With Easter almost upon us, this is a wonderful opportunity to share with our children what the Bible says about the death and resurrection of Jesus. In our home we use the Bible, picture books, and Easter story eggs to help the children learn and understand the story of Jesus. (We might try resurrection cookies or bread this year, too!  Anyone have a preference or a favorite recipe?)

I made Easter story eggs for the first time when Big Sis was 3 1/2.  It was NOT too early to help her understand about the death and resurrection of Jesus.  This year I made some little changes to what we had done the previous two years, and thought I would share.  I also made a simple homemade Easter story eggs printable in case you are interested in using it.
Resurrection Eggs from FamilyLife can be purchased, but today I'm sharing my own version of homemade Easter story eggs using items around your home. (Some families really like Benjamin's Box: The Story of the Resurrection Eggs, but I have not personally read it.)

To make your own Easter story eggs, you will need an ordinary egg carton and a dozen plastic eggs, a Bible, and the items listed below.

Consider decorating the outside of egg carton and labeling the eggs with numbers 1-12. If your children are preschool age, you might want to prepare the Easter story eggs in advance; older children might appreciate creating the set as a family activity or even making their own set

After your initial preparations, collect the items listed below. Improvise as needed. For example, our purple cloth is actually a purple piece of ribbon, and the cross is a foam sticker. Place the items in the appropriate egg. Read through the verses to make sure you understand the application of each verse. (Only the related verse is included in the chart.)  Some people share an egg a day leading up to Easter Sunday, while others tell the story with the eggs all at once.  Use whatever style is your preference.
Share about Jesus using one egg at a time. Explain in your own words (and ask your children) what each item symbolizes and read the verses from the Bible.  (The older the child, the more you may want to read.)  Eventually, even young children can tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection with the help of the symbols found in the eggs.

Egg #1 Oyster cracker (or bread) Matthew 26:26 
Egg #2 Silver coins Matthew 26:14-16 
Egg #3 Purple cloth Matthew 27:28 
Egg #4 Thorns Matthew 27:29 
Egg #5 Rope Mark 15:15 
Egg #6 Cross John 19:16-17 
Egg #7 Nail John 19:18 
Egg #8 Sign that says, “This is the king of the Jews.” Luke 23:38 
Egg #9 Sponge (with vinegar) Matthew 27:48 
Egg #10 Cloves or spices Luke 24:1 
Egg #11 Rock Matthew 27:59-60 
Egg #12 EMPTY! Matthew 28:5-6
If you would like to use the Easter story eggs printable, you can cut the chart into strips and place a verse in each egg, use only the smaller chart with your own Bible, or keep the printable intact to use as a reference.

Would you like a chart to include with your Easter story eggs?  I made two!  One includes the symbols and actual Bible verses, and the other just includes the symbols and verse references.