Readying My Heart for Easter - a list of great resources

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I LOVE a good list of recommendations. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. But this girl loves a good hunt and is a constant researcher (this is the reason it sometimes takes me so long to make a decision).

What I love even more than a list of great recommendations is finding ways to plant Truth and Life into my children’s hearts (and with all this extra time off of school, there is never a better time)! Sometimes it’s creating a great tool or resource to use with them. Other times, this mama needs all the help she can get! Finding ways to plant Truth and the Word, in a creative way, without a ton of work on my part – is a WIN for this home front!

While I have not been through these resources previously, I have reviewed and do plan on incorporating from EACH of these resources into our (late) Easter/Lent preparations. I have already begun the readings and am pulling together the materials to do the rest with my littles (I will add pictures as we delve in)!

Ideas for Adults & Teens

How awesome is this – reading through the book of Mark in preparation for Easter! There are many resources out there, but I wasn’t “convinced” by any one. But truly, how can anything be more powerful than reading the Word! I will be reading through the book of Mark, as well as using the below resource to add understanding and depth to my reading!

The ladies at “Extravagant Hope” have done a beautiful job setting up weekly meditations to get your heart ready to celebrate our risen King! They have spent so much time going into the history – it makes my appreciation for all the details of the story that much richer. One of the simple reasons I find this particular study so attractive – is that it’s a weekly study, not a daily one (and the daily bits can be added as you are able). I can definitely get through this, which is a great encouragement to those who may fall behind easily and then never finish what they started. That, along with the fact that you will know SO much more about the culture in which Jesus lived – what a treasure to add to our reading of the Word!

While the 40 day start time has come and gone, I don’t think it’s too late to get started. Here is their intro: A Journey to the Cross: 40 Days in the Footsteps of Jesus.

Ideas for Kids

My heart is NOT for the Easter bunny. My heart is that my children would know Jesus. Anything I put my time and effort into will make sure that I am keeping the focus the on where it belongs!

Arabah Joy posted a sweet post about having a Bible Study Basket for Kids. She writes through all the different ways to meditate on and prepare our children’s hearts and teach them the stories of our Savior.

Julie at the “Happy Home Fairy” has prepared 40 Days of Jesus’ Words to plant in our little ones hearts. You can sign up for the free printable and use one each day as you teach your children to meditate on the Word and what Truth Jesus taught.

Seriously! SO cute! Mari Eugenia at “Inspired by Family” has put together a simple and fun Easter Advent Scavenger Hunt for Kids! I will for sure being doing this with our little ones!

Amanda at “oh Amanda” has created a sweet resource, called A Sense of the Resurrection: An Easter Experience for Families. It includes 12 specific activities to help your children connect with the Easter story. Seriously, I am SO excited to do this multi-sensory approach preparing for Easter, with my littlest ones!

Years ago, I asked a dear friend if she did Easter baskets with her kids – as she and I share the same desire to make sure our children KNOW why we are celebrating the reason for the hope that we have. I have incorporated her simple ideas since that conversation… We do a family basket which includes candy, a Christian book (sometimes each child will get one, other times it will be a book to share as a family) and something that encourages our children in their relationship with the Lord (journal, music, jewelry…). Here are some of our very favorite books that we have included:

The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross – this is my all-time favorite children’s Easter book!!! It connects the Easter story from the Garden to the Cross!

Jesus Storybook Bible – this sweet Children’s Bible connects every Bible story back to Jesus!

Found: Psalm 23 board book – a sweet story for the littlest ones, of how the Lord is our shepherd.

The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People – my oldest son couldn’t wait for his own copy of this! His youth pastor was reading it and sharing from it!

These are just some of the ways we are preparing our hearts to celebrate our Risen King! With so many things being closed because of the coronavirus, what a precious season to to be intentional with all the time we are home together as a family!

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your [b]children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 AMP