Easter is less than 3 weeks away! In the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some ideas for a Christ-centered Easter.

Let’s start off with getting ready for Parables Charades or Sculpturades!

For charades, just act out the clues with no talking of course. For a twist on that classic game, use play doh instead, to create a 3-D representation of the clue in sculpted form. What does this have to do with Easter? Jesus is what Easter is really about of course, and Jesus told His parables to teach important truths. The author of the book shown below suggests in the book to make playing this activity as part of your family’s Easter celebration to keep the focus on Christ. She suggests playing the game on Tuesday of Holy Week, calling it Parable Tuesday, since nobody knows for sure what exactly happened on the Tuesday of the last week. You don’t have to do it on Tuesday of Holy Week of course.

Go here to read the directions for Parables Charades. The article there is written by the same author as that of the book above, Wendee Rosborough. (My review of the book is here.) Just click on that link and scroll down in the article to the heading “Parable Tuesday, Teaching the Disciples” so you can learn all about how to do the activity and get the clues for the parables. Last year we did the sculpturades version. We had my husband, two of our sons, ages 14 and 23, and me involved. I was skeptical that it would be a hit but wanted to try it anyway. It produced many laughs, making me wish I had started this tradition years ago when all my kiddos were home.

I’m looking forward to making it an annual holiday staple tradition, especially among the grandchildren. I find it wonderful that in addition to focusing on the Savior’s atonement and resurrection in Holy Week, which are absolutely wonderful and essential to the Easter story, we also talk about His matchless teachings. The parables are perfect for this because they are little stories that are easily remembered.

You can read the parables directly from the scirptures or use one of the books below to read them as people correctly guess the parable from the clues.

For older people, I recommend this book with the amazing illustrations by James Christensen. I feel blessed to have found this book when thrifting for only $1!

For the younger set, Tomie de Paola’s books have simpler words and shorter summaries. You can probably find them at your local public library.

Want more Christ-centered Easter ideas?

My children’s second cousin, John Hilton III, and his wife Lani Hilton, have the idea for a Good Friday bag and other Christ-centered Easter activities over here. This takes some prep so start now!

Go here for all of Emily Belle Freeman’s Christ-centered Easter traditions to count down the days of Holy Week.

Go here for books for you to read as a mother to prepare for Easter.

Here are my favorite Easter picture books. Get these from your local public library and read one a day! Easiest, cheapest Easter family tradition ever!

Here are my favorite family traditions for Easter, under the April heading.

Here is a huge collection of Easter poems, stories, scriptures, and songs, excerpted from my Celestial Family Devotionals Ebook.

Over here and here I have some recent memories of our family’s Easter celebrations, including the Immanuel Wreath.

Last of all, for adults and teens who want to dive deep into the meaning of the atonement and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, go here.