Palm Sunday: Make paper palm leaf fans or trace your children's hands and make a palm tree from them. Read the story of Palm Sunday from a children's or adult's Bible and discuss the meaning of "Hosanna" (praise or adoration). Ask your kids what they would have shouted if they'd seen Jesus on the first Palm Sunday.

Monday: Make a donkey puppet from a paper bag or create a donkey from clothespins. Ask your kids why they think Jesus rode a donkey on Palm Sunday. Why not a camel or a horse? Why not ride in a sedan or chariot? (This article details some reasons why Jesus may have chosen a donkey.)


Tuesday: Make some bread with your kids. (Here's an easy recipe.) Talk about why Jesus called himself the Bread of Life.

Wednesday: Take turns serving each other a meal; even toddlers can bring food to Mommy or Daddy. Talk about how serving others means we are also serving God.

Thursday: Make lunch or dinner as close to the Last Supper as you can imagine. Wash each other's feet before the meal. End the meal with bread (try this traditional challah recipe) and wine (or grape juice). Other possible foods include bitter greens (turn endive and other greens into a salad) and roasted lamb.


Friday: Make simple candles from beeswax sheets and wicks (available at craft stores; instructions here). Ask your kids why Jesus is called the Light of the World.

Saturday: Go to a park or someplace you're likely to find a large boulder. Ask your kids to try to move it. Talk about how hard the stone over Jesus' tomb would have been to move, and how scared the soldiers must have been to see it roll away. While you're out in nature, search for things that remind you of Easter: two sticks can form a cross, a red flower can remind us of Jesus' blood sacrifice, etc.

Easter: Hunt for Resurrection Eggs. Make Resurrection Buns or Empty Tomb Cookies. Read the full Easter story from a children's or adult's Bible.