Family Traditions #11: Easter 2012

"Family traditions give identity and belonging to each member." - James Dobson

Last year for the boys' first Easter we were on furlough. Both Jonah and Silas were sick that day and other than Easter baskets, I didn't really do anything special. With Eden's birth in March I didn't do much better this year at planning things out. I'm glad we are here and not in the States for Easter though. We aren't bombarded with bunnies and eggs. I feel the same way about the Easter bunny as I do Santa... there are just so many important things that I want my kids to take away from this Holiday, that we don't have time for the other stuff.

So this year, basically at the last minute, I tried to decide what was the most important thing I wanted to accomplish and just to focus on that. I wanted the boys to be introduced to the Easter story, so that it would begin becoming familiar over time. This is how we did that:

1: Incorporating the Easter Story Into Their Routines: Before nap time each day the boys and I have a little devotional together and then sing the traditional kids' SS songs. The week leading up to Easter we read this book each day for our devo. By the end of the week they started pointing at pictures in the book and telling me the parts of the story that really stuck out to them.

For our night night routine we sung resurrection hymns and choruses out of the hymnal.

2. Easter Manipulatives:

Here is a printable Easter set that I found via Pinterest. The boys colored it and then I cut it out and taped it together.

They had already been practicing telling the story back to me with a flannel graph set that I have. I made a flannel board for them at Christmas time and they really enjoy it. We use it to review their shapes and colors on a normal day, but for holidays we do something special!

I love hearing the specific things that they remember the most from the story. Jonah always put the rock to the side of the tomb and Silas made a point to say that it was empty!

The paper set was just another way to reiterate the message. I love this age because they can really start to digest things now!

{Jonah telling me about the angels}

They liked moving the rock and putting Jesus inside the tomb and then removing Him when He arose.

Here is Silas telling me about the cross. He has a helmet on because when we started talking about the soldiers guarding the tomb he decided that he and Jonah needed to dress up like them!

I was really surprised at how much of the story they retained and I pray that over the years they will come to cherish its message so that it can change their lives like it did their parents'.

3: Decorations: I like decorations because they let the boys know that we are celebrating something special. This year all I got done was a wreath for our door, but it is at least a start.

I hope that you and your families had a wonderful Easter celebrating Christ's victory as well!

CUTE ITEM OF THE DAY: The other day while I was filling up the bucket in the kitchen that Jonah and Silas take a bath in, Jonah put all the bottles of bubble bath and soap on the counter for me. This is how he very neatly arranged them...

he is definitely my boy!