Senior Children and Families Connector for the Diocese of Gloucester, the Revd Jo Wetherall, talks about sharing Holy Week with pre-schoolers.
“You can do Easter, Jo.”
I always knew I would be given this responsibility when I was an Early Years Practitioner. While everyone loved the celebration of new life, no one else wanted to go anywhere near talking about death and resurrection with pre-school children and at best would take them straight from Palm Sunday to Easter morning.
It’s such a beautiful opportunity, because we have the chance to explore all of human life, the feelings and emotions that every child experiences, including death, and what a gift that we get to share Christian hope and the power of God’s love over hate.
Over the years we played this story out in playdough, using stones, perfume, coins, nails and spices, through colours, by blowing bubbles, with sound and silence indoors or out in nature and just occasionally we even read a book about it!
The Easter story can be told in so many ways some of which are signposted here, but for me the really important thing is we tell it all. Yes, we do it sensitively in an age appropriate way, engaging the senses, emotions, and experiences and we allow children and young people the space to enter the story for themselves and relate it to their own lives.
Through Jesus’ thoughtful words and prayerful actions in the events of Holy Week all of us, including children and young people, can see that God is there not just for the high days but every day as we learn to deal with cheats and bullies, with friends who disappear when trouble comes, with abuse, with prejudice, with the days we feel lost and alone.
Free resource – Mini Easter Experience For Preschool
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