Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Unit E

Easter

Developmental Focus: Hand-Eye Coordination

Want to learn more? Check out the Add A Little 2Y Parent / Teacher Guide

Disclaimer: All activities require adult supervision and discretion. Read more…

Muscle Moving

Easter Egg Ramp Slide

Supplies:

  • Large cardboard box or other way to make a ramp
  • Plastic Easter Eggs (or other things that roll)
  • Optional: Basket or other open-top container

Prep:

  • Find a stable way to make a ramp using the box.

Time to Play:

  • Invite your child(ren) to join you rolling the eggs down the ramp.
  • Try mixing it up to see what happens. Does the egg roll faster if it has something heavy inside it? Does it roll as fast as a toy car?
  • For a bigger challenge, try catching the rolling eggs in the basket before they reach the floor. This works best if your ramp has a drop at the end high enough to hold the basket under.

Brain Boosting

Easter Egg Painting

Supplies:

  • Plastic Easter Eggs that spilt into two halves. (Alternatively use empty paper tower rolls or toilet paper rolls.)
  • 2-3 Colours of washable paint – think Easter colours: yellow, pink, light blue, light green. (Alternatively use washable ink pads.)
  • 1 Wide shallow container per colour. (Wide enough to easily dip the egg in – paper plates could work.)
  • Paper
  • Optional: Paint shirt

Prep:

  • Prepare a table to paint on. If needed, cover it with a tablecloth, garbage bag, or newspaper.
  • Pour a thin layer of paint into each container.
  • Place one egg half or roll in each container of paint.

Time to Play:

  • Set a piece of paper in front of each child. Show them how dip the Easter egg half into the paint and then touch it on your paper creating a circle of paint.
  • Encourage them to make many circles on their paper.

Let’s Sing

Here Is A Bunny

This fun bunny song does not mention Easter making it flexible for use in various settings as a spring or Easter song.

Let’s Read

Find Spot At Easter
By: Eric Hill

A fun lift-the-flap book with plenty of spring animals, a few Easter eggs, and no Easter Bunny or religious content.

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

He Rose Again and Lives Today
Words by S. J. Little

Read the lyrics here.

Let’s Read

Bible Story

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
John 18-20

Beginner’s Bible Chapters:
Jesus Is Arrested and Crucified
Jesus Is Risen!
Page 446

This Christian Easter song was born out of my desire to have an extremely simple preschool song that captures the heart of Easter.

I value songs that are simple enough for a 3 year old to sing, and hold truth worth hiding in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Have fun teaching this simple little song to a preschooler in your life!

 

Note these are original words by S. J. Little designed to be sang with the familiar tune of Row Row Row Your Boat.

Tune: Row Row Row Your Boat

Words by: S. J. Little

 

Jesus died for me;

He died upon the cross.

He rose again and lives today,

So I can live with Him.

Empty Tomb at Easter

Looking for more Christian preschool songs? Check out Another 7 Simple Christian Songs for Preschoolers

He Suffered for Me written on shadow of a cross

 

It’s the week of Easter. The time to celebrate Jesus’ gruesome death on the cross for us, and His resurrection back to life.

It’s a time to slow down and reflect. A time to remember the very core of our Christian faith. The very event without which all of Christianity would be a waste of time.

Yet sometimes I find myself so caught up with the busyness of life that I struggle to reconnect with the significance of Easter. I’ve heard this story time and time again since childhood. It is incredibly easy to skim by it and hurry on to some more recent excitement.

Jesus died for me – great! I know that, now what?

Not so fast.

Last November, I was reminded just how much Jesus endured for my sake, while watching the TV show Survivor. I couldn’t help but see the comparison. While what the contestants endured doesn’t come close to the pain Jesus felt, it gave me a visual that renewed my awe of Jesus’ sacrifice for me.

Survivor: Season 37, Episode 10

It was a hot sunny day. The contestants prepared for a competition to win immunity, that is, a guarantee that they would not be voted off the show that evening.

The competition was explained. Each contestant would stand on a tiny perch attached to a pole, and hold handles above their shoulders – to me this resembled the shape of the cross. Anyone who let go was eliminated from the competition.

However, before the competition began, the host tempted the contestants to opt out of the competition in exchange for food – incredibly tempting to those who’ve been surviving on rice and whatever else they can scrounge up.

Praise the Lord that He didn’t give in to the temptation to say no to the suffering of the cross! He could so easily have refused to go, but, for my sake, He endured it.

Links to scenes from the competition on Youtube:

4th Individual Immunity Challenge Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIZUlkuWqoM

4th Individual Immunity Challenge Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM6sFV_4jGI

Please note, I do not support everything portrayed in this reality TV show. Viewer discretion recommended.

A few of the contestants took the food offered, the rest got into position.

The first contestant only held on for a few minutes. Others for half an hour, their faces twisting in discomfort. They fought to endure long enough to win the prize.

On and on the competition went. Some contestants constantly shifted, hoping to relieve the pain. Others stood stock still, focusing on staying up. Some groaned and moaned. One or two, upon letting go, sank to the ground for a time before standing up to move to the side where they watched the others compete.

Finally, only two remained. One tried to convince the other to let him win, but neither would give up, despite being so utterly exhausted. At last, after 5 and a half hours of painful enduring, only one man was left standing. He was named the victor and received the reward.

Watching this competition, my mind recalled Jesus’ suffering. Not only did He endure a similar position for hours, but He was whipped nearly to death first. He was stripped naked and openly mocked. He was spat on and had a crown of thorns pressed into his skull. On top of all that, He endured the wrath due me for my sins.

He endured all that for me.

He could so easily have given up!

When Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and one of Jesus’ disciples tried to fight back, Jesus said:

“Put your sword back in its place… Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”  Mat. 26:52-54 NIV

Jesus chose to endure suffering beyond what I can comprehend. Why? Because He loves me.

What a wonderful Saviour we serve.

Happy Easter – He is risen indeed!