Family Devotions / Sunday School Easter Lesson Plan

Looking for a way to impact your church and your schools? We've created an Easter Devotional that can be used as a Sunday School Lesson or a Family Devotional. It also provides how you can share the story of Easter with your school! 

Introduction

Read aloud: Did you know that Jesus loves it when children praise him? Today we are going to read a story in the Bible about when children were saying good things about Jesus. Some adults tried to stop them, but Jesus didn’t. In fact, Jesus said this is the kind of thing that he likes to hear.

Question: Easter is coming soon; what do we celebrate at Easter? [Solicit answers]

Read aloud: Well, let’s read the story of when Jesus was coming to Jerusalem just before he was going to die on the cross and rise from the dead.

To continue reading, Click here to download a free Family Devotions handout that will help teach your child about the death and resurrection of Jesus and how this major historical event has influenced literature, art, and music as well as social movements from the abolition of slavery to the civil rights action of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 

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For articles on teaching Easter in a public school click here.

To read about our Easter Card for public school teachers click here.

To download our public school Easter Lesson click here.

Easter and State Standards

Here are examples of state academic standards and frameworks that relate to Easter: 

MASSACHUSETTS - Students are to "describe the central features of Christianity (e.g., the belief in a messiah who could redeem humans from sin, the concept of salvation, the belief in an Old and a New Testament in the Bible, the life, and teachings of Jesus.)." (6. T3, 3.d.) 

TEXAS - Students are to "explain the significance of religious holidays and observances such as Christmas, Easter..." 113.18 (17)b.) 

OHIO - "Students should be familiar with and able to identify the geographic origins, founding leaders and teachings of...Christianity." (6.8) 

FLORIDA - Students are to "identify key figures and the basic beliefs of early Christianity and how these beliefs impacted the Roman Empire...Examples are Christian monotheism, Jesus as the son of God, Peter, Paul." (SS.6.W.3.13)

CALIFORNIA - Students are to "note the origins of Christianity in the Jewish Messianic prophecies, the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament, and the contribution of St. Paul the Apostle to the definition and spread of Christian beliefs (e.g., belief in the Trinity, resurrection, salvation)." (6.7.6).  

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For articles on how to teach objectively about Easter click here and here.

To read about our Easter Card for teachers click here

To download our Easter Lesson, click here. It adapts Luke 22-24 into a textbook-style lesson with pictures, vocabulary, culture facts, and discussion questions.

To request our Summary of your State Academic Standards click here.

Resurrect Easter in Your School

You can help get the Easter story told to your child's class this year. How? By presenting the non-threatening Holiday Restoration Card from Gateways to Better Education to your child's teacher. You also may want to ask the teacher if you can share what Easter means to your family, and even read scripture. 

Diane Borja, a parent, wrote: "The effectiveness of the Easter cards multiplied like bunnies!" She shared the card with her prayer group, and every mom purchased a card to give to their child's teacher. 

"I bought extra cards," Diane explained, "and mailed them to teacher friends in other school districts. My friends were elated and enthusiastically shared the information with fellow teachers." "Thanks to your Easter card," Diane added, "I did a Passover/Easter presentation (complete with a homemade tomb and figures) in my son's second grade class. I had the privilege of explaining the historical meaning of the holiday in a fifth grade class as well." 

The eight-page Easter card tells the humorous story of an encounter between the Easter Bunny and a teacher. The bunny explains that the true message of Easter is about new life in Jesus. The teacher raises all the objections commonly heard from public school educators, but in this story, the smart little bunny is very familiar with U.S. court cases. He helps the teacher understand that teaching about Jesus at Easter is legally permitted. The card also includes legal documentation, Constitutionally-sound lesson plan ideas, and more! 

EASTER RESOURCES:

Order the EASTER CARD, Bunny goes to School, to give to your teacher.

Download our Easter Lesson Plan for Public Schools by CLICKING HERE.

Similar in appearance to a middle school textbook, it adapts Luke 22-24 into a textbook-style lesson with pictures, vocabulary, culture facts, and discussion questions.

We would love to hear how you helped restore Easter in your school. Tell us your story here.