How to Talk to Kids About the Easter Bunny

I have fond memories of biking to my cousin’s house in the wee hours of Easter morning to hide a goose’s egg in his rabbit’s hutch. This annual event was my family’s sole association with the Easter Bunny.

Ironically, I care more about the Easter Bunny as an adult than I did as a kid because my new Easter tradition is answering questions about bunnies and eggs in Sunday School, AWANA, Children’s Church, and Good News Club. Almost without fail, kids argue about the Easter Bunny’s existence and somebunny will call on me to settle the score. (“Mr. Nathan, will you tell him he’s dumb for believing in the Easter Bunny!?”)

I like to prepare ahead of time so that when kids start talking about the Easter Bunny, I’m prepared to use bunny facts to hop into a Gospel presentation. Personally, I choose not to include the Easter bunny in my family’s celebration of Resurrection Day, but I do talk to my kids about it so they understand the bunny obsession that occurs around them during this time of year. If you want a copy of this script and some pictures to go with it to use with kids in your home or church, you can download our free Easter Bunny Object Lesson. It looks something like this…

The Story of the Easter Bunny

This object lesson is based on the general consensus that Easter Bunny fables originated in part due to the prolific nature of rabbits and their ancient status as symbols of fertility, birth, and life.

Lots of people talk about bunnies during this time of year. Let’s play a game about bunnies! I’m going to say some things about rabbits and you have to guess if they’re true or false. Make bunny ears with your finger if you think something is true or stomp your foot like a bunny if you think it’s false.

1. Baby rabbits are called kittens.

2. Rabbits like bananas better than carrots.

3. Daddy rabbits are called bucks.

4. Rabbits make nests for their babies.

5. Rabbits can have lots and lots and lots of babies.

(Check out this video to watch Penguin the bunny show you the correct answers to some bunny questions! While you’re at it, you can watch the whole video…it says pretty much the same thing as this article, but with a real-live bunny in it!)

These things are all true, but the last one helped bunnies become famous at Easter. (This is a great place to show a picture of baby bunnies, aka kittens!) A mother rabbit can have hundreds of babies in just a couple years. Her babies grow up quickly and begin having babies of their own. In just a few years that mother rabbit could have millions of grandchildren! (grandbunnies?) That’s a lot of new bunny lives. Bunnies don’t lay eggs, but bunnies and eggs both make lots of babies so people started using rabbits and eggs as symbols of birth and new life a long time ago.

People sometimes use bunnies and eggs to celebrate Easter because Easter is about new life. Easter happens in the spring when many new lives are starting. Flowers are coming to life, birds are laying eggs, and baby animals are born. But the most important life that Easter celebrates is the life of Jesus!

Jesus is God’s perfect Son. He created everything and rules over it. [Read Hebrews 1:3a] He causes flowers to bloom and knows when and where every baby animal is born. He also made the way for us to have new life with God! Jesus left Heaven, God’s perfect home, and came to earth. He is the only perfect man who ever lived. The rest of us all do many bad things that separate us from God. We lie, cheat, and think bad thoughts that deserve to be punished, but Jesus took the punishment for you!

He did this by dying on a cross (You may want to show a picture of a cross at this point.) and being separated from God in a very painful way.

But He didn’t stay dead—God’s power brought Jesus back to life! Today Jesus is with God in Heaven and He made the way for you and me to join Him there! [Read Hebrews 1:3b.] Easter is a celebration that Jesus is alive and He can give us new life with God. Since rabbits remind people of new life and Easter is about Jesus coming back to life, people sometimes use bunnies as part of their Easter celebrations.

Easter bunnies can be fun, but the real reason to celebrate Easter is that Jesus is alive and He can give you life with God that lasts forever. [Read John 3:16.] God loves you and wants to save you from the sin that keeps you far away from Him. He promises if you believe in Jesus you will have eternal life. Eternal life is new life with God that begins immediately and goes on forever. Believing in Jesus means trusting Him to save you from sin because you believe He really took your punishment. What you believe about Jesus is way more important than what you believe about the Easter Bunny. You can believe in Jesus today! If you have questions about that, you can meet me after the story. [Tell the kids when and where to meet.]