Easter Activities for Sunday School:
2 Done-For-You Palm Sunday & Easter Lessons

Two theology-first lessons for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, loaded with kid-tested games, science experiments, and object lessons that even the too-cool 5th-graders lean into.

It's Easter Sunday. The room is packed, kids are buzzing from the egg hunt, and there's a group of 5th-grade boys in the back row who have decided they're way too old for Kids' Church.

And then you pull out a drawing of Jesus — and it comes to life in your hand. And everybody gets to make one and use it to tell the Easter story.

Now everyone's leaning in. Even those 5th-grade boys. That's what Easter should feel like.

In this article, we'll build a Palm Sunday and an Easter lesson, and load you up with high-impact, kid-tested activities drawn from the Spyence Easter curriculum. Each lesson's focus, or Big Idea, will be based on a term the Bible uses to refer to Jesus:

• Palm Sunday Lesson: Lamb of God – A title packed with centuries of meaning, perfect for Palm Sunday
• Easter Lesson: Firstfruits – A farming term that changes how you think about death and eternity, perfect for Easter Sunday

For each lesson, you'll get a theological explanation using our kid-friendly systematic theology system, high-energy opening games, object lessons and science experiments, memory verse activities, small-group discussion prompts, and a clear gospel connection.

Easter Activities for Sunday School – Palm Sunday Lesson – Lamb of God: "Jesus Died in Your Place"

Most kids have heard that Jesus died on the cross. Fewer of them know that God built a preview of it into the Old Testament over a thousand years before it happened — and that the preview is hiding in one of the most dramatic stories in all of Scripture.

That preview is the Passover.

God told the Israelites that a plague was coming. The oldest son in every home would die. But any family that sacrificed a lamb and put its blood on the doorframe of their house would be spared. Then the plague would pass over that house.

That Passover lamb was a picture — a preview — of the perfect Lamb who was coming.

Activity 1: Opening Game — "Knowing the Truth and Nope-ing the False"

This is a super-fun Palm Sunday lesson activity you can play with elementary kids to start your class with lots of energy and student interaction. Bonus: it brings kids up to speed on the history of the Passover.

How to play

Tell kids you're going to share the story of how Passover began, but you're going to make deliberate mistakes. Every time you say something wrong, they jump to their feet, cross one arm over their chest, and shout, "Nope!" Then they correct you and sit back down.

Then tell the Passover story with errors scattered throughout. For example:

• Jacob was an Israelite who lived thousands of years before Jesus was born. Jacob had 12 sons. The older brothers were jealous of Joseph and his coat of many zippers. → (They shout: "Nope! Colors!")
• You're right, it was a coat of many colors. Anyway, his brothers attacked Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God blessed Joseph in Egypt, and he became second-in-command to Captain America. → ("Nope! Pharaoh!")
• Keep going in this same way, giving your students a chance to correct you after each error…
• They could save their oldest sons by installing security cameras… → ("Nope! Sacrificing a lamb!")
• That lamb was called the skip-over-our-house-please-don't-kill-anyone-here lamb… → ("Nope! The Passover Lamb!")

This game is great because kids love to "catch you" making a mistake, so they listen super carefully. In doing so, they learn the Passover story and are prepared for the "picture of Jesus" connection.

The Spyence Easter curriculum, Episode 1, includes a complete script with all the planted mistakes written out so you can just read it without memorizing a thing.

Activity 2: Bible Lesson — "Secret Codename"

Then give kids a term to associate with this truth. We call it a secret codename because 1) it's fun — everyone loves secret codenames — and 2) it really is a codename for Jesus in the Bible.

Secret Codename: Lamb of God — "A title for Jesus that reminds us He died in our place"

Then walk kids through 5 ways that the Passover Lamb pointed to Jesus. As you talk through this section, point to each of the features in the graphic shown here.

1. The Passover Lamb had to be without spots (perfect) → Jesus was sinless, or in other words, perfect in every way
2. The Passover Lamb was killed (sacrificed to atone for the people's sin) → Jesus was crucified (sacrificed to atone for our sin) on the cross
3. The Passover Lamb's blood on the doorframe showed it had died in their place → Jesus' blood shows He died in our place
4. The Passover Lamb's sacrifice saved the oldest son → Jesus' death saves everyone who believes in Him
5. After the Passover, the Israelites were set free from slavery in Egypt → Jesus sets us free from the punishment we deserve for our sins

Activity 3: Memory Verse Game — Scrambled Words (John 1:29)

Kids memorize John 1:29 by unscrambling it word by word. Kids love solving puzzles and don't even realize they're learning a memory verse.

How to play

Put the verse on the screen, but scrambled. Read it out loud as if nothing is wrong: "Our memory verse starts with: 'ookl, the blam of ogd.' Say it with me…"

Wait for kids to start shouting that the words are wrong. Play confused. "What do you mean it's scrambled? Let me see…"

Then work through it word by word, letting kids figure out what each word should be: What's the first word? (Look.) What about "blam"? (Lamb.) "Ogd"? (God.)

Then add the next scrambled phrase and unscramble "how skate yaaw" into "who takes away" — and keep going until the whole verse is unscrambled. By the time they've worked through all the slides, they've really studied John 1:29.

Activity 4: Science Experiment — "Jesus' Life Snuffed Out"

This is a sober, powerful Easter object lesson that could be one of the most memorable moments of your children's ministry year.

Supplies (per small group)

• A candle
• Baking soda and vinegar (to produce CO₂)
• A small cup to mix them in

(Watch the full experiment walkthrough at Spyence.com/pages/ESE1-Experiment before Sunday so you'll be prepared to share this with your small groups.)

How to present it

The candle represents Jesus' life. The teacher explains that just as the Passover Lamb was sacrificed for the Israelites, Jesus willingly gave up His life for us. Before the group extinguishes the candle, everyone says the memory verse together:

Then the leader pours the CO₂ solution over the candle. The flame goes out. No punchline. No dramatic twist. Just a candle going dark. The experiment creates a moment of genuine gravity that a slide or a story alone can't produce.

The Spyence Easter curriculum, Episode 1, includes supply lists, setup instructions, and a video walkthrough for small-group leaders.

Activity 5: Small Group & Gospel Connection

Use these questions to move from information to the heart:

• "If you had to explain 'Lamb of God' to a friend in your own words, what would you say?"
• Have a student read 1 Peter 1:18–19: "…you were redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." Ask: "What word in this verse connects Jesus to the Passover Lamb?"
• Have a student read Matthew 26:1–2. Ask: "Why do you think it mattered that Jesus was crucified during Passover specifically?"

Easter Ideas for Sunday School – Easter Sunday Lesson – Firstfruits: "Jesus Rose First, and We're the Harvest"

Jesus was put into a tomb on Good Friday. He conquered the tomb and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. What does that have to do with us? Good question. To answer that, we want to introduce kids to a little-known, but extremely important Biblical term: Firstfruits.

It's a farming term. In the Old Testament, the firstfruits were the very first grain a farmer harvested from the field. He bundled it up, brought it to the temple, and waved it before God as a thank offering. The firstfruits weren't the whole harvest, but they were the sign that the whole harvest was coming.

Paul uses that picture to explain what Jesus' resurrection means for us:

Just as the firstfruits show that the rest of the harvest is coming, Jesus' resurrection shows that all believers will be resurrected someday.

Activity 6: Opening Game — "Perplexing Picture Problem Puzzles"

This spot-the-difference game is a crowd favorite for Easter Sunday school, and it gets kids in a mindset where they're paying careful attention — which is exactly what you want as you begin your lesson.

How to play

Put two nearly identical pictures on the screen side by side. Kids raise their hands silently when they spot a difference. Call on them in order to describe (or point out) each one. The Spyence Easter curriculum uses robot-themed pictures, but the mechanic works with any image set. As soon as you finish one puzzle, kids immediately want another — so having three rounds ready is a good idea.

Activity 7: Secret Codeword — Firstfruits: "The first part of the harvest"

First, use this graphic to teach kids that, just as the firstfruits show that the rest of the harvest is coming, Jesus' resurrection shows that all believers will be resurrected someday.

Then reinforce the point by showing that Jesus rose as Phase 1 of a two-phase resurrection plan:

• Phase 1: Jesus — raised in a new body that will never get sick or die
• Phase 2: Every believer — raised in new bodies, just like His, when Jesus comes back

That means when a Christian stands at the grave of a loved one who believed in Jesus, they're not just hoping they'll see them again. They have a guarantee. Jesus is the firstfruits. He already did it. The harvest is coming.

"Fallen asleep," by the way, is the Bible's way of saying someone has died. The imagery matters: sleep isn't permanent. You wake up. And for everyone who belongs to Jesus, that's the promise.

Activity 8: Science Experiment — "Surprise!" (The 'Jesus Rises' Experiment)

This is the most memorable Easter Sunday school activity you will ever use. Bold claim? You'll have to trust us until you try it with your kids — then we're pretty sure you'll agree.

Supplies

• A printed illustration of Jesus attached to a zipper mechanism (made from a Ziploc baggie)

(Full instructions and a demonstration video are at Spyence.com/pages/ESE2-Experiment)

How to present it

Jesus is God the Son, and He came to earth and showed us what God is like, but a lot of people didn't want God around, and they killed Him. Can you believe that? Let's tip this Jesus drawing back to remind us that Jesus died on the cross and His dead body was laid down in a tomb.

At this point, reach up with your left hand and tilt the Jesus illustration backward so that it's lying flat. Don't give away that you can control the angle with your right hand yet. Leave it flat as you continue…

He really died. Josephus and Nicodemus took Jesus' limp, dead body and buried it in a tomb. That was Friday night. And His dead body lay in the tomb all day Saturday, but on Sunday morning, Jesus' body started to move.

Make the Jesus illustration begin to move just a little, but don't raise it all the way up yet. Then continue…

His heart started beating again. Thump, Thump. (Move the Jesus illustration slightly with each heartbeat.) His lungs took a breath, and then another, and then another. (Move the illustration slightly with each breath.) His eyes blinked open. How could someone who was dead come back to life? Then again, how could Jesus stay dead? He's all-powerful, eternal, unstoppable. Death was no match for Him, so early that Sunday morning, the first Easter…

As you say the next line, look at your right hand to direct the kids' attention there. Then suddenly twist the zipper and make the Jesus illustration pop up as you say…

Jesus rose from the dead! Surprise!

He left the tomb and met with Mary Magdalene first, then two other women — Salome and Mary, the mother of James. Those women went and told the other disciples that Jesus was alive again. Then He started appearing all over the place, to lots of disciples and followers, including a group of 500 at one time.

One of the disciples, Thomas, couldn't believe that he was really seeing Jesus alive again. Jesus said, (move the Jesus illustration back and forth like it's talking…) "It's really me. Touch me and see. Examine my scars. I'm the same Jesus you knew." And Thomas believed.

He believed that Jesus really, really died (tip the illustration flat) and really, really came back to life (make it pop back up). And that means all believers who die will really, really come back to life, because Jesus is the firstfruits — or example — of what will happen to all believers.

After the demonstration, kids head to small groups to make their own version to take home. They leave with something in their hands that tells the resurrection story — and they'll use it. Kids instinctively want to show someone how it works. That's sneaky discipleship: they think they're showing off a cool Easter craft, but they're actually sharing the gospel.

Get the printable craft sheet for this experiment with the Spyence Easter Curriculum.

Activity 9: Memory Verse Game — "20 Point!" (1 Corinthians 15:20)

This fast, competitive game gets the whole room saying the verse together — over and over — without anyone feeling like they're drilling.

How to play

Start at one end of the room. Each kid says one word of the verse in sequence. When the verse ends, the person who says "1 Corinthians" hands off to the next kid, who says "fifteen," and hands off to the next kid, who says "twenty," and the next kid yells "Point!" That's a point for their team (boys get the point if a boy said "Point!", girls if a girl said it). First team to five points wins.

By the time one team hits five points, the class has said the verse multiple times — and most of them can nearly recite it on their own.

Activity 10: Small Group Discussion — The Two-Phase Resurrection Plan

Walk kids through the full firstfruits passage:

• 1 Corinthians 15:20 — Jesus is the firstfruits. "What does it mean that He's 'the first'? What does that imply about what comes next?"
• 1 Corinthians 15:21 — "Who do you think 'the man that death came through' is?" (Adam.) "Who is 'the man that resurrection comes through'?" (Jesus.)
• 1 Corinthians 15:22–23 — "When will the rest of the harvest happen?" (When Jesus comes back.)

Putting It All Together: A 2-Week Easter Theology Lesson Plan

Here's one simple way to structure your lesson plans for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.

You can also blend both into a single Easter Sunday lesson by picking one game, one experiment, one verse, and one main discussion focus.

Conclusion: Really Celebrate Easter Sunday

This Easter, help kids see that the story doesn't start with an empty tomb on a Sunday morning in A.D. 33. It was clearly pictured in Egypt, with a lamb, a doorframe, and a plague that passes over — and it ends with a resurrection that guarantees every believer will rise.

That's not kids' stuff. That's universe-shaking theology. And elementary-age kids can absolutely handle it when you teach it with the right tools.

When kids are jumping up and shouting "Nope!" at a Passover story full of deliberate mistakes… watching a candle go dark in a room gone quiet… unscrambling the words "blam of ogd" until the verse clicks into place… watching a drawing of Jesus snap upright in their own hand… they're not just having fun. They're building a Biblical worldview, piece by piece:

That's what Easter is all about.

FAQ: Easter Sunday School Lessons