Last weekend was a time to commemorate both Good Friday and Easter; a time to remember how God had sent His son into the world to save us because of His great love for us. Indeed, it is reason to celebrate that Jesus had victory over death and sin, when he died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead 3 days later!This year for Easter, the children learned that God’s story of salvation was not that simple, nor was it joyful all the way. However, His plan was perfect.
The Garden- Creation
We revisited the creation story – about how God was the one who made everything that we see and know on earth and even in the galaxies beyond. God’s best and most precious creation were people. Us! God created us so that we could have a relationship with him. The first people that God made, Adam and Eve, lived in God’s perfect garden, surrounded by the abundant land and plants, and beautiful animals.
Teacher Shan from LOT Fajar moulded a girl and boy out of playdoh part by part, leading the children to ponder about the thought and intricacies that went into creating every living thing on earth, and all that we experience in nature. God created it all.
The Curtain – Sin & Separation
However, the perfect world in God’s garden was soon corrupted by sin. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they allowed sin to destroy their relationship with God. They were separated from God and were no longer able to stay in the perfect garden with Him.For hundreds of years, people built God’s temples where there would be a huge curtain to demarcate the holiest place in the middle of the temple where God resided. The curtain was a sore reminder that because of sin, they could not come in.
At LOT Foochow Methodist Church Farrer Park, children played the curtain game, where the teacher would only allow those with certain traits to pass through the curtain. (Eg. Those with short hair/who have a younger sister can come in). Just as the children were told if they could come in or not, it was a parallel to how God told the people that we were unable to come to Him because of their sin.
The Cross - An Invitation
Fast forward to when God sent Jesus to come to earth to live amongst us, coming to the world as a baby boy. He would then go on to die on the cross for our sins. But the story didn’t end there. Moments before Jesus took his last breath, the curtain of the Temple tore in two down the middle. This meant that the “Keep Out!” sign, which was the curtain separating us from God, was no longer there. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and claimed victory over sin. We were finally able to come to God without our sin being in the way of our relationship!
At LOT Pasir Ris 51, children were brought through the story of Easter with important symbols that represented the different milestones in the story and did a related craft that they could bring home as a reminder of God’s goodness and invitation to come to Him because He loves us.
Flower: God's Garden; Broken Heart: Sin Separated us from God; Cross: Jesus' died for us; Curtain Torn: Relationship with God restored; Empty Tomb: Jesus rose from the dead; Letter: Invitation to come back to God
At Hougang, children also played a few egg-themed games, since eggs symbolise the new life that God has given to us! They played exciting games such as easter egg rescue, where they retrieved eggs from a container with obstacles slowing them down, move the egg where they used their legs/sticks to move eggs from the start to end point, and easter egg balance, where they used a spoon to balance an egg while walking on the line or to pass the egg to their friends. Children also enjoyed some yummy hard-boiled eggs!Indeed, we thank God for giving us new life and always inviting us with open arms to come back to Him, because He loves us.
A huge thanks to Christian Preschool Alliance and Zion Bishan Kindercare who shared the 'Easter Counts For Everyone! ' Educator's Project Guide with Little Olive Tree Preschools.