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It’s almost Easter — the time of year when more families visit church than any other time through the calendar year. So planning for them to arrive is important. It’s really a stewardship issue. We want the children who come with their parents to have a great time. We also want those kids to hear the life-changing message of the Gospel. So let’s plan some fun activities and games to make Easter Sunday memorable and engaging!
One of the ways to approach Easter Sunday for children is to treat the entire day like a celebration! Because it is! There is no greater day in the Christian tradition than the day Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death forever.
One of the ways we celebrate is with an egg hunt. I know what you’re thinking: “Egg hunt, really? Is that the best you’ve got?” Well, we do a bit of a twist on the traditional egg hunt, because up north where we live, the weather does not cooperate. We also wanted to make our egg hunt a family event rather than an individual, frantic search for plastic orbs.
Indoor family egg hunt.
This is a basic egg hunt, but with a twist.
Items needed
● Small foam adhesive eggs. Here’s a link to the eggs we use, but there are lots of options out there.
● Simple printed map of environment
● Pencils for each child/ family
● Favor bags with candy or small toys (an option for those who cannot have candy)
Everyone loves an egg hunt right? Years ago I created a new kind of egg hunt for my church, and we’ve done it ever since! This activity is great if a traditional outdoor egg hunt isn’t ideal. For us in Upstate New York, there could still be snow! Since we never know what weather we’re getting, I created a way for multiple services to have an egg hunt without hiding eggs over and over. Avoiding resetting the hunt is a huge help when you have multiple services .
We purchased little foam adhesive Easter eggs (linked above) and we stuck them all around our kid wing hall. These did not damage paint.
Beforehand, I took pictures of the hallway walls, put all the pics on one sheet of paper and printed them. These were handed to each child as a map where they could put an X on the areas they saw an egg. This way no one is taking the eggs — they’re just finding them. Sort of a Where’s Waldo Easter egg edition. At the end of the hunt they turn in the map to show they found the eggs, and we give them a goodie bag of candy. The kids love it, and parents join in looking for the eggs and enjoy the hunt as much as the kids.
We always hide a golden egg, which is hard to find, so if kids find it they get an extra little treat .
There is no shortage of things parents bring their kids to, only to then sit and wait for them to finish. To be able to create a shared memory for parents and kids in an activity they are both engaged in, is a gift.
Here’s another idea to make the lesson time exciting and true at the same time.
Truer and Better Story Clues
This activity shows how the Old Testament points to Jesus’ death and resurrection!
What You Need:
-20 plastic easter eggs (as many or as few as you like depending on how long you want to search to take and how many kids you have)
-5 small pieces of paper, big enough to write on each side, but small enough to fit in the eggs.
Overview of the Game:
Five of the 20 Easter eggs will have a piece of paper in them (the others will be empty). On one side of the paper, there will be a clue describing a person in a Bible story. On the other side, there will be a letter of the name of Jesus, plus a phrase stating how that person’s story points to the death and resurrection of Jesus (see examples below). Ultimately, as the egg hunt progresses, kids will find the paper clues and will remember/learn about different people in the Bible story and how they connect to Jesus’ big story.
Play:
- Place eggs around the room. Say: “We have amazing clues in the Bible that, even though they’re many years apart, all point to one glorious treasure!
- Instruct the kids that when the hunt begins, each time they find a clue, they’ll bring it to the leader or teacher.
- When you receive a clue, call “time out!” then read the clue and have the kids guess who the Bible character is.
- Once they’ve answered, resume the hunt.
- As you collect paper clues, place them on a table, big letter side-up, where all the papers will be assembled once found.
- Once all five clues are found, assemble them next to each other in a row and in large print spell out “JESUS !” with one letter per paper.
Talk Together:
Once all the letters and “point to Jesus” details are laid out next to each other, read through them. Then talk together about how exciting it is that we found the clues and answers — but how much more exciting it is finding the real treasure: the truth that JESUS IS ALIVE!
These are just a couple examples of how you can make Easter Sunday exciting, engaging and most of all — true — for the families that attend your church. Make sure that in the middle of the fun you take every opportunity to let kids know Jesus lived a perfect life, died an unjust death and was raised to life so we could have life everlasting. What a gift. What joy. Happy Resurrection!
EXAMPLE CLUES AND ANSWERS FOR TRUER AND BETTER STORY CLUES EGG HUNT
Clue #1
(FRONT OF PAPER)
I lived in a garden where life was perfect. Because of sin, death entered the world.
Who am I? ( Adam)
(BACK OF PAPER) A large letter “J” and under it, this phrase:
Jesus brought life where Adam brought death.
Clue # 2
(FRONT OF PAPER)
God used me to rescue my people from slavery. We passed through water into freedom!
Who am I? (Moses)
(BACK OF PAPER) A large letter “E” and under it, this phrase:
Jesus saves us from sin and brings us into a new life!
Clue #3
(FRONT OF PAPER)
I spent three days in a stinky, slimy place where no one would think I could stay alive!
God brought me out to spread a message!
Who am I? ( Jonah)
(BACK OF PAPER) A large letter “S” and under it, this verse and phrase:
“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40 This was Jesus’ prophecy that He would spend three days and nights in the grave following His death.
Clue #4
(FRONT OF PAPER)
I was a king, but I was also once a young shepherd who took down a giant with a stone.
Who am I? (David)
(BACK OF PAPER) A large letter “U” and under it, this phrase:
Jesus conquered the giant in our lives: sin and death!
Clue #5
(FRONT OF PAPER)
My father loved me the most and gave me a colorful coat. My brothers hated my visions and dreams and ME. They sold me into slavery
Who am I? (Joseph)
(BACK OF PAPER) A large letter “S” and under it, this phrase:
Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold Him and uses His new power to save them.
Lori Buck serves as the Global Kids Ministry Director at Redeemer Church in Utica, New York, where she has helped shape the ministry’s creative vision for more than 15 years.
She leads production and creative development for large events, storytelling, and skits, designing immersive environments and interactive experiences that draw kids into the biblical story. A writer, filmmaker, director, and editor, Lori also creates video content for the wider church and has produced an award-winning documentary.
Known for “you had to be there” moments, Lori loves building hands-on adventures like the annual VBS Command Adventure, where kids step into imaginative worlds while encountering God’s Word in fresh, engaging ways.
Before joining Redeemer, Lori taught theater at a Christian school. She’s the mom of four adult children and a grandmother of three.
