How to Talk to Your Kids About Holy Week

Holy Week reminds us of Jesus’ final days - His welcome into Jerusalem, His sacrifice on the cross, and His victory over death. For parents, it can sometimes feel difficult to explain these big, emotional moments to children in a way they can truly understand. We hope this will give you simple ways to talk through the events of Holy Week with your kids while helping them see the most important truth of all: Jesus loves them, gave His life for them, and is alive today.

Holy Week is one of the most important weeks in the Christian faith. It tells the story of Jesus’ final days — His welcome into Jerusalem, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. For adults, these moments carry deep meaning. For children, however, the story can sometimes feel confusing or even sad if we aren’t intentional about how we share it.

The good news is that Holy Week provides a beautiful opportunity to help your children understand the heart of the gospel: that Jesus loves them deeply and gave His life so they could have life with Him forever. Here are a few simple ways to talk about Holy Week with your kids.

Start With God’s Love

Before diving into the details of each day, help your child understand the why behind the story. Explain that everything that happened during Holy Week was part of God’s plan to show His love for us. Jesus knew what was coming, and He chose to go through it because He loves us.

A simple way to explain it to kids is this:
“Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to do the hardest thing ever so we could be close to God forever.”

John 3:16 is a great verse to memorize as a family during Holy Week: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Here is a fun video to help you teach it to your kids. When kids understand that the story begins with love, everything else makes more sense.

A Short Walk Through the Week

Take the events in sequence so that your child will understand the big picture. You can walk through the major moments of Holy Week using simple language.

Palm Sunday

Tell them how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and people waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” They were celebrating Him as their King. You can reference Matthew 21: 6-11 but be sure to use a good translation. New International Readers Version (NIrV) is a good Bible translation for adults and children alike.  You might say: “The people were excited because they thought Jesus was coming to rescue them.”

The Last Supper

Explain that Jesus shared a special meal with His friends, the disciples. During that meal, He showed them how to remember Him. This is a great opportunity to talk about how Jesus loved and served others, even washing His disciples’ feet as they entered the room.

Good Friday

This is often the hardest part for children. Be honest but focus on purpose rather than the graphic details of the event. 

You could say:
“Some people didn’t believe Jesus was God’s Son and they chose to hurt Him. Jesus allowed this to happen because He was taking the punishment for our sins.”

A key verse is Romans 5:8:
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Let children ask questions and reassure them that Jesus was not defeated.

The Story doesn’t end on the Cross. 

One of the most important things when talking with kids about Holy Week is not leaving the story at the sadness of the cross. The story doesn’t end on Friday. Easter Sunday is the celebration that Jesus is alive. The tomb was empty, Jesus was resurrected and death did not win. You can share Matthew 28:6: "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said."

Jesus died for us, but He also rose again so we could have new and eternal life in Him. This is how everything comes together.

Use Activities to Reinforce the Story

Kids often learn best through experiences. A few simple activities can make Holy Week more meaningful for your family:

• Watch this MecKidz video called “The Resurrection Files: Did Jesus Rise?” and check out this MecKidz blog post for discussion questions to have with your kids.
• You can find meaningful Easter activities to do as a family on this MecKidz blog post.
• Easter Blocks by GoodKind (full set and mini set) are a great way to help slow down and reflect during Holy Week.

Keep the Conversation Going

Talking about Holy Week with your kids doesn’t have to be a one-time conversation. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Children process big ideas over time. Let them ask questions. Be honest when you don’t have all the answers. And remind them often of the central truth of the story:

Jesus loves them.
Jesus died for them.
And Jesus is alive.

Holy Week is not just a story from the past, it’s the greatest reminder that God’s love changed everything.

 

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