<\/p>\n
All holidays are exciting, especially for young kids. But there\u2019s something about Easter that just fills you up with joy. From Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies, to marching around the church waving a palm branch, there\u2019s plenty of excitement to keep kids engaged this season. But Easter, specifically resurrection Sunday, is perhaps the holiest holiday in the Christian calendar. It\u2019s good to have fun at this time, but there\u2019s a very important story that goes along with it.<\/p>\n
And that story can be\u2026 difficult to explain to little guys.<\/p>\n
I know many parents of toddlers and preschoolers are scratching their heads in this Spring season. They know Easter is coming, and are trying to think of the best way to tell the Easter story to their kids. The story of Jesus\u2019 arrest, execution, and resurrection is certainly the most important story in all of Scripture. Every other story points forward or backward to this momentous event.<\/p>\n
But the story of Jesus\u2019 suffering and death can be a hard one, especially for little hearts and minds. I\u2019m not a parent myself, but I\u2019ve done a lot of childcare over the years. I\u2019ve babysat a preschool boy who only<\/em> wanted to read the crucifixion story, and was fascinated by the picture of Jesus on the cross. I\u2019ve watched a preschool girl who burst into tears at the first 10 minutes of \u201cThe Prince of Egypt\u201d as baby Moses floated down the river. So I know kids react differently to stories.<\/p>\n As a parent or caregiver, you know your child\u2019s maturity level, understanding, and squeamishness better than anyone. But even for the most sensitive little one, the Easter story is one of miraculous hope and joy. Together, we\u2019ll dig into some do\u2019s and don\u2019ts of talking about this with young kids. But first, let\u2019s refresh ourselves on the main points of the Easter story:<\/p>\n I\u2019ll try to wrap up the whole thing in a few preschool-friendly bullet points:<\/p>\n Now, how to go through these points with your child?<\/p>\n Do: Tell them the whole story, in an age-appropriate way<\/strong> I once got to take a class in college all about children\u2019s picture books. (It was delightful.) But one of the things we discussed quite a bit was what even young children want in a story. Overall, they don\u2019t want a cleaned-up, fluffy story. They want something that reflects real life. The short explanation: Kids can handle it!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be afraid to share the Easter story with your little ones because it may be too scary. There\u2019s a good way to convey to them that Jesus did something scary, and died, without causing nightmares. For example, you probably don\u2019t need to include a lot of details about how<\/em> he died, other than that it was on the cross. But don\u2019t be tempted to say things like \u201cJesus was asleep\u201d or \u201cHe went into a cave and came out three days later.\u201d Those things just aren\u2019t true, and will only confuse your child as they grow and learn more of the story.<\/p>\n It would help to find some ways to connect it to your kids lived experience. Maybe you have a thornbush in your backyard, or gumballs that fall from the trees. Talk to your kids about how it hurts to touch these prickly shrubs, and how Jesus hurt when they made a crown out of that and put it on his head. Talk to your kids about how it feels when someone teases them or makes fun, and how Jesus felt sad when people made fun of him too. Whatever you can include to help it \u201cclick\u201d with your little ones, without frightening them, will help.<\/p>\n And most importantly, make sure they know that Jesus chose<\/em> to do all these things. Why? Because he loves you and your kiddo SO much! He didn\u2019t want us to hurt, so he took that hurt for us.<\/p>\n Do: Talk about the sad parts of Easter<\/strong> My first point being said, don\u2019t sit in the sad parts of the story for too long! It isn\u2019t the most important part. Once you\u2019ve talked about the sad parts of the crucifixion, rejoice with your kiddos that that isn\u2019t the end of the story! Jesus was dead, but He was raised to life three days later, and we will share in that eternal life one day too.<\/p>\n Easter is one of my favorite holidays because the season matches the story. Everything seems to be coming back to life, from trees and flowers to my own social schedule. The world is bright and full of color again! It\u2019s almost as if the world is celebrating our risen Savior with us, by proving that death is not the end.<\/p>\n Make this season fun for your kids by looking into some cool ways to explore Easter themes with them. You could explain the Easter story by putting different symbols in plastic eggs and opening them together (a flower for Jesus\u2019 prayer in the Garden, a coin for Judas\u2019 betrayal, a nail for the crucifixion, an empty egg for the empty tomb). You could also try baking \u201cempty tomb rolls\u201d \u2013 what preschooler wouldn\u2019t love discussing Bible stories while snacking on marshmallows?<\/p>\n Depending on how old and mature your child is, the deeper parts of this story \u2013 that Jesus paid the price for our sin so that we can have eternal life \u2013 may go right over their heads. By all means talk about that with them! But for little ones, I think it\u2019s important enough that they know Jesus died, he came back to life, and he did it all because he loves them.<\/p>\n As Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us, for everything there is a season. Don\u2019t shy away from the sad parts of the story with your preschooler, but don\u2019t forget to celebrate the joy that comes in the morning as well.<\/p>\n Do: Make it relatable for them<\/strong> I\u2019m not a parent, but I imagine one of the hardest things about explaining this story must be convincing your media-focused kiddos that this<\/em> story is real<\/em>.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a huge fantasy lover, so I know that you\u2019d be hard-pressed to find a fantasy story out there that doesn\u2019t include some form of resurrection. Harry Potter, Gandalf, Captain America and half the characters in \u201cStar Wars\u201d go through some sort of resurrection. It\u2019s such a common theme because it\u2019s so incredible! There\u2019s another article to be written about why we love this trope in stories so much, but the bottom line is that all of those stories are imaginary. They are all based on the one true story.<\/p>\n Jesus\u2019 resurrection is the only one that is true. Drive this home with your little ones, and maybe talk about where they\u2019ve seen this idea elsewhere, but don\u2019t be tempted to compare Jesus\u2019 resurrection to a fictional story. This article explains that children are able to start telling the difference between reality and fantasy between ages 3 and 5. So depending on your kid\u2019s age, this may still be a hard concept for them. But you can still talk about it together. Maybe your conversation will look something like this:<\/p>\n \u201cIs Captain America real? No he\u2019s just someone pretend that we watch on TV. He\u2019s really cool, but did he really come back to life? No, that was just a pretend story. What about Jesus? Was Jesus a real person like you and me? Yes He was! How do you know? Because the Bible says so, and the Bible is God\u2019s Word. Did Jesus really come back to life after He died on the cross? Yes he did! Isn\u2019t that amazing? And he did it because he loves (child\u2019s name) SO much!\u201d<\/p>\n Do: Look for helpful resources for kids<\/strong> Don\u2019t jump on my back over this just yet! You can and should read the adult Bible to your kids. All I\u2019m saying is that the Easter story takes up several chapters in the Gospels, and I can guarantee your 4-year-old is going to zone out after 4 verses, max. That doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t read it to them anyway.<\/p>\n BUT.<\/p>\n There are great children\u2019s Bibles and storybooks out there that are designed to capture a child\u2019s attention and make the story stick. It isn\u2019t just about entertaining them, it\u2019s about getting the truth of God\u2019s word to stay in their minds, and hopefully their hearts. Look out for a good book you can share with them this season (may I suggest the Jesus Storybook Bible?)<\/p>\n Likewise, talk to your church\u2019s children\u2019s minister or Sunday school teacher. I teach preschool Sunday school, and we have so many resources we can share with parents to reinforce the lessons we teach. There are coloring pages, activities, memory verses and songs that will all help these important stories to stick with them. (Raise your hand if you grew up in church and can still sing those repetitive Sunday school songs!)<\/p>\n So parents and caregivers, if you are worried about explaining Easter to your little ones this year, try not to stress. You\u2019ve got this! Take a deep breath, pray about it, and just talk to your child the way you normally do. Be honest, make it relatable for them, and have fun! Easter is an incredible time of the year to celebrate Jesus!<\/p>\n More from This Author:<\/strong> Who Is God to You?<\/p>\n Does God Keep Things from Us?<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong><\/p>\n 5 Easter Crafts for the Entire Family<\/p>\n Hey Mom, Why Do They Call it Good Friday?<\/p>\n 5 Unique Easter Traditions to Incorporate in Your Family\u2019s Celebration This Year<\/p>\n Photo credit: \u00a9Getty Images\/Sorapop<\/span><\/p>\n Bethany Pyle<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is the editor for Bible Study Tools.com and the design editor for Crosscards.com. She has a background in journalism and a degree in English from Christopher Newport University. When not editing for Salem, she enjoys good fiction and better coffee. <\/em><\/p>\n Originally published March 12, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All holidays are exciting, especially for young kids. But there\u2019s something about Easter that just fills you up with joy. From Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies, to marching around the church waving a palm branch, there\u2019s plenty of excitement to keep kids engaged this season. But Easter, specifically resurrection Sunday, is perhaps the holiest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[72,6757,7269,1033,1862,660,359],"class_list":["post-22902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-christian-living","tag-christian","tag-easter","tag-explain","tag-kids","tag-parenting","tag-story","tag-young"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Is the Easter Story?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Don\u2019t: \u201cClean up\u201d the Bible story, or leave things out<\/strong><\/p>\n
Don\u2019t: Stay there! There is joy in the resurrection!<\/strong><\/p>\n
Don\u2019t: Compare it to a fairytale or comic book<\/strong><\/p>\n
Don\u2019t: Read them the story from an adult Bible<\/strong><\/p>\n
Why Does Jesus Rebuke His Terrified Disciples in the Storm?<\/p>\n