Teaching Kids the True Meaning of Easter Through Humility, Forgiveness, and Eternal Life
When people think about giving gifts for a holiday, most think of Christmas. But what about Easter? Christmas may be the time we exchange gifts and even consider God giving the gift of His Son, Jesus, but Easter is so much more than bunnies, egg hunts, and small gifts of candy. In fact, the best gift ever given for each of us came as a result of those critical events surrounding the first Easter.
To help children celebrate the true meaning of Easter this year, consider these three of the best Easter gifts God gave us and how you can share them with your kids.
1. The Easter gift of humility
The Thursday before Easter is when Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples and instituted the Lord’s Supper. It’s when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet (John 13) — the job only a servant would do. Later, in Gethsemane, He fervently prayed to the Father, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus modeled humility through His life and even in his death, and it’s what we need to practice ourselves as we come before God. This is why the first, best Easter gift God gave us is the gift of humility.
While humility usually doesn’t sound very appealing to children and, truthfully, most adults, without it, we’d be in big trouble. Philippians 2:3-8 describes how we should humble ourselves like Jesus, who lowered Himself as God to become a man, lived as a servant and willingly died on a cross. As you approach Easter, take time to read about these events starting in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22 and discuss them with the kids in your life. One way to do this is with Resurrection eggs, where each plastic egg contains a symbol that represents a part of Jesus’ story, serving as a visual aid for the Gospel message.
Another way you can help kids learn the Easter gift of humility is through service projects. This can be as simple as volunteering as a family or making cookies and delivering them to senior centers or older members of your church who live alone. Services like these help kids to consider others and not just think about themselves, while kids can find great joy in serving others, which will stick with them into adulthood.
2. The Easter gift of forgiveness
Good Friday services are often a somber remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross. But the great sacrifice of Jesus, although serious, also provides reason for great rejoicing. Which is why the second-best Easter gift God gave us is the gift of forgiveness.
Do you want to carry the weight of your mistakes and sins with you every day of your life? Of course not! Forgiveness sets you free from all guilt and shame and even restores relationships. Forgiveness is a precious gift, and one God offers freely to us. Nothing compares to the forgiveness made available to us through Jesus. We were all born separated from God, wanting to go our own way, but Jesus came to change that and did so for those willing to accept it, which is why we can rejoice at Easter.
To explain this Easter gift of forgiveness to kids, you can take two glass jars — one with bleach and the other with water and liquid food coloring added to make it look dark. Show kids the dark jar and talk about how sin makes their lives unclean before God, while also hurting their relationships with Him and the other important people in their lives. Then, show the jar with bleach and explain that although Jesus lived a perfect life, He willingly died on a cross to take the punishment for our sin upon Himself. Next, pour the bleach into the dark jar so it becomes clear, and explain to your kids that when you believe in Jesus as the only way for your sin to be forgiven, cleansed, and made right with God. Lastly, close with the principle that since Jesus willingly suffered to offer forgiveness to us, we should also willingly forgive others.
3. The Easter gift of eternal life
Finally, the Easter Sunday celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection points to the gift of eternal life. Of all the great people who have lived, only Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again, and He now reigns in heaven as King. The moment you believe in Jesus, you become a child of God, and He will help you live for Him. Then, after death, you will live forever with God — free from sin, sickness, suffering and death. You will live with Jesus knowing perfect love, joy, peace and goodness. The hope of eternal life provides confidence knowing that, despite any suffering you may face, something far greater will come.
Help your kids learn about the hope of eternal life with Jesus by asking them to recall one of their happiest moments or when they felt most at peace. Then, explain how heaven is a place where they’ll feel more of that same kind of joy and excitement, but in its greatest form, and without end. Their happiest moment will be nothing compared to the happiness they’ll feel when they go home to Jesus in heaven — the greatest destination of all time.
And the reason we can go there is all wrapped up in the best Easter gifts ever given because of what Jesus did at Easter time.
Fred Pry is the Vice President of Administration at Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF®), the most impactful child evangelism ministry in the world, reaching over 27.4 million children with its face-to-face ministry in 2024. Fred joined CEF in 2003 as director of a local chapter in Pennsylvania before being appointed state director of Virginia. Later, he was invited to lead USA Ministries, and since 2024, he has been serving in the role of Vice President of Administration.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
