Orthodox Easter 2021: when and how to spend the holiday with children

Orthodox Easter in Russia remains the main holiday for all believers. And if your family is going through a difficult period or, on the contrary, everything is fine right now, the Bright Resurrection of Christ is the day that will help you believe in the best and unite adults and children.

Tell your child the history of the main Orthodox holiday, play special Easter games, create unusual crafts and give children gifts suitable for the occasion. Get even closer to each other on the bright day of Easter!

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History, traditions and symbolism of Easter for children: how and what to tell

When telling the story of Easter, consider the age of the child. You can tell a preschooler only basic information, without focusing on details that are difficult for children to perceive. For example, a story about the Easter story for a child could be like this:

“A long time ago, the son of God, Jesus Christ, lived on our earth. He never offended anyone, never did anything bad, and always spoke only the truth. Jesus also taught other people to do good deeds and not to deceive loved ones. ⠀ In those days, an evil king ruled the world. He did not want people to learn from Jesus - because this way they could understand that their king was bad and overthrow him. That evil king ordered Jesus to be crucified on the cross - then this was how dangerous criminals were punished. And on the third day after the execution, the son of God resurrected - that is, he became alive again. So Christ showed people that the bright human soul is immortal.”

Schoolchildren can be told a more complete story of Easter using the children's Bible as a basis. What facts can be covered in the story:

• betrayal of Judas - how the disciple betrayed Christ for 30 coins;
• crucifixion - how the cross became a symbol of salvation for all Christians after the crucifixion of Jesus;
• Resurrection is about the resurrected soul of Jesus Christ, and that the seventh day of the week is called Sunday in honor of the resurrection of Christ.

Traditions and symbols

In Orthodoxy, there are many customs, traditions and symbols associated with Easter. You can tell your child about the main Easter traditions and symbols that are still common today:

• on a holiday, it is customary to say at a meeting “Christ is risen” and hear in response “Truly he is risen!”;
• On Easter, special Easter cakes are baked - the custom is associated with the exceptional place of bread on the Orthodox table;
• Painted eggs are certainly placed on the Easter table, which symbolize the birth of a new life - this is how Christ was reborn after the crucifixion.

In Rus', Easter itself and the entire next week were solemnly celebrated. Children danced in circles, played folk games, and decorated houses. Unfortunately, the tradition of Easter fun has practically not survived to this day, but it can easily be implemented in your own family.

How to prepare a matinee for Easter

Organizing a festive event includes several stages:

• stage of choosing the form of the matinee;
• the stage of inventing and developing a plot composition;
• stage of selection, installation of scenery and musical accompaniment.

Matinee form

Based on the tasks of organizing work with children, when preparing a matinee for Easter, the main form of holding the holiday is usually theatrical performance. The basis of the event is a thematic staging, which includes:

• blocks of information about the holiday;
• songs;
• dancing;
• poems;
• riddles, signs associated with the Bright Holy Resurrection;
• folk games.

The duration of the matinee is 50–60 minutes.

In addition to the theatrical form, the event can take the form of a literary and musical composition: children sing, recite, play games, and the presenter “connects” these elements with information blocks on the topic.

Video: round dance with willows for Easter in the preparatory group

Ideas for creating a plot

The basis for the plot of the Easter matinee could be:

• a conversation on the theme of the holiday with singing, recitation, games and the performance of a fairy tale stylized to match the theme of the event;
• dramatization (for example, the scenes when people discovered the resurrection of Jesus);
• a combination of celebrating Easter with the welcoming of spring - in this case, Easter Sunday is considered as the main event of this time of year;
• an imitation of visiting a temple, where children are told about Easter and shown themed games;
• gaming event - the matinee is based on Easter games, which are combined with recitation and singing;
• quest - the guys complete tasks (recite poems, guess riddles, sing, dance) to find a “treasure” - a basket of colored eggs, which they then play with.

Video: re-enactment at Easter for older preschoolers

Materials for an Easter party for older preschoolers

When drawing up a script in the senior and preparatory groups, it is important to remember that all materials are presented by the children, and the adult serves as a coordinator. Therefore, the texts must be understandable and accessible for children to understand and perform.

Information block

Since children already know basic information about the holiday, in the senior and preparatory groups the emphasis is on interesting facts about Easter. For example, children will learn about the Bulgarian tradition of throwing clay pots with good wishes written on them from the upper floors as a sign of the victory of good over evil throughout the world.

In addition, the script can include materials about signs for each day of Easter week or about beliefs associated with weather conditions during this period.

In my practice, I also included interesting family customs that were in use among our ancestors in the development of scenarios.

To broaden their horizons, it is important that children learn about the traditions of celebrating Easter not only in Russia, but also in other countries

Poems

Rhymed lines are usually used to present the theme of the matinee, repeating the main traditions associated with Easter:

• Easter. Festive all around. The house sparkles with cleanliness. Willows on the table and Easter... So light and so beautiful! There are colored eggs everywhere, And the Easter cake is on a platter... Mom in a chintz apron Invites everyone to sit down and taste a treat in honor of Christ's resurrection (Galina Antipina).
• The sun sparkles in the puddles, the willow blossoms in fluff, “Alive, live!” - the birds chirp and the bells sing. On the table is a fragrant Easter cake, a pile of colored eggs. On this bright, clean holiday you will not see gloomy faces. They say: “Christ is risen!”, “Yes, truly risen!” Tearing the veil of darkness, He descended from heaven to people. Christ is alive, and people believe: If we part with evil, Life will last. Peace will be eternal with love and kindness! (Shalamonova Elena).
• Look, what kind of miracle did mom put in the dish? There is an egg, but not a simple one: Golden painted, Like a bright toy! There are stripes, curls, many small rings, stars, circles and hearts. What are all these colors for, Like in a good old fairy tale? Mom gave everyone the answers: “Easter is the brightest holiday!” And the egg, I know, is a symbol of life on earth! (Tatiana Lavrova).

You can include classic poems on the topic in the matinee script.

Recitation is a mandatory element of the children's party script

Riddles, proverbs and sayings

For older preschoolers, this script block can be done in a playful way. For example, guys in two teams compete in guessing riddles: the leader reads out the text, and the team captains raise small flags as a sign that the participants are ready to give an answer.

As for proverbs and sayings, for children who can read, this can be a task in pairs to connect two parts of a phrase into a complete statement:

• Where there is Easter cake and dough, here is our place!
• We have the best Easter cakes in our oven!
• Pray - pray, but beware of evil deeds.
• The sun is rolling down the Easter hill into summer.
• An expensive egg on Christ's day.
• Spring is coming full of miracles - Christ is risen, Christ is risen!
• The Resurrection of Christ is for everyone to have fun!
• Christ is risen! Christ is risen! Angels from heaven rejoice!

Games for the Easter party

The matinee is a festive and spectacular event, therefore, as in the middle group, for older preschoolers the play block is focused on games of varying degrees of mobility, and one or two didactic games can also be included.

Table: Easter games for children 5–7 years old

For the game “Color the Egg” you need to select a template with an intricate pattern

Gifts for children for Easter

Giving gifts for Easter used to be considered almost obligatory. On the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, people usually went to visit, and it was not customary to come to someone else’s house empty-handed.

Nowadays the tradition of giving gifts for Easter is almost not observed. But you can give your children something they have long dreamed of or simply give them a nice little thing - this will make the bright holiday even more joyful for the child.

Easter gift options for children:

• basket of sweets;
• soft toy;
• book;
• dishes with themed spring decorations;
• interactive toys;
• children's Bible;
• unusual sweets: gingerbread cookies with Easter designs, chocolate lambs, bunny-shaped candies.

You can encourage your child to think about making gifts for loved ones himself. A child can give parents and other relatives souvenirs made with their own hands: postcards, a basket of Easter eggs, a beautiful cardboard box for storing small items, originally decorated eggs.

Stage decoration

The setting for the matinee can be standard: a table, Easter treats or their imitation (painted eggs, Easter cake). The words “Easter”, “Christ is Risen!” can be attached to the back of the stage! Truly risen!” On the walls of the hall you can arrange an exhibition of thematic drawings of the children. If the script considers Easter in the context of the onset of spring, then you can build a decoration that imitates the spring view from the window.

When developing the script for the matinee, it is important to remember that this is a festive event, which means that children should be dressed up, in costumes that reflect the essence of the role they are playing.

To create a festive atmosphere, participants in the matinee must wear costumes

Introducing preschool children to one of the most important Christian holidays involves studying the history and traditions of Easter not only in the context of direct educational activities, but also in the process of preparing a thematic matinee. The festive event, in addition to entertaining the children, also allows you to summarize all the material studied. And this, in turn, is the key task of studying this topic with children of older groups.

Holiday scenario

You can spend Easter with your children according to a pre-prepared scenario, taking into account all the stages: preparation, congratulations, and the celebration itself.

Sample Easter scenario with children:

Preparation

On the eve of the holiday, paint eggs together, bake a cake and decorate the house. Candles, homemade paper garlands, thematic drawings and appliques are suitable as decor. While preparing together, unobtrusively tell your children about the history of Easter - by actively participating in creating the Easter atmosphere, the child will quickly learn new information. If the children are small, help them prepare gifts for the rest of the family.

Congratulations

Immediately after waking up, congratulate the children on the Bright Resurrection of Christ. If possible, go to church together and bless the Easter cake and eggs. If you can’t leave the house, give your child a gift and give him time to enjoy the surprise. Remind your children not to forget to congratulate all loved ones and give them gifts.

Celebration

Prepare a festive table with your child and invite the rest of the family to join. Teach children to “clink glasses” with paints and show how quickly a hard-boiled egg spins. After Easter lunch, you can move on to the entertainment part: games and competitions.

Easter is the brightest day for believers, and even if your family is not very religious, you can tell your child about Christian customs and symbols. Perhaps you yourself will learn something new or remember a well-forgotten old one, as if returning to your own childhood, where your parents taught you ancient Easter traditions!

A selection of Easter matinee scenarios for older preschoolers

Since the goals and objectives of organizing leisure activities in senior and preparatory groups are identical, in methodological practice, matinee scenarios for these age categories are universal. When choosing a composition, the teacher focuses on the general level of development of children, that is, assesses their potential for realizing a creative idea.

Developed by Markova R.P. “Easter holiday in kindergarten in the senior preparatory group” uses as a dramatization the plot of the fairy tale about Kolobok, who rolls towards the Temple and asks Father to sprinkle him with holy water. The priest not only gives him a blessing, but also treats Grandma and Grandpa with colored eggs.

“The script for the Easter holiday “Bright Easter” by Tverdokhlebova O.L., is designed for children in the preparatory group. The author invites the children to take part in staging a scene from a biblical story when people discovered the resurrection of Christ. However, despite the originality of the composition, this scenario requires a long preparatory stage, since appropriate costumes are needed (nun, princess, maid), as well as careful study of the roles, that is, individual work with the child artists.

In the script of the matinee by Vasilyeva E.B. “Easter” the role of the host is played by an adult, and the event itself combines the themes of Easter and the meeting of spring.

“Easter scenario in kindergarten in the senior group” is based on thematic games with eyeliner poems. In addition to the presenter, the production involves the characters Sun and Spring, whose costumes add brightness to the matinee.

Petlyakova S.D. in the script for the “Easter holiday for children of the senior and preparatory groups,” the functions of the presenters are distributed between two buffoon characters. This approach not only adds festiveness to the event through images, but also justifies its playful nature.

In the “Matinee dedicated to Easter”, the essence of the holiday is revealed in poetic form at the beginning of the event, and then in the dramatization “Who Built This House” the theological approach to the question of the creation of the world is revealed.

Video: fragment of a matinee dedicated to Easter for older preschoolers

Where can I get the script for a children's Easter game program?

The holiday script is a detailed description of the upcoming event. Based on the script, rehearsals are held, as well as the celebration itself. When organizing a children's Easter play program, a script is also necessary. And it doesn’t matter where the holiday will be held: at home, in kindergarten or at school.

You can get a competent script in various ways:

• seek help from professionals. Script writing services are offered by event planning agencies, screenwriters, and writers. You can find performers on the Internet. Before choosing a contractor, it will be useful to read reviews from other customers. This way you can evaluate the level of services provided by the providers. For example, there are many offers for writing scripts on the website kwork.ru;
• find a ready-made script on the Internet. This script can be used in whole or in part. The most interesting elements of the finished script can be supplemented with your own ideas. Examples of suitable sites: https://www.kopilochka.net.ru/scripts.html;
• https://www.smeha.net;
• https://www.maam.ru;