Easter Bible Crafts - Teaching Forgiveness and Sacrifice

A Time for Forgiveness

Easter is a time for learning about forgiveness, using the story of Jesus’ death on the cross, resurrection and forgiveness of others. While storytelling and reading are both great ways to teach this lesson, try incorporating Easter bible crafts into the lesson plan. Not only are Easter bible crafts a fun way to learn about Jesus, they also give the children something to take home which will act as a reminder of the lessons learned at Sunday school.

70 x 7

The first of these Easter bible crafts uses birdseed to illustrate the nature of forgiveness and how many times we must forgive. The materials for this craft are paper plates, permanent markers, film canisters or plastic Easter eggs, glue, and birdseed.

Before the class, write the number "70 x 7" on the side of each film canister or plastic egg. These numbers represent the number of times we should forgive as stated in Matthew 18:21-35, when Peter asks if he should forgive up to seven times and Jesus replies that he should forgive seventy times seven times. Then, write the phrase "Forgive as the Lord forgave you", from Colossians 3:13 on each paper plate.

To begin the craft, have each child glue 7 seeds to the top of the film canister or plastic egg, representing the seven times Peter wanted to forgive. Help smaller children with this task. While the glue is drying, have the children draw happy pictures on their paper plates, illustrating how it feels to forgive and be forgiven. Now, fill the containers with the extra birdseed and close them.

Now, show the children how many seeds are in each container by dumping them onto the paper plate. Remind them that they must forgive not just seven times, like the seeds on the top of the container, but many more, like the seeds in the container. When the children take their crafts home at the end of the class, encourage them to share this lesson with their families.

Jeweled Cross

The next Easter bible craft has children creating a decorative colorful cross for their house to remind them of Jesus and the sacrifices he made. This craft requires cardboard, white paint, acrylic sealer spray, plastic craft jewels in various colors, white craft glue, and ribbon.

To begin, cut the cardboard into cross-shaped pieces approximately ten inches high and six inches wide. Make a hole in the top of the cross using either a pen or hole punch. Paint the crosses white, and spray with a coat of sealer once the paint is dry for a shinier finish.

Next, have children place the jewels onto the cross, and when they are satisfied with the arrangement glue the jewels into place. Once the jewels are dry, thread a length of ribbon through the hole in the top of the cross and tie it in a bow. If the class has a large number of smaller children, try sorting out the jewels ahead of time and giving each child a selection of the larger jewels in a sandwich bag.

Need More Easter Bible Crafts and Ideas?

Mary-Kate Warner is a Sunday School Director in Colorado who shares her personal Sunday School Lesson Plans with the world online. Visit her website to discover a free Easter Sunday School lesson and sign up for her free e-newsletter full of bible crafts and ideas:

http://www.teachsundayschool.com/