Easter Curriculum Facts & Worksheets

Also called Pascha by the Greeks, Easter is a Christian and cultural festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amidst its religious origin, people celebrated and adopted new traditions to celebrate Easter, such as egg hunts, jelly beans, chocolates, and bunnies. 

According to the New Testament, Jesus was resurrected three days after his crucifixion. What about the eggs and the bunnies?

See the fact file below for more information on Easter Curriculum or alternatively, you can download our 14-page Easter Curriculum worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

What to consider?

• Religious origin and new secular traditions – Like Christmas and Halloween, the celebration of Easter evolved over time, mixing religious (Christian) and secular elements together. 
• Inclusivity – Despite its religious origin, treat the Easter story like other stories relaying morals and not to persuade others’ religious beliefs. Don’t forget that it also marks the beginning of spring. 
• Be fun! – Teaching about Easter can be a bit tricky, and there are concepts and events in the story that may be too upsetting or sensitive. Thus, we need to be more creative in linking the fun part of decorating, hunting, and rolling eggs.
• If you’re concerned about upsetting your students with dark aspects of history during a time of what is supposed to be informative and interactive learning. In that case, we have a useful blog that will help you navigate teaching and an impartial recount of the facts.
• If you’re looking for more ideas and information about how to include cultural diversity in your lessons, check out our blog.   

How to deliver

• First, let’s discuss Easter in a nutshell. The term “Easter” is derived from the Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. The earliest mention of Eostre was by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century. The monk describes a festival in Eostre’s honor held in April around the spring equinox in Northumbria. This etymology is the closest explanation to contemporary celebrations, including eggs, bunnies, and candies. But what’s the connection of the neopagan celebration of spring to Easter’s earliest origin?
• The term Easter is not found in the Bible, but it’s a Christian festival commemorating Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Don’t worry! We can still teach Easter without sounding so religious, especially to non-Christians. To do this, we can present the story of Jesus Christ like other stories and mythologies conveying morals. 
• To start, we can discuss the story of Easter and its concepts using Bible stories and our own words. For Christians, Easter is one of the chief tenets of their faith. The death of Jesus may be upsetting and traumatising for our young learners, so we suggest focusing on the story of resurrection when he rose from the dead. Some children might not understand resurrection without making a link to zombies, but emphasize that it symbolizes new hope.  
• As mentioned, Easter is not mentioned in the Bible. Still, the stories before Jesus’ resurrection, such as the Passover meal, the Last Supper, and the crucifixion, were described in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke. Passover or Pesach is a Jewish observance commemorating the liberation of Israelites from Egypt by Moses as written in the book of Exodus. The common assumption of the word Pesah or Pesakh comes from God’s passing over the houses of Hebrew during the tenth plague in Egypt, and others refer to the lamb sacrificed four days before the Exodus. Because of this, early Christians observed Jesus’ resurrection or the festival of Pascha around the time of Passover. 
• For more clarity in understanding the origins of Easter as a religious festival, it is essential to impart the stories of Jesus Christ and his Twelve Apostles, and Moses and the Exodus. We can utilize a diagram in establishing connections. 
• Now that the Christian origin of Easter is clear, let’s move on to how the festival has changed over time. Easter is a moveable feast that follows the lunisolar calendar, the same as the Hebrew calendar. In 325 CE, Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea, which established the celebration of Easter on a Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. 
• Despite the decree of Constantine regarding the celebration of Easter, confusion still existed. At the time, Christianity had already spread in Europe. During the Medieval period, Easter was celebrated on the coming of spring, and Christians associated winter with darkness and spring with light (resurrection of Jesus). Also, in this period, many of the medieval populace in England observed the Triduum or the three days leading up to Easter by attending Tenebrae (church) services. 
• The fun and tricky part of learning about Easter are tracing the origins of what we believe as secular traditions. Today, kids are excited about Easter because of activities such as the egg hunt. In many cultures, such as the Greeks and Egyptians, eggs symbolize new life and fertility. Meanwhile, the Babylonians believed that the egg embodied their god Ishtar, who resurrected like Christ. Pagans also use eggs in cultural rituals. Based on a study entitled Beyond Ishtar: The Tradition of Eggs at Easter, Christians adopted the phoenix as a symbol in the 1st century CE in association with Easter eggs. Since then, the egg from which it rose has become the Easter egg we know today. 
• Like the Greeks and Romans, the firebird has become a symbol of resurrection for early Christians. The symbol of the phoenix is frequently depicted in Christian funerals stones, religious paintings, and churches. 
• When Christian missionaries observed rituals such as hunting eggs, they used these indigenous traditions to assimilate Christ’s resurrection. The introduction of the dying of eggs in different colors to symbolize the rebirth (yellow), love (blue), and blood of Christ (red) was a form of cultural assimilation. We can paint eggs for Easter while learning this. 
• The White House is probably the most enjoyable place to celebrate Easter! On April 22, 1878, US President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House for children to roll eggs. By 1929, the annual White House Easter Egg Roll was broadcast on radio. In 1981, President Reagan and First Lady Nancy began the tradition of White House Easter Egg Roll keepsakes. 
• So where does the Easter bunny come in? In many ancient cultures like the Germans, a rabbit or hare symbolises spring renewal and fertility. Remember the goddess of abundance and fertility, Eostre? Her animal symbol is the rabbit. In German mythology, the Easter bunny is associated with Osterhase, a figure who hatched multicolored eggs for children. 
• Another enjoyable and informative way to learn about the existence of Easter bunnies is through art history. During the Renaissance, hares were often used to represent fertility and purity in religious paintings. Examples are The Madonna of the Rabbit painting by Titian and Francesco del Cossa’s Allegory of April. 
• Scholars suggest that hares or rabbits were once believed to be capable of self-impregnation, thus associated with the virgin birth. In the painting, Mary held a white (purity) rabbit in his left hand, suggesting the mystery of the incarnation. Besides Mary and the maid of honour is a fruit basket with apples and grapes representing the original sin and the eucharist.  
• del Cossa’s allegory of April included a flock of white rabbits signifying fertility and love. 
• Our learners might ask the question, “Why are bunnies a symbol of fertility?”. The question is answerable by the phenomenon called superfetation or getting pregnant while pregnant. Though proven to be untrue for humans and some animals, scientists in Germany confirmed this biological capability to be true for European brown hare (Lepus europaeus). This supported Aristotle’s claim about the hare – a rabbit’s cousin’s ability of superfetation.

Of all animals the woman and the mare are most inclined to receive the commerce of the male during pregnancy; while all other animals when they are pregnant avoid the male, save those in which the phenomenon of superfetation occurs, such as the hare. 

Aristotle

• For learners who also love science, we can additionally present this diagram.
• Medieval people associated hares with fertility and spring since the animal’s breeding season begins in March. During this time, hares which are nocturnal most of the year, are seen all day long every March. 
• Serving a lamb or a ham has also become a tradition during Easter dinner. Since the customs forbade early Jews from eating pork, lamb was usually served at the Passover feast. Because of Jesus’ death during Passover, he was regarded by his believers as the ultimate sacrifice for sin or the “lamb of God”. In some cultures, pigs were typically slaughtered in the fall, then a few months to smoke the pork until the ham was ready for spring. 
• Other delights for kids and young at heart during Easter include candies, jellybeans, peeps, hot cross buns, and chocolate bunnies.  
• In Northern Hemisphere, Easter always falls near the vernal equinox and the beginning of spring. In short, Easter coincides with a changing of seasons, winter to spring. Pagans celebrate spring equinox or the beginning of the agricultural cycle every Ostara or the festival of Eostre. 

Learning outcomes

• When teaching Easter, it is important to note that amidst its religious origin, it is celebrated today as a cultural and secular tradition as well. In many cultures today, Easter is a time to celebrate the coming of spring. For Christians, it is a time to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Like Christmas and Halloween, the celebration of Easter had evolved to be for everyone, regardless of religious beliefs and cultural differences. However we celebrate this day, it is for sure a unifying event for people in any part of the world. 

Easter Curriculum Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the Easter Curriculum across 14 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Easter which is a Christian and cultural festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• Teaching Easter
  • Short video explainer
  • What to consider
  • How to deliver?
  • Learning outcomes
• Lesson Plan Template
• Suggested Worksheets

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Easter get its name?

The word “Easter” may have come from the name of a goddess called Eostre. We only know about her because a monk named Venerable Bede wrote about her. He lived in Britain during the late seventh and early eighth centuries.

Why does Easter have a bunny?

Some say the Easter bunny first showed up on American shores in the 1700s, hitching a ride with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. These new Americans brought with them a tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their kids would make nests for this creature to lay its colorful eggs.

Why do we have eggs at Easter?

Eggs are a symbol of new life and rebirth. They are associated with the Easter holiday because people were not allowed to eat eggs during Lent (the 40 days before Easter). On Easter Sunday, eating an egg was a real treat!

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

<a href="https://kidskonnect.com/social-studies/easter-curriculum/">Easter Curriculum Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com</a> - KidsKonnect, February 27, 2024

Link will appear as Easter Curriculum Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 27, 2024