EASTER: JESUS DIES AND COMES BACK TO LIFE Leader Guide for Grades 1 & 2 Classroom: Grades 1-2 Matthew 27:27–28:10 10/01/2021 Dig In to the Bible • Read: Matthew 27:27–28:10 • In This Passage: Jesus takes on the punishment for everyone’s sins and dies on the cross. But three days later, he comes back to life! Jesus came back to life so we can live forever with him. When we accept his gift of forgiveness, we will have eternal life with him. • Bible Point: Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. • Summary Verse: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9) (ESV) Dig Deeper • You’ll Be Teaching: Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. This message is the core of the Bible. On this special day, you may have visitors. Teach this story and Bible point assuming there are kids who’ve never heard it before. Make sure all of your kids walk away understanding this important Bible Point! • Think About: What does it mean to you that Jesus conquered death so you can live with him forever? Dig In to Prayer • Pray that Jesus will open kids’ hearts to accept his gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. Quick Tip • Be ready to answer kids’ questions about faith and eternal life. Follow up with kids who have more questions. If you feel unsure about what to say, don’t hesitate to call on your children’s pastor or director. Let parents know that their child has inquired about eternal life so they can follow up at home. OPENING Kids share about a topic related to the lesson. Supplies • Bible OBJECT LESSON Kids make toys that wobble. Supplies • • • plastic eggs (1 per child) modeling dough (enough for each child to have about a 1-inch ball) stickers (optional) CORE BIBLE DISCOVERY Kids walk in Jesus’ steps through the Bible story to learn what he did for them. Supplies • • • • • • • • • • • Bible “Footprints” handout, several copies (download here) books (1 per child) small tree branch pillow or couch cushion small cross (anywhere from 6 to 12 inches tall) unsweetened lemonade mix pitcher with water bowl mixing spoon 3 ounce paper cups (2 per child) Easy Prep • Prepare the lemonade without the sugar. Pre-measure sugar so it can be added quickly. • Determine the three places kids will visit. The first place will be a dark corner of the room. Place the small tree branch and the books there. The second place will be another dark corner, if possible. Place the premade lemonade without the sugar, small paper cups, bowl, cross, and the pillow or couch cushion there. The third stop can be in the center of the room. Place the bright lamp, parachute, mixing spoon, and sugar there. Make sure the lamp is • • • • sugar parachute or large bedsheet bright lamp masking tape placed in such a way that it will shine brightly on the children when they sit in this area. Tape down any cords that need to stretch across the room. • Make several copies of the “Footprints” handout, cut out the footprints, and tape them to the floor so they lead the kids from the first stop to the second and from the second stop to the third. Finally, decide where you’ll have kids start the activity, and place a few footprints from that place to the first stop. • Ahead of time, ask an adult or teen helper to be ready to turn on the bright lamp when Jesus comes back to life at the third stop. Also have your helper add the sugar to the lemonade mixture while you’re all under the parachute. LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP Kids pray in “Jesus’ tomb” and celebrate. Supplies • • stuffed animal parachute or bedsheet* TALK-ABOUT VIDEO Kids watch a video and discuss the Bible Point. Supplies • “Resurrection Art” teaching video (watch or download here) HIGH-ENERGY GAME Kids race to fan plastic eggs across the room. Supplies • • • • plastic eggs (1 for every 6 kids) file folders or pieces of card stock (1 for every 6 kids) upbeat music (optional) music player (optional) LOW-ENERGY GAME Kids pass an object in a circle in creative ways. Supplies • • • small playground ball upbeat music (optional) music player (optional) DEEPER BIBLE Kids play with modeling dough. Supplies • modeling dough CRAFT Kids paint an Easter egg picture. Supplies • • • • “Easter Egg” handout (1 per child) (download here) various colors of washable paint large colored pompoms spring clothespins Easy Prep Easy Prep • • Pour each color of paint onto a paper plate. Clip a clothespin onto each colored pompom to make “paintbrushes.” • • • paper plates child-safe scissors smocks (1 per child) • Make a sample craft to show kids, and be sure to include the cross as the photo shows. TAKE-HOME Kids receive a take-home page about the lesson. Supplies • Easy Prep this week’s “Dig In @ Home” handout (1 per child) (download here) OPENING • Add your church announcements to the “Dig In @ Home” handout. [5 min] Welcome Supplies • Bible Welcome • Thank kids for coming. • Just for fun, have kids jump up and say “Jesus is alive!” to two friends. • Make announcements. • Introduce new kids. • Celebrate birthdays by having kids do a birthday cheer, starting with “Give me an H!” to spell “happy.” • Collect the offering. Introduce the Lesson Say: Today we’ll learn something amazing that Jesus did: He came back to life so we can live forever with him. When we believe in Jesus, we can live in heaven forever with him. Heaven is a happy place that we can look forward to. So let’s start our lesson by talking about some things we’re looking forward to right now. Share Share about something you’re looking forward to. In small groups, have kids share about things they’re looking forward to. They might share about something they’ll be doing with family and friends today, or they might be looking forward to a family vacation or a visitor who is coming to their home soon. After small groups have discussed, have a few kids share with the whole group what they talked about in their small groups. Summarize Open a Bible, and say: It’s fun to look forward to seeing people and doing fun things. And when we believe in Jesus, we can look forward to living forever in heaven. That’s why Jesus came back to life—so we can live forever with him. The Bible tells us the amazing and true story about when Jesus came back to life. The Bible is God’s special book. God talks to us through the Bible. Let’s listen to God as we hear from the Bible today. Pray, thanking Jesus for coming back to life so we can live forever. OBJECT LESSON Wobble Eggs Supplies • plastic eggs (1 per child) • modeling dough (enough for each child to have about a 1-inch ball) [10 min] • stickers (optional) • If you don’t plan to reuse the eggs or modeling dough, use a permanent marker to write Tip kids’ names on the outside so they can take their wobble eggs home. Additionally, kids can add stickers to the outside of the eggs. Put Modeling Dough in an Egg Give each child a plastic egg. Say: Can you make your egg stand up? Encourage kids to try to make the eggs stand without falling over. It’s not working! I have an idea that will help. Give kids each a 1-inch ball of modeling dough, and help them open their eggs and put the dough in the bottom. Have kids press down on the dough so it’s snug and secure in the bottom of the egg. Push Over the Egg Say: Let’s try again. Now see if you can make your egg stand up. The weight from the modeling dough will make the eggs stand up. Encourage kids to push over their eggs and see what happens. They should spring back up again. Say: On the count of three, let’s all push over our eggs. One, two, three! Pause. Wow, our eggs came back up again! What if we hold them down on their sides and count to three? Do you think they will stay down? Let’s try it! Have kids hold down their eggs as everyone counts to three again. They will come back up again. Encourage kids to keep playing with their eggs, pressing the dough back down if needed. Talk About It Say: Even when we held down the eggs, they still came back up after we let go. Ask: • What other toys come back? Share examples like a bouncy ball thrown against a wall that comes back or a toy car that winds up and moves backward and forward again. Say: In our Bible story, Jesus died. He was put in a tomb, and then he came back to life. His friends were sad when he died, but they didn’t stay sad for long. Jesus came back to life so we can live forever just like he said he would. Jesus loves us and wants to be our forever friend. CORE BIBLE DISCOVERY [20 min] Easter: Jesus Dies and Comes Back to Life (Matthew 27:27–28:10) Supplies • Bible • “Footprints” handout, several copies (download here) • books (1 per child) • small tree branch • pillow or couch cushion • small cross (anywhere from 6 to 12 inches tall) • unsweetened lemonade mix • pitcher with water • bowl • mixing spoon • 3 ounce paper cups (2 per child) • sugar • parachute or large bedsheet • bright lamp • masking tape Easy Prep • Prepare the lemonade without the sugar. Pre-measure sugar so it can be added quickly. • Determine the three places kids will visit. The first place will be a dark corner of the room. Place the small tree branch and the books there. The second place will be another dark corner, if possible. Place the premade lemonade without the sugar, small paper cups, bowl, cross, and the pillow or couch cushion there. The third stop can be in the center of the room. Place the bright lamp, parachute, mixing spoon, and sugar there. Make sure the lamp is placed in such a way that it will shine brightly on the children when they sit in this area. Tape down any cords that need to stretch across the room. • Make several copies of the “Footprints” handout, cut out the footprints, and tape them to the floor so they lead the kids from the first stop to the second and from the second stop to the third. Finally, decide where you’ll have kids start the activity, and place a few footprints from that place to the first stop. • Ahead of time, ask an adult or teen helper to be ready to turn on the bright lamp when Jesus comes back to life at the third stop. Also have your helper add the sugar to the lemonade mixture while you’re all under the parachute. Follow the Footprints to Stop One Dim the lights. Have the children sit around you in the spot where you decided you would begin the lesson. In a soft voice, say: Today is a special day—it’s Easter! Easter is a day when we remember that Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. It’s a day to celebrate! But before we celebrate, let’s take a walk. We’ll walk in Jesus’ footsteps to see what he did for us. Point out the footprints, and then lead the children on the footprints to the first stop. If possible, let all the children step on each footprint to get to the stop. After children settle at the first stop, say: Jesus is God’s special Son who came to earth to show people God’s love. Jesus helped people, taught them, and loved them. But not everyone loved Jesus. Mean soldiers arrested him. Have kids show their mean faces. Jesus never did anything wrong. He was perfect, and it wasn’t fair, but he was still punished. Show the Bible. Say: The Bible says that the mean solders did terrible things to Jesus like taking his clothes. They made a crown of thorns—thorns are on plants, and they’re really prickly. Have the children touch the end of the stick. It hurts when we touch them, and they can even make us bleed. But they put a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, and they made fun of him. They said a lot of mean things about him, and they spit on him. They also hit him with something like a stick. Move away from kids and hit the stick against the ground a few times. They hit him on the head over and over again. Follow the Footprints to Stop Two Say: Then they took Jesus away to be killed. Point to the footprints that lead to the second stop. They planned to kill him by nailing his hands and feet to a cross. And they made him carry the big cross. Pause. But it was so heavy and since he was already hurt, it was too hard for him to carry it. Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, and they made him carry Jesus’ cross. Since Jesus had trouble walking with the cross, let’s crawl along his footprints. Have kids crawl along the footprints to the second stop. As they begin to crawl, place a book on each child’s back, and encourage kids to try to balance the books while they travel. The cross was big and heavy and hard to carry. It was much heavier and harder to carry than these books. After kids reach the second stop, let them settle as you gather the books and set them aside. Say: They climbed up a hill to reach a place called Golgotha [GOL-guhthuh]. Let the children take turns climbing up and over the pillow or couch cushion. Encourage them to be quiet and calm as they do this, and remind them that this is a very sad time for Jesus and his friends. Then place the cross on top of the pillow. Say: On the hill in Golgotha, they nailed Jesus to the cross. They put nails through his hands and feet. Use the cross to show where they attached Jesus’ hands and feet. Pour a sip of unsweetened lemonade into small cups, one for each child. Say: It was a bitter day for Jesus’ friends. That means they were very sad. They thought Jesus was going to help them be friends with God, but now he was dying on the cross. Let’s do something to help us think about that. Distribute the cups of lemonade. Say: These are cups of lemonade that I made. Most of us like lemonade. It can be delicious, especially on a hot summer day. But this lemonade is not too tasty. Try it if you want. Allow time for kids to take a sip if they want to. Have them pour whatever is left into the bowl. Set aside the bowl, and throw away the cups. Say: It was not a sweet day for Jesus or his friends. It was a terrible day— bitter and sad, kind of like this lemonade. Jesus died there in Golgotha. Invite children to pretend to cry. When he died, the earth shook. And when some of the people saw what happened, they knew that Jesus was very special. Follow the Footprints to Stop Three Say: His friends were very sad. They took his body down from the cross, and they carried it to a tomb, which is kind of like a cave. Let’s travel on these footprints to the tomb. Have the children step on the footprints to get to the final stop. Encourage them to be quiet and calm, reminding them that Jesus died. Carry the pitcher of lemonade with you. Have the children sit in a circle around the parachute. Say: Jesus’ friends wrapped his body in white cloth, and they put him in the tomb. Hand the pitcher to an adult or teen leader. Then lead children to make a “mushroom” shape with the parachute by lifting it above heads together, bringing the parachute down behind your bodies and sitting on the edge so everyone is under the parachute. While you’re under the parachute, an adult or teen helper outside the parachute will add the sugar to the lemonade and mix it. Say: Jesus’ body was all alone in the tomb. He was dead. Someone took a big rock and closed off the entrance so it was very dark, even darker than it is under this parachute. Some guards stood watch to make sure no one messed with the tomb. The next day Jesus’ friends came to his tomb, and when they got there, there was another big earthquake and the big rock rolled to the side to open the tomb. Throw off the parachute. The guards were so scared that they shook and fainted. There was an angel there, and the angel was bright and shining! Have the adult or teen leader turn on the bright lamp. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus. He isn’t here! He is risen.” Then the angel invited Jesus’ friends to look in the tomb where Jesus’ body was supposed to be. It wasn’t there. Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. The angel told Jesus’ friends to run and tell Jesus’ other friends about what had happened. So they ran. Have the children pat their legs quickly to make running sounds. Along the way, they found Jesus! They fell to his feet and worshipped him. That means they showed him and told him how amazing he is. Jesus had died, but he came back to life so we can live forever. Show children the pitcher of lemonade again. Say: Remember how we tasted this before and it was gross? We tasted it when we were talking about Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus’ friends were sad because he was dead. But Jesus came back to life, so I think even though the lemonade was bitter before, now it will be delicious. Want to try it? Pour sips of lemonade into cups, one for each child, and encourage kids to try it. Taste it yourself, and tell the kids how delicious it is. Say: The lemonade turned out to be sweet and delicious. That’s kind of like how Jesus’ death was terrible, but he turned it around and made it a wonderful thing when he came back to life so we can live forever. Talk About It Collect kids’ cups. Then point out the path you followed on the footprints. Say: We followed Jesus’ footprints to find out what Jesus did for us. People treated him very badly. He even died on a cross! But then Jesus came back to life so we can live forever! Jesus loves each of you so much that he took that sad path. And he turned things around and made them wonderful when he came back to life. Let’s celebrate! Lead the children in a big cheer. Say: Now we can be forever friends with Jesus. Anyone who believes in Jesus can be forever friends with him! Share a few things that are great about friends. Ask: • What are some things you like about friends? Say: Jesus is our forever friend when we believe in him. And he’s the best friend we could ever have. Remind kids of some of the qualities that friends have that Jesus also has. It’s because Jesus came back to life that we can live forever. I’m glad Jesus walked that path because I want all of us to be forever friends with him. LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP [5 min] Pray and Celebrate Supplies • stuffed animal • parachute or bedsheet* Make a Tomb Say: We learned today that Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. Jesus is such a good friend to us! Let’s make a tomb like we did in our Bible story to help us remember what happened. Lead children to make a “mushroom” shape with the parachute by lifting it above your heads together, bringing the parachute behind your bodies, and sitting on the edge so everyone is under the parachute. Say: Jesus died on the cross, and his body was put in a tomb. It’s kind of like we’re in a tomb now. Let’s thank Jesus for what he did for us. Lead children in a prayer, thanking Jesus for dying on the cross so we can be friends with him forever. Say: After three days, Jesus’ friends went to his tomb and it was empty. They were scared—they didn’t know that he came back to life. And then an angel visited them and said, “Jesus is alive!” Celebrate Say: Let’s get out of this tomb and celebrate that Jesus came back to life! Lead the children in coming out from under the parachute and gathering around it again, holding the edges and shaking it. Have kids stop shaking the parachute and pull it taut. Remind them to stay still. Say: Jesus died, and they laid his body in a tomb. Gently put the stuffed animal on the taut, still parachute. But he came out of that tomb—Jesus is alive! Encourage the children to shake the parachute again and pop the stuffed animal off the parachute. Say: It’s so wonderful to know that Jesus came back to life so we can live forever! Let’s thank Jesus one more time. Lead children in a short prayer, thanking him for coming back to life because he loves us. Let the children know how happy you are that they came to church to be with you and all their friends. Invite them to come back soon. TALK-ABOUT VIDEO [10 min] Resurrection Art Supplies • “Resurrection Art” teaching video (watch or download here) • Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can download the videos before Tip class using the “download” button at the link provided, or just purchase this quarter’s DVD here. Discuss and Watch “Resurrection Art” Say: We’re learning that Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. When Jesus died, it was a sad day. But then three days later, the most amazing day happened! Let’s watch what happened when Jesus died and came back to life. Watch “Resurrection Art.” Ask: • What do you think is the worst thing Jesus had to go through? • What does it mean to you that he did that for you? • Why is Easter so exciting? Say: Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. That’s why we celebrate Easter! It’s a celebration of the best day ever—the day Jesus came back to life. And he’s still alive today! HIGH-ENERGY GAME [10 min] On a Roll Relay Supplies • plastic eggs (1 for every 6 kids) • file folders or pieces of card stock (1 for every 6 kids) • upbeat music (optional) • music player (optional) • If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson Tip during the game. You can find the album here. Roll an Egg Say: In our Bible story today, things didn’t go the way Jesus’ friends thought they should go. Jesus died, and when they went to his tomb they couldn’t find his body! I’ll give you a chance to experience a little of that feeling with this wild game. Form teams of about six kids, and have each team split up so that half the team is lined up on one side of the room and half is on the opposite side. If you have fewer than 12 kids, form two groups but have kids take two or three turns each. On one side of the room, give the first person in each line a file folder. Set a plastic egg in front of that person. Say: When I start the music, use your folder to fan the egg straight across the room to the first person in the line across from yours. You can’t touch the egg unless it rolls into a wall or gets stuck. When it reaches the other person, he or she will take the folder and fan the egg back across the room to the next person on your team. When everyone on your team has had a turn, sit down. Begin the game. If you’d like, play music as kids play. This is a great opportunity for kids to call out encouragement to each other, cheering on their teammates. When all teams are seated, gather kids together. Talk About It Say: Those eggs didn’t always do what you wanted them to do or what you hoped they’d do! Ask: • In the game, how did that make you feel? • In real life, how do you feel when things don’t go the way you’d hoped? Say: When Jesus died, his friends may have felt [repeat some of the words kids shared, such as frustrated, disappointed, or afraid]. Things seemed out of control for them. But even though Jesus’ death and resurrection seemed out of control to Jesus’ friends, the ending was better than they could’ve imagined! Jesus is alive! We don’t have to feel hopeless because we have the hope of living forever with Jesus. Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. LOW-ENERGY GAME [10 min] Pass Along Forever Supplies • small playground ball • upbeat music (optional) • music player (optional) • If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson Tip during the game. You can find the album here. Pass a Ball Down the Line Have kids get in a line, shoulder to shoulder. Say: Let’s play a game where we’ll pass this ball to our friends. Hand the ball to a child on one end of the line. Then have kids pass the ball down the line. Say: Game over. That didn’t take very long. Just when we got the hang of it, the line ended. Hmmm…I have an idea! Let’s stand in a circle and try the game again! Form a circle, and have kids pass the ball around the circle several times. Shout out different ways to pass the ball, and then invite kids to think of creative or silly ways to pass the ball. Ideas include: • between legs • above heads • behind backs • really fast • really slow If you’d like, play music during the game. Talk About It Say: When we were in a line, the game didn’t last long. But in a circle the game never stops. We could keep passing the ball forever! In our Bible story Jesus’ friends thought that his life had ended. But Jesus came back to life and will live forever. When we love and follow Jesus, we can live forever, too! Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. What wonderful news! DEEPER BIBLE [15 min] Molding the Bible Point Supplies • modeling dough Play With Modeling Dough Set out the modeling dough. Say: It’s springtime right now! In springtime leaves grow on trees, birds chirp outside, and flowers start to pop up out of the ground. Let’s make a flower out of our dough! Give kids a few minutes to each create a flower out of the modeling dough. Say: Flowers are so pretty! But by winter, flowers wilt and die. When a flower dies, we can’t make it come back to life. But in our Bible story today, we heard about how Jesus came back to life! Jesus died on the cross to take away the wrong things we do. Jesus’ friends were so sad that Jesus died. But three days later, Jesus came back to life. Wow! Jesus came back to life so we can live forever with him in heaven! Ask: • How would you explain forever? Say: Forever means something that never ends. Let’s see if we can make something that never ends out of your dough. Allow a minute or two for kids to try making something that never ends. Invite kids to share what they made and how it goes on forever. If they don’t have any ideas, you can have them make a rope and then connect the ends of the rope so they have a circle that goes on forever. Say: When we’re friends with Jesus, we’ll get to live forever with him. Jesus came back to life, and he’s still alive today. Make two people out of the dough to show you and Jesus living forever together. If needed, give kids some ideas about how to make basic human shapes. Say: When we live forever with Jesus, we’ll never be sick or sad. We’ll have joy and happiness forever with Jesus. Jesus came back to life so we can live forever! [20 min] CRAFT Easter Egg Painting Supplies • “Easter Egg” handout (1 per child) (download here) • various colors of washable paint • large colored pompoms • spring clothespins • paper plates • child-safe scissors • smocks (1 per child) Easy Prep Easy Prep • Pour each color of paint onto a paper plate. • Clip a clothespin onto each colored pompom to make “paintbrushes.” • Make a sample craft to show kids, and be sure to include the cross as the photo shows. Paint Eggs Say: Today is Easter, and something we see a lot of is eggs! You might hunt for colorful plastic eggs with candy hidden inside, or maybe you dyed real eggs pretty colors at home with your family. Eggs can remind us of new life because baby chicks are born from eggs. What do baby chicks sound like? Pause and make “cheep, cheep” sounds along with kids. Say: Easter is a time to celebrate life because Jesus came back to life so we can live forever! Show kids the sample craft, and point out the cross shape in the middle. Our craft today can remind us of new life and how Jesus died on the cross and came back to life so we can live with him forever. Give each child an “Easter Egg” handout, and have kids cut out the egg shape. Show kids how to hold a clothespin and dip the attached pompom into paint. They can then dab the pompom on the egg to create circles or dots rather than smearing the paint from side to side. Have kids use one color of paint to create a cross shape in the center of their eggs. Then kids can each paint the rest of the egg with other colors. Remind the children about what they learned in the Core Bible Discovery activity about how Jesus died on the cross. Say: Jesus came back to life so we can live forever. Forever means something that never ends—like how a circle doesn’t have a beginning or an end. Trace one of the pompom paint dabs on your sample craft with your finger. When we ask Jesus to be our friend, we can live in heaven forever with him someday! TAKE-HOME [0 min] Dig In @ Home Supplies • this week’s “Dig In @ Home” handout (1 per child) (download here) Easy Prep • Add your church announcements to the “Dig In @ Home” handout. Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week. The Bible in One Year, Easter: Jesus Dies and Comes Back to Life , Design and base content Copyright © Group P Licensed for use with 1-20 students. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use only.