Friday for Kids: Godly Play Easter Playset

After reading Robin's Godly Play post a few weeks ago, I was inspired to make an Easter playset to teach my girls the story!  Here's how to make your own clothespin dolls if you want to make your own set.  All the supplies can be found at any craft store.  The supplies will cost you less than $10 and it took me about 2-3 hours to assemble.  (It went super quick because its so fun!)  You will need:  

• Clothes pin & stander
• Flesh-colored pipe cleaner
• Felt
• Hot glue gun & glue
• Scissors
• Sharpie marker/ black paint & paintbrush
• Paper to make pattern

Cut pipe cleaner to 8 inch length.

Twist end to make a hand. 

Twist both sides. 

Hold arms a little off-center before you start wrapping it around the clothes pin. 

Glue. 

Arms secured with glue. 

Make a pattern out of paper by tracing the form and making the desired "dress" shape.  Fold the felt over so that the arms and neck are on the fold.

Cut around the pattern.

Fold in half so that the arms are touching to cut tiny...I mean TINY... hole. 

See?  Tiny.  You can easily force clothespin head through.  (You don't want the hole to be too big!) 

Glue the arms to the dress. 

Glue sides down. 

Cut accessory pieces. 

And glue on.

After some trial and error, this is the best shape to make a wig.  Boys' hair will be a little shorter, so you can make it out of a smaller semi-circle. 

Use glue to secure it down. 

The back can be tucked under.

Add a skinny rectangle for a head cloth.

Use sharpie or black paint to make the clothespin stand black. 

Use hot glue to secure stand.

Use an itty bitty brush or small sharpie to draw a face. 

All done!

Each character is a little different.  You can experiment with different beards, hair, clothes, and accessories to vary your characters. 

Jesus

Peter

Mary

Angel

Soldier

Here is the story that I've included with the set, including directions on how to move the pieces and reflection questions to ask your littles after you tell them the story.   

  The Resurrection Story   

                    adapted from Matthew 28:1- 20

Most people think that Easter is about candy, or the Easter bunny, or Easter egg hunts.  While these things are all fun, Easter is really about Jesus and the greatest thing that ever happened.  This story starts off really sad, but it has the best ending of any story EVER!
(Lay out green cloth like a field. Stand Jesus up in the middle.)
There was once a man named Jesus.  He was a good man and a good teacher.  But He wasn't just good.  He was the best man ever.  Because He wasn't just a man.  He was also the Son of God.  Many people loved Him and followed him and listened to His teachings.
(Place Mary and Peter in front of Jesus, listening to Him.)
But some people did not like Jesus.  They didn't believe that He was who He said He was.  So they put Him on a cross to die. After Jesus had died on the cross, friends of Jesus took his body and wrapped it up in linen clothes. 
(Wrap Jesus in cloths.  Place mason jar on its side.)
They placed his body in a tomb.  A tomb is a special place where people are buried.  The one that Jesus was placed in was carved out of a rock in the side of a hill.   
(Put the green felt on top of the jar, and place Jesus inside.)
Once Jesus’ body was inside, they placed a heavy rock to seal the tomb up.  It was so heavy, it took a few men to roll it. 
(Have child help you place the lid on the jar and seal it closed.  Put the green felt on top. )
There were some people that were afraid that someone would come and steal Jesus’ body, so they had a guard come to stand watch in front of the tomb. 
    (Place guard in front of tomb.)  
But the next part of the story is a big surprise.      
(Take jar and put in on your lap or under a table .  Remove Jesus, and place white felt back in the jar.  Seal up the tomb again and place back on the table.  )
When Jesus had been in the tomb for three days, a huge earthquake came and shook the ground.  An angel came and rolled the stone away and the guard was so surprised and scared, he fell over as though he was dead! 
(Open jar lid and move it slightly off to the side.  Lie soldier down on the table.  Place angel in front of the tomb.)
Before the sun came up on Easter morning, one of Jesus’ friends named Mary Magdalene came to visit Jesus’ tomb.  She was so sad that Jesus had died and she wanted to visit his grave.  While she was on her way, she saw that the tomb was open.  She looked inside and saw and that Jesus wasn’t in there any more!  She was afraid that someone had taken Jesus body!  The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid!  Jesus isn't here because He has risen from the dead, just like He said He would!  Go tell His disciples the good news!.”        

Mary Magdalene went from being really sad to really, really happy.  Then she got even happier because Jesus came to her! He said, “Do not be afraid.  Go tell my disciples to go to Galilee and I will see them there.” 
(Have Mary quickly run away from the tomb towards Peter.  Have Mary tell Peter, “Jesus is alive and he told me to tell you and the rest of the disciples to go to Galilee.”   
So Peter and the rest of the disciples went to a mountain top in Galilee.  It was a place that Jesus had told them about before he had died. 
(Turn the tomb around so that it looks like a mountain, and have Peter and Jesus stand on it. )
When Peter saw Jesus, he was so happy to see that he was alive!  And Jesus said to them, “God gave me power over everything in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, I want you to go tell other people about me.  Teach them all the things I taught you to do.  I am with you always and forever.” 

And that's what the disciples did.  They told everyone the good news that Jesus is alive!  And those people told other people.  And people kept sharing the good news because when you have great news like that, you just can't keep it to yourself!  So now, I'm telling you the good news: Jesus is alive!  He loves us and will never leave us.   


Questions to ask:

 What did Jesus’ friend do with Jesus’ body after he had died? (Wrapped it in linen and placed it in a tomb.)
 Why did the guard have to stand in front of the tomb? (They didn’t want anyone to steal Jesus’ body.)
 Who is one person that came to visit Jesus at the tomb? (Mary Magdalene)
 Instead of seeing Jesus, what did she see? (An angel standing in front of the tomb.)
 What did the angel tell her? (Jesus was alive!)
 When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus, what was the message he had her give to the disciples?  (He is alive and to go to Galilee.) 
 Where did the disciples see Jesus?  (On a mountain top in Galilee.) 
 What did Jesus tell the disciples to do?  (Tell other people about him.)

 Who is someone that you could tell this special story to? 
 What does Jesus want us to know when we are afraid?  (He alive and he is with us always.) 


If you're not up for making your own set, visit our Etsy site where you can order one.

We hope you've been inspired to enjoy telling your special little ones the Easter story!