Last year our family implemented a new Easter tradition. It is a very simple and easy activity, yet it helps everyone reflect on the true meaning of Easter and why we celebrate this sacred event.
This countdown-to-Easter activity is known by a myriad of names. The 12 Days of Easter, The Easter Egg Story, Easter Story In Eggs and Resurrection Eggs are just a few of the names I have heard.
Regardless of its true name, this Easter presentation is a unique advent activity which helps people, especially children, focus on the real symbol of Easter, our Savior Jesus Christ … not bunnies and eggs and chocolate. (Although we still do little Easter baskets and egg hunts in our house. We just choose to do these aspects of the holiday on another day other than Easter Sunday.)
First you gather 12 different plastic eggs and then you number them 1-12. When the eggs are filled, you will be placing them either in an empty egg carton or a basket.
In each egg you will put a piece of paper with a scripture on it. You will also add a small item to represent the passage to be read. (If you have more than one young child, you might want to put double or triple the number of items in every egg so each child can each take something away from the activity.) The 12th egg, though, will be symbolically empty to represent the empty tomb when Jesus rose on the third day.
1. Matthew 26:26-27,39 (sacrament cup or small cracker or chex cereal)
2. Matthew 26: 48-49 (chocolate kiss)
3. Matthew 26: 14-15 (3 dimes) [This fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-14.]
4. Matthew 27:1-2 (knotted twine)
5. Matthew 27:15, 17, 21, 24-26 (chunk of hand soap)
6. Matthew 27:28-30 or Mark 15:16-17 (square of red or purple fabric)
7. Matthew 27:31-32 (small nail or toothpick cross)
8. Matthew 27:50-51, 54 (crushed rocks)
9. Matthew 27:57-60 (strip of white cloth)
10. Matthew 27:60, 62-66 (a small, flat stone)
11. Mark 16:1, 2-6 (bay leaf or other herb)
12. Matthew 28:5-6 (empty)
There’s still nearly a week left before this countdown activity beings which gives you plenty of time to create your own set of eggs. And if you can’t find an item, you can also print a picture of the item on paper from the computer and use that in your egg.
This activity can also be tweaked and done as a single lesson. It is great for Sunday School lessons, Family Home Evening lessons (FHE) and for teaching Seminary. It also makes a nice gift to give to neighbors.
Furthermore, there are many variations on what items and scriptures you can use. Here are a few links to more ideas:
Great idea! I am going to start getting this together now so that it’s all ready to go.
Thanks for being an inspiration- as always
Thanks for the link! That is such a brilliant idea!
Thanks for the ideas! I’ve been thinking I need to get prepared for Easter early since we will be at a wedding that weekend. I saw an idea on another blog of putting small items from the distribution center in the kids easter basket to help them really focus on the true meaning of Easter.
great idea and activity! thank you so much for sharing.
I recieved the ‘eggs’ several years ago as part of a Family Home Evening kit–I’d never thought of using them as a countdown. What a great idea. I better go dig it out.
I love it! Thank you for posting it early enough to get it together.
What an awesome idea. We were just talking about Easter with our son yesterday at dinner. He said “Easter is about easter eggs and candy”, and we said “Nooooo”, and we explained it better. He knew a little about it from CCD classes, but I think he needs a refresher and what a cool idea to use!!
Thanks for the info!
Take care!! ;0)
our home teachers did this for us a few years ago and now we do it every year for our kids. I love it!
What a fun idea!
Thank you! I want to do something like this because I feel like I fall short in this regard!
I stumbled over here a tad bit too late to make this happen for 12 days before Easter. But it will make a great FHE for my kids!
Thanks for the wonderful post. I hope it’s o.k. if I link you so others can see.
I remember doing this exact lesson as a child with my family. I “inherited” the egg carton and the plastic eggs when I got married. I redid the papers and replaced the missing trinketts and now use it with my kids. Such a great way to talk about this time of year and why we celebrate it.
I linked to your post today on my blog…hope you don’t mind me sharing this idea with others!
Great stuff lady. We do something similar, but this year we’re doing the whole Easter bunny part on Saturday (today) so that Sunday we can focus on the REAL Easter with stuff like this and activities from this month’s Friend magazine, etc.
Someone had given me these a few years ago. We actually did it this Easter. I’m going to link to this since you explained it so well.
I had never thought of doing it as a countdown to Easter though. Great idea!
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Thanks so much for posting this! I prepare the lesson’s for our children’s church and remembered that a friend of mine had done this once and shared it with me, but it has been a few years and i no longer have the egg carton and live in a diffrent time zone as her and as I’m a procrastinator it is too late for me to call her and ask for all the verses.. i was so relieved to find your posting!
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Just printed it off and just need to buy the eggs today at TARJ!
Love yoU!
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I am so glad I stumbled upon this! Gonna do these this year!
Great blog! I also blogged about it and I loved yours! :