps you’re familiar with some of the most widely quoted verses on love in the Bible found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
So how is your family doing showing love to one another day to day? Organize a family night and find out!
Directions: Print a copy of this love test. Ask each family member to write a number on the scale according to his or her answers to the following statements. Use this as your guide:
1: “Wow, I need some help here.”
10: “I’m doing really well in this area!”
Love is patient: I am willing to wait when needed or help another family member when necessary. I try to maintain reasonable expectations.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea for showing more patience with a family member: Wait your turn for the bathroom or shower.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love is kind: My words and actions express kindness toward other family members.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea for expressing more kindness toward other family members: React with sympathy and gentleness when a family member is facing a problem or challenge.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love does not envy: I celebrate a family member’s accomplishment, victory or award at work or school without being jealous.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea to keep from envying other family members: Make a card when your sister gets an ‘A’ on her test.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love does not boast: I value everyone’s role in the family and respect each person’s opinions and beliefs.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea for valuing and respecting family members: Listen carefully when a family member talks.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love is not proud: I am not more important than anyone else in the family.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea for safeguarding yourself against the temptation of pride: No bragging or putting others down at the dinner table!
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love is not rude: I don’t use careless words or demand my own way.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea to show kindness and respect to family members: Do something for another family member without being asked.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love is not self-seeking: I try to think of another’s person’s needs before my own.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Let your brother have first dibs on choosing dessert.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love is not easily angered: I try to listen and understand before speaking or acting.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: When my little sister is annoying me, I will walk away and not cause a fight.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love keeps no record of wrongs: I don’t keep score.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: I won’t keep reminding my mom of a mistake she made.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love does not delight in evil: I hate the sin, but always love the sinner.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Study the Bible and see what God has to say about certain issues.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love rejoices with the truth: I am a truth-teller even when it’s hard.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Be honest in all things.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love always protects: I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect and stand up for my family no matter what.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Protect your younger brother when other kids are being unkind to him on the playground.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love always trusts: I trust in God’s plans and provisions and believe the best about my family members.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Follow through on what you say.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love always hopes: My eternal hope is in Christ and I know He has a plan for my life.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Memorize a Bible verse about hope.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love always perseveres: I am fully committed to my family and will work to make my family thrive.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Pray together often.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Love never fails: I know that I am radically loved by God and my family.
1__________________________________________________________10
One idea you could implement: Write an encouraging note to each family member and express your love.
This week, I will try to______________________________________
Pray together as a family and ask God to fill your hearts with love for each other and for Him. Commit to improving in one or two of these areas this month. Make Valentine’s Day last all year long!
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How to invest more time in spiritually training your kids
All of us experience 168 hours every week and 1,440 minutes each day. The question to regularly ask ourselves is: Am I using the time God has given me in ways that best honor Him and my family?
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
Think about how you spend the valuable commodity of time in these different areas.
Time for dinner
Research from The National Center on Addictions and Substance Abuse at Columbia University shows that time spent as a family around the dinner table can produce long-lasting benefits. Children who regularly eat family dinners:
- Are significantly less likely to get involved with drugs, alcohol and early sexual behavior
- Enjoy more nutritious diets, which leads to better overall health
- Perform better in school and have higher test scores relative to the amount of time spent with family
- Are less prone, in the case of teen girls, to develop eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.
To learn more about the benefits of family mealtime, visit:
Research indicates that the average family shares only three to five meals together a week. What can you do to guard your family mealtime and make it meaningful?
1. Talk. Go around the table and ask each family member:
- “What was a high/low from your day?”
- “How did you see God at work today?”
- “What made you laugh today?”
- “Did you face any challenges?”
Here are some additional conversation starter resources:
The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion
Table Topics Conversation Cards—Family Edition
Food for Talk
2. Ban television and phones from the table. Turn off all electronics and don’t answer any phone calls during dinner.
3. Memorize a Bible verse. Practice saying the verse during meals.
4. Read a short Bible passage or devotional and discuss it.
Create family night memories
According to one study, only one out of 20 churchgoing families ever opens the Bible outside of church. Make family devotions and spiritual activities a priority in your family’s week. We need homes that are discipleship centers.
Try these ideas:
- Look for ways your family can begin growing spiritually together. The Awana® at Home™ ministry offers tools for parents to use in their efforts to spiritually train their kids. One resource that can get you started is the free monthly Day Light calendar.
- Work with your children on their Awana curriculum. Help them memorize and understand their verses.
- Ask one family member to determine the theme or activity for family night and rotate each week. This gives everyone a chance to do a favorite activity or plan a special outing.
Plan purposeful conversations
Be intentional with whatever time you have with your children. Use your time to engage in meaningful conversation.
Maybe these ideas will spark some new ways to connect with your child:
- View car time in a new way. You have a “captive” audience, so ask specific questions about your child’s day, concerns they’re facing or what God is teaching them. Avoid talking on your cell phone and take advantage of the time together.
- Plan a one-on-one activity with each child once a week. It could be a fun outing to bowl together or a mundane chore like grocery shopping. The idea is to focus on one child and give your undivided attention.
- Pray together. Ask your child for any prayer requests and tell her how she can pray for you. Take time to pray for each other on a regular basis.
Bless your children at bedtime
John Trent’s book, Bedtime Blessings, offers five different components that parents can use to make bedtime spiritually meaningful for their kids. They are:
- Meaningful touch communicates affirmation with no words. Hold hands while you pray with your child or hug your child before leaving the room.
- Spoken words “can etch a deep sense of being loved into your child’s memory.”
- Attaching high value blesses your child. “The word for blessing in the Scriptures means to ‘bow the knee,’” Trent writes. “We bow before someone who is very valuable. When we bless the Lord, we’re saying, ‘Lord, You’re so valuable, I bow my heart before You.’ When we bless our children, we’re attaching high value to them through our words, appropriate touch and genuine commitment.”
- Help your child see that God has a plan for his life (Jeremiah 29:11) and a purpose while on Earth.
- Genuine commitment gives your child a sense of stability.
Try these “Mr. Potato Head” prayers for your child during bedtime.
Family priorities that stick
So many things compete for your family’s time and attention. You probably feel pulled in many directions. It’s a challenge to keep priorities in order.
One mom wrote: “Ten years from now, will it matter more that we signed our child up for one more team or activity in order to collect one more trophy, or will it matter more that we said no to another activity and instead set aside several nights a week to have dinner together as a family to nourish family relationships?”
As a new year begins, what is most important to your family? What are the non-negotiables that will not get squeezed out, like mealtime, family nights, church and Awana? Pray as a family. Ask God to honor your commitments as you strive to honor Him with your time.
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But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:10-11
Does the Christmas season bring thoughts of silent nights and joy to the world into your home? Or do you struggle to deck the halls and hope in your haste that Grandma didn’t get run over by a reindeer?
It’s a busy—and sometimes stressful—time of year, but we must not miss the true spirit of the season – or fail to convey that true spirit to our kids. How can you prepare your children—and yourself—to grasp and appreciate the true meaning of this holiday season?
“Away in a Manger”: focus on the miracle of Christ’s birth
- Read the Christmas story in Luke 2:1-20. Use a nativity set to make the story come alive to younger children. Locate Bethlehem on a map. Act out the story and have each family member play a part.
- Prepare a birthday party for Jesus. Bake a cake and honor Him whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. Encourage guests to bring a gift for Jesus—perhaps something for a friend or neighbor in need.
- Place an empty “manger” in your home. Throughout the Christmas season, when someone performs a kind act for another family member, he or she gets to put some straw in the manger. Before the Christmas story is read on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, lay the baby Jesus figure on top of the straw bed.
“Silent Night”: take time to reflect on the wonder of the season
- Go to church on Christmas Eve . Make this a treasured family tradition.
- Use Christmas cards you receive for family devotions. At dinner during the Christmas season, pray for each of the families who sent cards from that day.
- Teach your kids about the symbols of the season. Some ideas:
Wreaths: show God’s love never ends like a circle
Holly: the sharp green leaves remind us of Christ’s crown of thorns and the red berries remind us of the blood He shed for us
Candles and lights: signs of hope that show us Christ is the light of the world
Angels: the heavenly host that filled the skies the night Jesus was born
Stars: the star guided the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus
Evergreen: symbol of life
Candy cane: a tasty tradition with rich symbolism and a well-known legend
“Deck the Halls”: make your home festive and inviting during the holidays
- Decorate your home with a Christmas tree, nativity set and stockings. Hang a stocking for Jesus, too, and ask each family member to write what gifts they’d like to give to Jesus (patience with a sister, a grateful heart, etc.) Place the papers in the stocking. On Christmas morning, share your gifts to Jesus with each other and pray together.
- Teach about the symbolism of all the lights surrounding Christmas. Read Bible verses describing Jesus as light, like John 8:12, John 9:5, John 12:46, 1 Peter 2:9 and 1 John 1:5,7. Discuss what life would be like if we didn’t have the light of Christ. Light candles throughout the season. Drive around town and look at the outdoor Christmas light displays.
- Invest in relationships this season. Don’t neglect the important people in your life because your to-do list is a mile long. Invite your friends and neighbors to a holiday open house. Keep it simple. Ask guests to bring canned goods for the local food pantry or a new toy for needy children.
“The 12 Days of Christmas”: give meaningful gifts
- Don’t just buy something so you can cross that person off your list. One mom gives her children three gifts in an attempt to simplify and teach a lesson on contentment. She reminds her kids that the Christ child received three gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh—and so each year that is the same number they receive.
- Make a Christmas “thanks list” instead of a Christmas “wish list” with your kids. Name 10 things for which you are thankful—gifts that God has already given you. Post your list in a place to remind you of all that you’ve received and to help foster a spirit of gratitude this season.
- Teach your children the joy of giving. Encourage them to buy or make gifts for each family member. Recognize their excitement in receiving gifts, but show them the real joy that comes from giving.
“Joy to the World”: share your faith through loving acts of service
- Go caroling in the neighborhood and spread God’s love through music to your friends and neighbors.
- Visit a nursing home and share the message of Christmas with the elderly.
- Stock a food pantry in your community. If possible, help distribute meals as a family.
- Adopt a needy child or family through your community or church outreach ministry. Provide for any physical needs they might have as best you can and pray for their salvation and spiritual growth throughout the upcoming year.
- Invite a non-churched family to join you for Christmas service. Take a bold step of faith and be aware of people’s increased receptivity to spiritual matters during the Christmas season.
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Ideas to cultivate thankfulness in your children
When you buy your daughter a new pair of shoes, does she say thanks? How does your son respond when you make his favorite dinner or shoot baskets with him the night before school tryouts?
As a parent, you want your children to appreciate their many blessings and to develop a growing heart of gratitude to God for His goodness and faithfulness.
But our materialistic culture sends dangerous messages to kids, telling them they don’t have the right clothes or enough stuff. It’s a parenting challenge to teach thankfulness and contentment to your children when the culture is screaming “Buy me now!” “You deserve this!” “You need more!”
The one who says thanks
One time, during His travels to Jerusalem, Jesus encountered 10 men who had leprosy, a contagious skin disease. They called out to Jesus, asking for mercy and healing. Jesus healed all 10 of them.
But only one came back to say thanks. What happened in the hearts of the other nine? How can you teach your children about gratitude and to always be the first ones to express thankfulness?
Train your child to be like the grateful man who returned to thank Jesus. Perhaps one or more of these ideas will help your parenting efforts:
- Encourage your children to write thank-you notes after every birthday or holiday if they received gifts from friends or relatives.
- Start a gratitude journal. Ask each family member to record one or two things each week that they’re grateful to God for in their life.
- Don’t say “yes” to everything your children request. Conquer the spirit of entitlement when they are young.
Focus on serving others
When children cultivate a heart for others, they learn the value of being content with what they have instead of complaining about what they might lack.
Think about these action steps:
- The best place to teach about serving others is right in your own home. Every family member should contribute to household chores and do so joyfully. No whining or complaining!
- With the holidays approaching, serve a family in your neighborhood facing a difficult time or an elderly neighbor by making a meal, raking leaves or helping with a small home repair.
- Organize a food drive in your neighborhood and collect non-perishable food items to stock the local food pantry.
- Visit a nursing home and offer a glimpse of God’s love to elderly residents who may feel lonely during the holiday season.
Read, study and learn about thankfulness
Engage the minds of your children through books and God’s Word as you teach them about gratitude. Consider these suggestions:
- Read the new children’s book by Awana President/CEO Jack Eggar, Sparky Shines His Light, that teaches kids how to grow grateful hearts.
- At dinner, read the story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Ask your children what they would have done if Jesus had healed them.
‘You mean the world doesn’t revolve around me?’
Many kids really do think the world revolves around them, and their needs always seem to be the most urgent and pressing. But expanding your children’s worldview will help immensely as you show them the struggles kids their age face each day in many parts of the world.
Try these next steps to help your children see beyond themselves:
- Encourage your church’s Awana program to participate in Adopt-a-Club. This program enables, through financial gifts and prayer, boys and girls to learn about Jesus all across the world.
- Sponsor a child through an organization like World Vision or Compassion and build a relationship with your sponsored child in a developing part of the world.
- Go on a missions trip through your church or other mission organization for your next family vacation. Allow your child to see poverty and how children in under-resourced countries face daily life. They will never be the same—and neither will you.
Using words and actions to express gratitude
Making sure that your words and actions consistently reflect a thankful heart sends powerful messages to your children. Here are a few ideas:
Model a grateful spirit for your children. Thank the grocery story clerk in the checkout lane. Express appreciation to your waitress at a restaurant. Thank your pastor after a Sunday service.
- Pray at meal times and thank God for His daily provisions. Teach your children to remember to thank God for His goodness and not just make requests.
- Encourage your children to express gratitude to their Awana leaders. Take time to write a note, draw a picture or verbally say “thanks” for their hours of faithful service throughout the year.
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Helping your children share their faith in Christ
Do you remember looking for the perfect smooth stone to skip across a pond or lake? When you found it, you assumed the proper throwing position, stretched your arm back and released the stone into the water. What happened? With the right rock and right release, you’d watch the rock skim over the water several times, making ripples with each skip.
Faith in Jesus Christ is kind of like that. When you live out your faith with authenticity and conviction, it causes ripples in your various spheres of influence – whether at home, in the neighborhood, at work or at school. Your life touches another life, which touches another life, and it keeps moving outward. People notice a vibrant faith and may ask questions or want to know what the Christian faith is all about.
You need to be prepared—and so do your kids.
As parents, God commands you to be the primary spiritual influencers in your child’s life. One aspect of spiritual training is evangelism. It may seem daunting. But even children can share their faith in Christ and make ripples in others’ lives.
Before you can make spiritual ripples …
In order to make a ripple, you have to throw a rock. In a spiritual sense, before your child can make spiritual ripples, you need to make sure your child knows Christ personally. Do you know if your child has ever trusted Christ for salvation? Have you? You can make sure by reading God’s plan of salvation.
If he has accepted Christ as his Savior, encourage your child to grow spiritually through participation in Awana. Awana is a ministry devoted to equipping children ages 2 to 18 to know, love and serve Christ. You can find an Awana program at a church in your area here.
Finding the right stones …
Making ripples requires some preparation. Here are a few ideas to help your children prepare to share their faith with friends:
- Challenge your child to identify three friends to invite to Awana or church in the next three months. Write those names on a note card. Include pictures if available.
- Make a plan to invite the three friends. Choose a date and then call or make an invitation.
- Encourage your child to role-play sharing her faith with you. Provide her with coaching, teaching and encouragement.
Preparing to launch …
Getting ready to verbalize their faith might seem scary to some kids. You can help ease any fears and give your child confidence.
Think about these ideas:
- Pray each day with your child for the three friends on the note card. Teach your child about the power of prayer and why God asks you to pray.
- Take your child on a prayer walk around your neighborhood or school. Walk and pray for friends who don’t yet know Christ personally.
- Get your child actively involved in church and Awana so they can grow spiritually and learn to talk about faith with increasing confidence.
Releasing the stones …
Your child has identified a few friends and prayed for them. Now it’s time to take action and start the ripples. Let your child know how proud you are that he or she is taking spiritual risks and demonstrating boldness. Here are a few ways to take next steps:
- Offer to drive your child’s friends to church or Awana each week.
- Brainstorm ways your child can talk about faith. Each day is filled with opportunities for spiritual conversations. Know how to look for open doors.
- Teach your child how to make a guest feel comfortable at church or Awana. Introduce first-time visitors to other kids and leaders. Provide them a Bible. Encourage your child to invite his friend to your home to play and to work on their Awana books together.
Celebrating the ripples …
Affirm your child’s desire to share the gospel and reach friends for Christ. Celebrate the ripples made in people’s lives and watch how God is at work in changing lives. Try these suggestions with your child:
- Encourage your child to follow up with any friends after church or Awana and answer any questions. You can follow up with parents, too. See if they have any interest in spiritual things and invite them to church.
- Keep inviting and reaching out with God’s love to friends and neighbors.
- Read an age-appropriate book about evangelism with your child. Help your child grow in her understanding of how to share her faith.
- Teach your child how to share her testimony – the story of how she came to know Christ personally and how He is working in her life today.
- Explore possible futures in evangelism. Share exciting missionary stories. Invite a missionary from your church to your home for dinner. Learn about careers in ministry.
- Does your church’s Awana program run The Great ShakeUP, a kid-to-kid evangelism event from Awana? If so, encourage your children to get involved.
- Awana® at Home™ exists for parents who are dedicated to raising spiritual champions. Encourage your church to run Awana at Home this year to support and equip all the parents in your church.
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