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When my eldest was very small, my sister-in-law made us a set of resurrection eggs. For the last decade, it has been a much-enjoyed way of telling the Easter story to my children.
I say “to” my children – which was true when they were very small – but as they’ve got older, they’ve wanted to tell ME the story using the eggs! It’s a fantastic aide memoire for children in remembering a story with, let’s face it, quite a lot of details.
So in this post I’m going to share with you everything you need to know about resurrection eggs! What they are, what they mean, how you make them – and I’ve even got a couple of free printables to make it all super easy for you.
(And if you’re after more ways to teach your kids the Easter story, make sure you check out my list of Lent Devotions for Families.)
What are resurrection eggs?
So, first-off, what even are resurrection eggs?
Resurrection eggs are a set of 12 hollow numbered eggs (usually made of plastic, but you could use card ones if you have them) which each contain a small prop. Used together, they tell the story of Easter to children in an interactive way.
What do the resurrection eggs mean?
Resurrection eggs teach 12 of the important details of the Christian Easter story – Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion and resurrection. They are an excellent way to demonstrate the true story of Easter to Sunday school classes, school groups or your own family at home.
What are the 12 items in resurrection eggs?
These vary according to who you ask! But the set we use, which has worked well for us, includes:
- Donkey (picture, or you could use a tiny model donkey if you can find out)
- Silver coins (actual coins are good!)
- Piece of bread (again, an actual small cube of bread works well)
- Praying hands
- Sword (try a tiny Playmobil or Lego sword)
- Crown of thorns (create from a brown pipe-cleaner)
- Cross (stick two small pieces of matchstick together)
- Nails (actual nails, or for younger children use two split pins/cotter pins)
- Sponge (cut a little cube from a new washing up sponge)
- White cloth (cut from an old white sheet)
- Stone (pebble)
- Nothing – empty egg!
It’s worth saying that where you can use an actual loose part/small prop, this works better as it’s more tactile for children. But if not, the pictures (printed onto card preferably) make a good alternative. A mixture is fine! (It’s what we do!)
Another option is to grab these Holy Week foam stickers from Baker Ross – they include a donkey, bread, cross and tomb stone, and are the perfect size to fit into your eggs.
Don’t forget to download your FREE printable resurrection eggs pictures! They’re so useful and save you a ton of time!
Resurrection eggs Bible verses
The easiest way to make your DIY resurrection eggs at home is to use my free printables! But if you don’t have a printer, here are the Bible verses which go with each item.
(NB I’ve given all the gospel accounts for your convenience, but you don’t need to use them all! Just pick one.)
- Donkey – Jesus rode Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-15)
- The leaders paid Judas 30 pieces of silver to show them where Jesus was. (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:1-6)
- Jesus broke bread and poured wine during the last supper with his disciples. (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20)
- In the garden, Jesus prayed to God about what was going to happen next. (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 17)
- When the soldiers arrived, Peter used his sword to cut off one of the soldiers’ ears. Jesus healed it – violence isn’t God’s way. (Matthew 26:51-52; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:49-51; John 18:10-11)
- The soldiers were unkind to Jesus, putting a spiky crown of thorns on his head. (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2)
- They prepared a heavy wooden cross… (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26; John 19:17)
- …then they nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to it. (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33; John 19:18)
- Jesus was offered a sponge soaked in vinegar to drink. (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29)
- After Jesus had died, his friend Joseph wrapped him in linen grave clothes and placed his body in a tomb. (Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53; John 19:40)
- A huge, heavy stone was placed in front of the tomb so that no one could get in. (Matthew 27:60; Mark 15:46)
- Two days later, Jesus’ friends came to the tomb and were astonished to find it empty! (Matthew 28:1-6; Mark 16:4; Luke 24:1-3; John 20:1-10)
Printable resurrection eggs pictures
Download your free printable resurrection eggs pictures here. I recommend printing them onto thick cardstock for several years’ enjoyment.
The download also includes a resurrection eggs cheat sheet to stick inside your egg box. This is a helpful at-a-glance guide to what each resurrection egg items represents. It’s great for children who are starting to read too, as they can use it to prompt themselves to tell the story to others.
Resurrection eggs story booklet PDF
Download your free resurrection eggs story booklet PDF here. It will give you the whole resurrection eggs story script, which will make life a lot easier as you share the story with your own kids or Sunday school class!
How do you make resurrection eggs at home?
Although it’ll take you a little time, it’s really easy. And once you’ve made them, they’ll keep for years, with just the occasional replacing of a plastic egg or three! You’ll need:
- 12 hollow coloured plastic eggs (or how about these matt white ones, which you can decorate yourself – or for a more sustainable option, try these wooden hollow eggs or these ones – bearing in mind they come in packs of six so you’ll need two)
- an empty egg box (for 12 eggs)
- Sharpie or permanent pen
- Resurrection eggs pictures printable (FREE) OR small items to represent each one (or a combination of both – this is what we do)
- Resurrection eggs cheat sheet (FREE) to go inside the box – either a basic cheat sheet, or one with Bible references
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- (Optional) Resurrection eggs story PDF (FREE)
Use the Sharpie to number each egg 1-12.
Cut out the resurrection eggs pictures and pop them in the right eggs. (Or do the same with physical loose parts if you have them.)
Put all the eggs in the egg box in order (or if you’ve made the numbers visible then you could mix them up).
Cut out and stick the resurrection eggs cheat sheet on the inside of the egg box. (There’s a choice between a basic cheat sheet or a version which includes Bible references.)
If using, print, cut and assemble the resurrection eggs story PDF. Otherwise, tell the story your own way.
Voila!
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Have you used resurrection eggs before? Are you going to give it a go based on this tutorial? Do share in the comments – I’d love to hear how they work for your family/church group/class!
And if you’re looking for more fun things to do during Lent then do check out my post 30 SIMPLE LENT ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES.
Or for ideas of things to give up for Lent, click here!
Looking forward to trying this, thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome! Hope K enjoys it! x