Easter Puppet Show and Poem
What is the intention behind the Easter Poem and Puppet Show?
A way to share the Easter Story with Children and their families. Many children will be familiar with the Christmas story, but then a few months later we tell them that Jesus died and came alive again. This is an attempt to share something about who He was in life, and to help us to see how his death and resurrection was just another evidence of His love for us that He showed in life.
Who can this be shown to and in what context?
This show could be shared in school, in church, in your toddler group, in your library, in an afterschool club, in Messy Church. It is aimed at younger children – so up to Year 3, but some children might enjoy seeing it who are older. The Go-home pack is to encourage children to retell the story and own the story for themselves.
Do I have to use the poem?
You know your context the best. It may be that you choose to just use the puppets, and use the poem as a guide for telling the story. Or you add nursery rhymes into the telling (eg Grand Old Duke of York for when the soldier is standing guard) Or you follow it word for word. You may just decide to tell the story with the puppets as a story teller, with no table set. It’s up to you – Just make it work in your context.
What is available?
Prop preparation
Downloadable props, puppets, the script (see below) and ‘Go-home packs’ with instructions for making and performance.
Watch the Easter puppet show video
This document shows how to set up the stage
Grown up Jesus, Angel and Centurion
Heart, bread, cup of wine and wrapped up Jesus
Crowd of friends (happy and sad), crowd of haters and and baby Jesus
Jesus on the cross, cross templates and crowd haters
How to make the tomb - Watch this video on how to use the tomb in the puppet show
The go-home pack includes a story board and little puppets of the story so that children can retell the story back home to their families or in their class to friends.
Your set will be:
A black or dark blue backdrop
A table, with a raised part for the hill for the cross (used some books) and cover the table
Extras might be flowers in pots on the green cloth for the Easter Garden, or sparkly lights around the table
For this poem:
You will need a Narrator, and one or two people doing the Voices, and a Puppeteer.