Whenever people hear the words Holy Week, they automatically think of a wonderful vacation or they think of the fact that they’re going to have a long weekend.
However, have we ever stopped to think about the real meaning of Holy Week? Now, what can we teach kids about holy week?
What are the important things your children need to know about Holy Week? Are there Holy Week story for kids that you can read on them this holiday?
The important thing would be knowing why we’re celebrating Holy Week
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What can we teach kids about holy week?
The Holy Week started as a celebration of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us. Back in the olden days, people religiously followed strict rules when it comes to fasting, as well as the things that you can and can’t do during the Holy Week.
As the times have changed, some of these beliefs have become outdated, as some people choose not to fast during the Holy Week, while others still choose to stand by their old traditions. Now, whether or not you choose to follow tradition, or have new beliefs, as Christians and Catholics, the most important thing would be to know why we’re celebrating Holy Week.
Christ is the most important part of Holy Week
What can we teach kids about holy week? Teaching your kids about Holy Week, and Christ’s significance is very important, as he’s the entire reason why we’re here!
He sacrificed himself so that our sins may be forgiven, and while the entire story of Holy Week might not be family friendly, children need to know just how big of a sacrifice Jesus Christ made.
Sharing the story of Christ’s selflessness also helps our kids to follow in his footsteps; spreading love, compassion, and caring about other people’s welfare first before their own.
A lot of people nowadays tend to forget just how important it is to care for other people, which is why it’s vital that our kids learn this important lesson.
What can we teach kids about holy week?
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How to teach your kids about Holy Week? The best way is through the Bible. The Bible has a lot of stories that you can tell your children, and it’s also a way for you to bond as a family. You can even invite some of your relatives, so that you can take turns telling Bible stories.
Another great way to celebrate Holy Week would be to share your stories of faith, and how Christ played an important role in your life, especially during times that you felt down or sad. These stories can inspire children to follow in Christ’s footsteps, and become loving and compassionate human beings that care for one another.
Either way, the most important thing is to bring back the importance of Christ in our celebrations instead of just the usual holy week traditions in the Philippines.
Important life lessons to teach your kids
What can we teach kids about the holy week? When we talk about Christianity, of course, we cannot set good values apart from it. This holy week teaching your child life lessons is a better idea.
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1. Teach them to be generous
Especially during this time, the world needs more empathetic people, so start them young! Teach them the principle that when you give more, you actually gain more.
But also, you should emphasize that in giving, they should not expect anything in return. Being generous can simply mean you recognize the need of others so you help out in any way you can!
2. Forgive easily
Holding grudges is not a healthy habit. Instead, teach them that as humans we have the tendency to make a lot of mistakes. Because of that, we need to be more understanding of each other.
Forgiving is hard to do when you’re not used to doing it. But if you teach your children about forgiveness and they grow up practicing it, this will just be done out of habit when they grow old.
3. Be compassionate
Aside from generosity, your kids should learn about compassion while they’re still young. If you want your kids to not grow up selfish, teaching them to be compassionate is the way.
Each child develops empathy at different ages, but you can tell that your child is on the right track when he encourages his friends in the littlest ways.
4. Practice patience
Patience is probably the hardest principle to teach your kids. Even as adults, sometimes get impatient. So don’t expect your child to remain calm and patient all the time.
The important thing to look at is if they try to follow rules or simple instructions. This is enough to see if you’ve taught your child well.
5. Love others
The most important thing to teach your kids is to love others. This is actually the greatest commandment in the Bible as well. Jesus commands us to love others as we love ourselves. So without love for people, it is impossible to practice all the other principles mentioned.
When you talk to your kids about these things, make sure you also set an example for them. They are growing up fast and it is better to instill these principles in them as early as possible.
You will definitely thank yourself in the future for doing this because when the time comes and they get influenced by other people, you won’t have much of a hard time training them to filter what’s good and bad for them.
Holy week story for kids: Bible Stories for children
What can we teach kids about a holy week? The word of God is the best thing we can teach our children this holy week. Stories that will show your kids how to become better Christians or Catholics.
The holy week is the best moment to read bible stories for children to inculcate good values in them. Any bible story that may teach children to become better Christians is a good holy week story for kids.
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What can we teach kids about Holy week: Stories for Children
Here is some holy week stories for kids from the bible that you can read to your child:
Holy week story for kids: Noah’s Ark
The tale of Noah’s ark is about hope, tenacity, and promise. God was very favorably inclined toward Noah. God decided to send a flood to annihilate everyone except for Noah and his family since all of humanity had turned evil and wicked. Noah was instructed by God to build an ark large enough to accommodate one male and one female from each species of animal and creature.
Noah loaded his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, together with their spouses, onto the ark when it began to rain. For forty days and forty nights, it rained. Noah sent a dove to go for dry land after settling on a mountain, but it came back. A second dove was sent out seven days later, and when it returned bearing an olive leaf, it indicated that it was now safe to approach land.
God put a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of his promise that he would never again flood the planet and destroy it.
Holy week story for kids: David and Goliath
The smallest of Jesse’s twelve sons was David. Israel was summoned one day to battle the Philistine army that had gathered to wage war. Young David stayed behind when his brothers went to fight. The head of the Philistine battle line was a gigantic giant by the name of Goliath, who was nearly nine feet tall.
Jesse, David’s father, ordered him to the front lines to get information on the battle from his siblings. David overheard that Goliath was making fun of Israel’s God. That is why, David showed courage and decided to fight Goliath. He convinced King Saul to give him permission to battle and made the decision not to wear any of the king’s armor.
David lugged his sling while assembling five flat stones. Even though Goliath carried a sword and a spear, David said, he came in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, and that made Goliath laugh. David loaded a rock into his sling and slung it at Goliath’s head. The giant fell as a result of the rock entering his forehead. Then, David took up Goliath’s sword and killed him by cutting off his head with it.
Holy week story for kids: Moses
The story of Moses narrates the tale of a Jewish lad who is born into slavery and eventually frees the Israelites and takes them to their new homeland. The beginning of Moses’ story is found in the Book of Exodus, where a new pharaoh made the Israelites slaves in Egypt after they had fled from starvation during Joseph’s account in the Book of Genesis. His passing marks the conclusion of his saga in the Torah’s final book, Deuteronomy.
Holy week story for kids: Jonah and the Big Whale
One day, Jonah received a call from God, telling him to go preach in Nineveh since the inhabitants were so evil. Given that Nineveh was one of Israel’s biggest foes and Jonah had no interest in preaching to them, he detested the concept.
Jonah attempted to flee from God by sailing to Tarshish from the other direction of Nineveh. God caused a severe storm to strike the ship, and the crew blamed Jonah for it, so they threw him overboard. The storm subsided as soon as they threw Jonah into the water.
God sent Jonah a large fish—some have even called it a whale—to swallow him and prevent him from drowning. Before the city is destroyed in 40 days, Jonah preached to Nineveh and urged the people to turn from their sins.
The Death and Resurrection of Jesus
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What can we teach kids about holy week? Jesus’ death was marked by extraordinary occurrences. Three hours passed while Jesus hung on the cross in total darkness. When he took his final breath, the earth trembled, the temple curtain tore in two, the saints’ graves opened, and their bodies were risen from the dead.
Jesus’ death by crucifixion was a part of God’s plan from the moment of his birth. Mankind’s sin would necessitate a sacrifice. Jesus lived and gave a blameless life so that people could be saved and have eternal life in paradise.
The Christian faith is founded on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The faith in God’s redemptive love through Jesus is destroyed in the absence of the resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection from the grave established both his deity as the Son of God and the efficacy of his work of atonement, redemption, peacemaking, and salvation. Jesus’ body was really and physically raised from the dead at the resurrection.
Additional information by Jobelle Macayan
