day 27 :: Jesus' death and resurrection + a recipe

Learn how to make an Easter Garden!

This is Day 27 in a 31 day series on Teaching Toddlers Theology. To catch up on where we've been, or view our menu of posts, go to this intro post. 

This past Easter was so fun having a two-year old. I knew this would be the first time he might actually understand what was going on! We tried to be pretty careful with how much attention we gave to all the candy and stuff versus Christ and the Resurrection! We wanted to keep Christ the central part of the holiday and not confuse or distract Titus with all the fun non-spiritual stuff that we typically do as well. I knew Titus' understanding would still be limited. Since he doesn't know what death is, he probably would understand the significance of the coming-back-to-life part either. But I was determined to do my best to be faithful to the message of the Gospel even if he didn't understand much at that point! I wanted to emphasize the things he could understand and be patient on the stuff he couldn't for another time. Besides constantly talking about what Easter is all about and reading the death and resurrection accounts in his bible, I also tried to find some fun, hands-on ways to tell the story!

One way I found was to make Resurrection Rolls. Titus loves to help out in the kitchen and what two-year-old doesn't like to get get his hands a little messy? so these were a huge hit. And I hoped in the process that this would be another means for Titus to learn a bit more about what Christ has done for him! In this recipe, each ingredient represents something from the Easter story, so as you make it, you tell it! (recipe below)

Your toddler might not quite understand the majority of Christ's death and resurrection, but be faithful in telling them! This is where our spiritual investment starts, and we have years to keep on investing! And you never know what fruit you may see even in this next year because you chose to make the most of the opportunity now! Even if they don't understand what death is, or what resurrection is, they will pick up from us that it's important and it's for them! That what Christ did, he did for them- because they've sinned and because He loves them. Sharing the gospel is a process, and it's the same in our toddlers lives. Share the Good News, and pray for God to work in their little hearts.

Resurrection Rolls

Grab your toddler and try these fun, easy & oh-so-delicious rolls!  They are a wonderful reminder for you and a teaching tool for your kids about the true meaning of Easter! Each ingredient has significance and the end product leaves your kids in awe as they discover the rolls are hollow inside! So interactive for kids, as well as spiritually memorable! I’m looking forward to making this a tradition every year with our family! This recipe is a combination of a couple different recipes I found on the Internet.

Ingredients:

Crescent roll dough

melted butter

large marshmallows

cinnamon

sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate all the crescent roll triangles. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Take a marshmallow, {the marshmallow represents Jesus’ body}. and roll it in melted butter, which represents the oils used to embalm His body.. Then roll the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represent the spices used to anoint the body.

Wrap a crescent roll triangle around the buttered marshmallow (Bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside- not in normal crescent roll fashion.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body in linen garments.

Repeat with remaining dough and marshmallows.

  

Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb.

When the rolls are ready to eat (allow to cool), have each of your kids open up a roll and discover that it’s hollow inside! Just like the linens were left in the tomb and Jesus’ body was gone! He is risen!

NOTE: I found that baking them in a muffin tin versus a cookie sheet helped them to not ooze as much and held together better!

 

Pin It