3 Easter Questions

+ a NEW Story Hunt!

Mar 27, 2026

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Hi there! We’re doing an Easter themed Q+A today, talking about 3 questions:

I’d love some guidance to help my sensitive 4 year old process the Easter Story Eggs that were presented to him at school. It was just a lot for the little guy.
I’d love an overview of different atonement theories with Easter on the way.
Your kid asked: Why does God have to die? Like, what’s up with the death?

Then, I have a NEW Easter Story Hunt just for puzzle-loving older kids! This means there are now 3 versions: for early childhood, age 6-10 and for 10+. (Paid subscribers, you can have it for free, just scroll to the end!)

Let’s dive in!

Q: I’d love some guidance to help my sensitive 4 year old process the Easter Story Eggs that were presented to him at school. It was just a lot for the little guy.

A: If you’re not familiar with Story Eggs, each has an item inside that helps a child remember the Easter story, starting with the Triumphal Entry and moving to the empty tomb. There is a wide range of what gets said about the story, though, and they can totally be done in an age-appropriate way…. or not.

Any time your child is presented with a Bible story or theological idea that’s not a match for their age/temperament/developmental stage, remember:

FAMILY CULTURE > CURRICULUM

Whatever gets ‘taught’ to them, you, as the family, have greater power than that lesson. So, using too-intense story eggs as our example (though it could be ‘too intense Good Friday’ or ‘intense theory of atonement’) here’s what you can do:

1. Ask about how they’re feeling.

“Hey kiddo, I was thinking about [that story/that thing auntie said]. How you feeling about that?” Be sure your voice is warm and easy (even if you’re frustrated with auntie), so the don’t think they did something wrong.

Your goal is to see what actually stuck so you know where to focus. Let’s say it was the egg with the nail inside and they say, “It just felt scary to say a nail was in Jesus’ hand.”

2. Keep it simple.

Affirm what they shared, and then just name what needs addressing/correcting in a short, simple, matter-of-fact way.

Two phrases that can help:

“That story is really for older kids/grown ups, for the very reasons you’re noticing—it’s sad/confusing/scary, etc. Do you have questions about it? I’d love to try and help!”
“I know Aunt Tina thinks that. But lots of people who love Jesus think differently about this. I tend to think…”

So in our example, maybe it sounds like, “That would feel scary, and it’s sad that Jesus got hurt. That part of the story is really more important for grown ups. What matters most is to know that Jesus is alive.”

Without dismissing how they feel, give them permission to let go of that idea. You’re showing that in our family we explore our faith.

3. Assess: do they need a re-do?

“Can I see the eggs? Let’s do the story together.” Sometimes doing a story over with new language can offer the replacement interpretation your child needs.

Not every kid or every topic needs a full redo, but it can be a chance to present more age-accessible language or a gentler tone. And of course, your redo can also happen at a different time if you need the chance to think about it ahead.

Q: I’d love an overview of different atonement theories with Easter on the way.

A: First, atonement=fancy theology word for “how does Jesus’ death and resurrection deal with Sin and save the world/us?”

Second, have you heard of the the kaleidoscopic view of atonement? It’s the view that because the Bible itself has many ways of talking about this, so do we. Each view helps us see God’s work in the resurrection in a slightly different way.

Two options come to mind for how you might do this overview:

1. SUBSTACK ESSAY OPTION:

I wrote a series called Why is Easter Good News? for members of the Kids + Faith Community (Joining is $5/month, so you can easily join for Easter and then bow out, or stay for the whole year for $30. Fun fact: these are the required minimum prices according to Substack. I will never raise them.)

It looks at 6 biblical images for what Jesus’ life, death and resurrection accomplish and mean for us. They are: God gives and is our peace; Jesus shows us who God is; Jesus frees us; Jesus shows us who we are; Jesus gives us life; and Jesus breaks injustice.

One thing I loved about this series was the chance to include a “What’s that got to do with kids?” reflection for each one and a relevant Bible Story Breakdown.

Upgrade for the Full Series

2. BOOK OPTION:

The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views is a great intro book because Joel Green’s work both in representing the kaleidoscopic view AND taking penal substitution to task are brilliant.

The key is to remember that you don’t actually have to pick only one. The Bible doesn’t. Many of the theories help summarize one or more of the ways the biblical writers understood Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. (Like a kaleidoscope!)

Why does God have to die? Like, what’s up with the death?

This came from a 9 year old—I love age 9, they just get to the heart of it. When I answer this, I focus on how Jesus could not have been faithful to his mission and lived. In order to bring about restoration of all things on earth through himself, the things he said and did inevitably mean he’ll be executed.

Here’s how I put that in ‘kid-speak.’

“When God came in Jesus, he started saying and doing things that made people wonder what was going on: had God sent the rescuer God promised? Was Jesus totally out to lunch? One thing that was especially important is that Jesus said and did stuff that only God had the authority to do.

“It’s a little like this: What if a kid in your school went into the principal’s office and used the intercom to talk to everyone? They’re not supposed to do that, because only the principal uses the speaker, right? The principal has that authority and a student doesn’t.

“When Jesus said things like: “God’s doing a new thing and you should join in” or “Your sin is forgiven”, and when he did things like heal someone on a special day for rest, while telling the religious leaders he was allowed to, some of them thought Jesus wasn’t just wrong, he was claiming God’s authority.

“Beyond that, the Jewish people lived under Roman rule. Rome was controlling and violent, and did not want people messing with how things worked. But Jesus was messing with how things worked.

“So if Jesus was going to keep doing what he came to do—showing us what God’s like—and if Jesus was going to keep saying what he came to say—that he had life to offer us, well, there was no way to do that and live.”

For us adults: N.T. Wright has a podcast episode on this very topic.

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