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Easter Programs for Small Churches: Free 25-Minute Kids Program

A free 25-minute Easter program for small churches, with an order of service, a KJV reading, recitations, a kids' Easter play, hymns and a rehearsal plan.

All ages

Easter Programs for Small Churches: Free 25-Minute Kids Program

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Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages
Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Preteen (5–6), Whole Family
Time
25 minutes (two rehearsals)
Scripture
Luke 23:33–49; Matthew 21–28; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Acts 2:38
Bible story
The Triumphal Entry (Palm Sunday)The Last SupperJesus Dies on the CrossJesus Is Alive! (The Resurrection)

What you need

  • This planner (order of service, parts list, rehearsal plan, family note)
  • The Easter Story in the Bible reading (page 2, Luke 23:33–49) for a reader
  • The Resurrection Sunday poems, cut apart
  • The He Is Risen Easter play script
  • Branches, a small table with bread and a cup, a plain cross, a cardboard stone, bathrobes and towels

A free Easter program for small churches, ready to use: about 25 minutes, every child gets a part, and it needs only two short rehearsals. A reader and a narrator carry the story straight from the King James Bible, the children act it out and recite short poems, and everyone sings three hymns they already know.

The program at a glance

  1. Welcome poem by a preschooler, then Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.
  2. Poems: "Hosanna!" and "Love One Another" from our Resurrection Sunday poems.
  3. Reading: Jesus dies on the cross, Luke 23:33–49, from The Easter Story in the Bible.
  4. "Christ Died for Us", then the first verse of The Old Rugged Cross.
  5. The play: our Easter play for kids' church (7 minutes), which ends with everyone saying Matthew 28:6.
  6. Low in the Grave He Lay.
  7. Poems: "The Stone Rolled Away", "With Fear and Great Joy" and "Thomas".
  8. "The Third Day", then every child says Luke 24:34 together: "The Lord is risen indeed."
  9. Closing: the pastor shares the gospel and prays.

The printable planner has the order of service with minutes and who does what, a three-week rehearsal plan, a parts list to fill in, and a cut-off note for families.

The closing: keep it on the gospel

Easter is the gospel itself: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). In two minutes, the pastor can say that plainly and lovingly, then share how the first church answered it on the day of Pentecost: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Families who want to know more can talk with the pastor after the program.

Tips for a small church

  • Few kids? One child can be the whole crowd, and teens or adults make great readers, angels and centurions.
  • Lots of kids? Give the crowd, the disciples and the keepers to the youngest, and let older kids take the poems and the reading.
  • Hymns: all three are public-domain classics. Sing the verses your congregation knows.
  • Keep it on Jesus. Every piece tells the Bible's Easter story from the Gospels and uses the same memory verses as our Triumphal Entry, Last Supper, Jesus Dies on the Cross and Jesus Is Alive! story sets.

Frequently asked questions

How do you put on an Easter program at a small church?

Keep it to about 25 minutes, give every child one thing to do, and let a narrator and a reader carry the story from the Bible. This program uses a 7-minute play, short poems, one Bible reading and three hymns a congregation already knows.

What if we only have five kids?

Let the kids play the crowd, the disciples and the Marys, ask a teen or adult to be the angel and the centurion, and let each child say two poems. The program still runs about 25 minutes.

Do we need a music director?

No. All three hymns are public-domain classics a congregation can sing without practice. A piano, a guitar or simply singing together works.

When should we start rehearsing?

Three weeks out. Hand out parts and poems that Sunday, then hold two 20-minute rehearsals on the next two Sundays.

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