​Making Holy Week unforgettable: Creative Easter traditions for families

From palm-waving parades to sunrise celebrations, Tabitha Heathcote wants us to discover simple ways to help our children experience the wonder of Jesus’ journey and make faith the heart of our Easter

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is my favourite Sunday of the whole year, excluding Easter, of course! If I could go back in time to one moment in Jesus’ life, it would be the day he rode into Jerusalem and entered the temple, telling the grown-ups off for trying to silence the children’s worship (Matthew 21:15-17).

And this is only the trial run for the Easter Sunday celebration!

Palm Sunday should be a day of messy celebration, people gathered together, singing and praising God. Each year I choose a creative activity to do with my children. Sometimes we make giant palm branches, sometimes we paint our feet green and make footprints showing Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem, and other times we use handprints to create palm branches. It’s a day when all the instruments come out. The children can sing, shout, and make joyful noise, bringing glory to God in whatever way they want! And this is only the trial run for the Easter Sunday celebration!

Passover supper

Taking time during Holy Week to celebrate the Passover supper is another tradition we practise as a family, and something I have also done with the church in the past. It is a wonderfully ……