Fun Activity To Teach Kids About the Crucifixion & Resurrection

Fun Activity To Teach Kids About Easter - Parenting Like Hannah
Photo by Amanderson2

Every year about this time, I try to find this recipe for someone it seems. It was a tradition in our house when our daughter was little. Even though we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus every week, it doesn’t hurt to take advantage of an occasion like Easter to reinforce important Bible lessons.

Resurrection Cookies are a great way to review the story of Jesus’ death with your children. I got the recipe from one of my neighbors years ago and suspect it is one of those that has been passed around all over the country. I would love to credit the inventor, but have no idea who that would be.

You will need a Bible, preferably an NIrV version for younger children. Preheat the oven to 300* and make sure it has reached 300* before you start cooking. Your bowl and beaters need to be grease free for this to work well. We have used pasteurized egg whites and they work fine although it is more difficult to keep the yolk out of the whites. It is best to do this right before the children go to bed, but aren’t so sleepy they won’t enjoy it. It can take up to thirty minutes at night and about five or ten minutes the next morning.
For ingredients you will need: 1 cup of whole pecans, 1 teaspoon of vinegar (apple cider vinegar), 2 egg whites, 1 cup sugar and a pinch of salt. I am numbering each step with its scripture to make the recipe easier to follow with your children.

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Kids, Spring and the Parables of Jesus

Kids, Spring and the Parables of Jesus - Parenting Like HannahSpring is a great time to have fun with your kids and teach them some of the parables of Jesus at the same time. Parables are great. They were short stories told by Jesus that helped people understand more difficult spiritual concepts by using things they encountered in their every day lives.

Because Israel in the time of Jesus still had many people who spent time or lived in more rural areas, many of the parables deal with livestock or growing things. Unfortunately our children, who tend to live in more suburban and urban areas may not have a lot of experience with either farm animals or growing plants. When they hear some of the parables and their meaning, they may understand it a little by the words, but they don’t have that core understanding the culture of the time gave the initial listeners.

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Teaching Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious

Teaching Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious - Parenting Like HannahA few months ago experts found evidence that behind an average battle scene painted by a man named Vasari (who is actually famous for his writing, not art) is a work by Leonardo da Vinci. For centuries now, people have walked by this average mural not realizing a fabulous masterpiece had been painted over to create the current painting. Someone though saw something others missed and did the research to find the masterpiece hidden below what is obvious to the eye.

Most of us go through life like those thousands of people who walked by that painting for centuries. We see only what is visible to the eye – and sometimes even miss that opportunity. If we don’t teach our kids to break that cycle and learn to look below what is on the surface, their lives will not be nearly as rich and godly as they could be.

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Teaching Kids Reasons For God’s Commands

Teaching Kids Reasons For God's Commands - Parenting Like HannahHave you ever caught yourself saying “Because I’m the parent and I said so” to your kids? If you haven’t yet, you probably will at least once before your kids reach adulthood. There is actually value to teaching your kids to obey for the sake of obeying, especially when they are young. Having children who will immediately comply with your commands can literally save their lives.

In some ways, God too expects us to obey because “He is God and He said so”. The great thing about God though is that He really wants us to understand His incredible love for us. He wants us to realize His commands are in our best interest. He wants us to realize obeying His commands is not just about obeying God, but because it will also give us the best possible life in this fallen world.

Your kids especially need to understand why God gave us some of His commands. Sometimes the scriptures tell us exactly why God wants us to do something. Think about when the Israelites wanted a king. God made sure they understood that even though he would grant their request, putting a person in a position with that much authority would cause many problems. God even made sure Samuel listed all of the future problems the people would have because they had chosen a king to be their ruler instead of God. A quick look at history after that will quickly confirm all of those problems happened and still happen today with earthly rulers.

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Helping Kids Understand the Bible

Helping Kids Understand the Bible - Parenting Like HannahHow many hours do you think you have spent reading to your child? How many library books have you had in your house? How much time have you spent listening to your child practice reading with materials sent from school? How many conversations have you had with your child’s school teachers over the years about reading levels, comprehension and more?

“Good” parents spend lots of time and money helping their children learn to read and understand secular material. We know being able to read well can affect everything from grades to what they end up doing for a living as adults. Yet somehow, we just assume our kids will automatically know how to read and understand the Bible without much, if any, help from us.

Unfortunately, many kids struggle with their first attempts at Bible reading. Often, they become so discouraged they don’t attempt reading the Bible on their own again for many years – if ever. In fact, you may have had that experience yourself and still shudder a bit at the idea of reading the Bible without a preacher or Bible class teacher by your side helping you understand it.

It doesn’t need to be that way for your children though. There are some simple things you can do to help your kids actually feel comfortable reading the Bible and understanding what they read (as much as any human can!).

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