- Spread the good news that Jesus has risen on Easter Sunday with a painted paper plate craft. After you have shared the basic resurrection story, give each child a large paper plate Help them paint the rounded bottom side gray or brown and paint the inside of the plate, where you would normally put food, black. Cut the paper plate in half and staple the two halves together with the black sides together to create a rounded "tomb" with an empty space inside. Cut a small opening in one side of the tomb for a doorway and help preschooler glue a drawing or picture of an angel on the black inside facing the doorway. Create a stone out of crumpled paper and let students show their parents how Jesus had risen from the dead when the stone was rolled way from the tomb.
- Continue your Easter Sunday School lesson right through your preschooler's snack time by telling the story of Jesus' disappearance from the tomb and his resurrection through an easy baking activity. Give each preschooler a large marshmallow and the dough for one biscuit, either homemade or from the refrigerator section at the grocery store. Help preschoolers wrap the dough around the marshmallow to cover it completely, just as Jesus' body was hidden away in the tomb. Roll the biscuit-wrapped marshmallow in a cinnamon and sugar mixture and bake as directed by the biscuit recipe or package. When it's time to eat the snack, preschoolers will be surprised to discover that, just like Jesus' body, the marshmallow has disappeared.
- Help preschoolers imagine Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, a week before Easter, by creating donkey puppets and paper palm fronds. Decorate brown paper bags with printouts of donkey faces ears, arms and legs using the flap of the folded paper bag as the donkey's mouth. Fold pieces of green construction paper in half the long way and help preschoolers trace a palm shape. Cut out the palm frond and cut long slits on the edges towards the middle to make a palm frond when unfolded. Let students take turns walking down the center aisle with their donkeys as the other students wave the palm fronds on each side as you read the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem.
- Reinforce the message of God's love at Easter by teaching children John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Help preschoolers cut two large heart shapes out of construction paper or card stock and then glue the colored paper onto either side of a thick piece of cardboard and trim the cardboard into the heart shape. Help preschoolers punch holes around the edges of their heart shapes and give each student a long piece of yarn to weave in and out of the holes around the edges of the hearts, tying a bow at the end. Give each preschooler a print-out of John 3:16 to glue into the middle of the heart to remind them of God's loving Easter sacrifice.
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