Easter is this Sunday and our son, the Champ, is getting to the age where we have to be more sensitive about Christian holidays. We want him to understand that Easter is the celebration of Christ’s victory over death. But we want him to be able to have fun celebrating the holiday as well. Below are the ways we will incorporate non-religious Easter traditions with our preschooler.

Egg Hunts

I spoke earlier this week about Resurrection Eggs. I love using these as a visual teaching tool. I believe that we can allow our son to participate in egg hunts and open up the eggs to get candy “prizes.” However, I want to stress to him through the use of Resurrection Eggs that our real Easter prize is Jesus.

The Easter Bunny

I will not be going out of my way to avoid the Easter Bunny. He is everywhere this time of year. Instead, I will be explaining to my son that the Easter Bunny is just something fun that some people do at Easter time and is not what this holiday is about.

Chicks, Flowers, Eggs, and Other Non-Religious Easter Symbols

All of the other non-religious Easter symbols are simply Spring symbols. This is easy enough to explain as a Christian parent. When we see pictures of Easter eggs and chicks, I can remind my son that many birds lay eggs during the spring time. The same applies for flowers. Lambs are usually considered by society to be a “non-religious” Easter image, so I can discuss Jesus’s role as a sacrificial lamb.

Easter Baskets/Presents

We will still give our son a Easter basket. However, we will clearly explain that this is a present from us, not the big bunny. His present will also be a religious gift. This year we are giving him God Is with Me: 365 Daily Devos for Boys (VeggieTales).

How do you celebrate Easter with your young children?