Weekly Fun Plan: Hosanna! (Palm Sunday)

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Welcome to this week’s Weekly Fun Plan: Hosanna! (Palm Sunday) If you haven’t already I recommend you read my introductory blog post “Faith-filled Fun: What Is It? And Why I Started It”. That post will give you some background into this blog and a little more in-depth explanation of my Weekly Fun Plans and how to use them. 

This Week’s Theme: Hosanna! (Palm Sunday)

With Holy Week just around the corner of course I have some Easter-themed lessons coming up that I’m excited to share. However, before we get to those lessons I didn’t want to skip past the topic of Palm Sunday. This week in preparation for Sunday we will cover what Passover is, what Palm Sunday is, and why we celebrate it. All our craft, snack, and activity ideas are going to be palm-leaf-themed. If you try anything in this week’s plan don’t forget to share your experiences on social media! Tag us @faithfilledfun on Instagram or use #faithfilledfun. 

New Weekly Fun Plans drop each Monday so stay up to date with the blog each week by subscribing to my email list!

Bible Lesson: What to Read or Watch this week

Since this week we are focusing on learning about Palm Sunday, here are some great resources to read/watch:

If you have young children (ages 0-8): 

• Read the following Bible verses:
  • Zechariah 9:9
  • John 12:12-13
• Watch “The Story of Palm Sunday | Bible Stories for Kids” by Minno – Bible Stories for Kids on YouTube. This is a cute animated video that is less than 5 minutes in length and does a great job telling the story of Palm Sunday in a way your young children will understand and enjoy.

If you have older children/teens (ages 9-18):

• Read the same verses listed above. Then have them answer the discussion questions for this week’s lesson.

Bible Lesson: Questions to Ask Your Kids/Discuss this week

If you read the recommended Bible verses or watched the YouTube video your kids should be able to answer this week’s question:

What did the people do when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey? Answer: Shouted Hosanna!, waved, and laid down palm branches for him.

If you have little ones (ages 0-8):

I would focus on that one question first. Ask them the same question multiple times this week and see if they can remember the answer. Once they get that question down, move on to the additional discussion questions listed below.

If you have older children (ages 9-18):

Discussion Questions:

• What is Palm Sunday?
• What was Jesus on his way to celebrate in Jerusalem?
• What is Passover?
• Why did the people shout “Hosanna!” and lay palm branches down for Jesus?
• What does “Hosanna!” mean? (Answer: God save us)
• What do you think it would have been like to have been in that crowd and to see Jesus arrive in Jerusalem?
• How do you think Jesus felt seeing the crowd when he came to Jerusalem?

Bible Lesson: Memory Verse

Memorizing scripture is vital to teaching our children at a young age. Recalling and reciting scripture that they’ve memorized will help them as they grow and go through trials in life. It will also encourage them, equip them to go out and be little disciples of Jesus, and strengthen their faith as they age.

This week let’s have your kids work on memorizing John 12:13b

Memorizing scripture is so much easier for kids if you can find a way to make it fun. Here are some different ideas to try as a family to help memorize this week’s verse:

• Come up with some simple motions for each word of the verse and make a cheer or dance out of it.
• Come up with your own melody and create a song out of it.
• Make it a game. Start by saying one word or phrase of the verse at a time and have your kids repeat after you until you’ve gotten through the whole verse. Then repeat the process saying the words differently every time. Examples: slow, fast, in a silly voice, quiet, loud, etc.

Once your child/children have got it, I recommend practicing reciting the verse each morning over breakfast or before they leave for school and maybe even again before bed. Make it a part of your routine and you’ll be amazed at how fast they will begin to pick it up.

Supplies needed for this week’s activities

Here is a quick list of all the supplies that you will need to complete all the suggested crafts, activities, and snacks for this week’s plan. For a list of my most used craft supplies, and things I will be utilizing often in future Weekly Fun Plans be sure to check out my Links page.

• White Paper
• Markers
• Paint (green)
• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun
• Tape
• Construction Paper (Green)
• Kabob Skewer or Stick
• Sugar Cookie Dough
• Frosting
• Food Coloring

Recipe: Palm Branch Cookies

This week’s recipe isn’t so much a snack as it is a fun Palm Sunday-themed treat/dessert. We’re simply following the instructions on any brand of premade sugar cookie dough, then using green frosting to decorate them into little palm leaves. Follow the video for easy step-by-step instructions.

For more fun videos like this, be sure to follow me on TikTok & Instagram.

Crafts:

For this week, we are making “Paper Palm Leaves” and this adorable “Palm Sunday Handprint Craft”. Both crafts are simple, fun, and perfect for Palm Sunday/Holy Week!

Paper Palm Leaves:

For our first craft this week we’re going to make our own Paper Palm Leaves! They are super easy, mess-free, and a fun prop for your kids to play with. Follow the link for easy step-by-step instructions.

Palm Sunday Handprint Craft:

Next up we have this adorable Palm Sunday Handprint Craft. This craft only requires 3 things to make and is a great way to help your kids remember this week’s memory verse. Follow the link for an easy step-by-step guide.

Activities:

With our theme this week, “Hosanna! (Palm Sunday)” here are a few extra ideas for activities to do with your children:

• If you can find/get your hands on a real palm leaf, make a Palm Leaf Cross.
• Find and listen to a “Palm Sunday” or “Hosanna” playlist of worship songs as a family. (There are a handful on Spotify you can find)
• Use your newly made Paper Palm Leaves to reenact the Palm Sunday story.

Parenting Tip of the Week:

Our identity and our children’s identity should always come from Christ first and foremost. We are who God says we are and not what the world or other people might say we are. As much as we as parents might know it in our hearts, hear about it at church, or read it in our Bibles, it’s so important to remind ourselves and our children daily what our identity is in Christ. 

Recently one of my favorite Christian influencers, Lacy Abercrombie, shared a list of Christian affirmations she reads over herself every morning and it stuck with me. I typed up the list and have been reading it over myself and my kids ever since and I think it could benefit you and your family too. So I’ve created a free downloadable Christian Affirmations poster for you to print off and use and have also attached it below for you to read. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Prayers:

Lastly, I like to end each Weekly Fun Plan with some example prayers for your week. One is to pray with your kids, maybe before they get on the bus in the morning, before a meal, or before bed, and the other prayer is for you, the parent, to pray over your kids throughout the week.

Prayer to say with your kids this week: 

Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to save us and be our king! Prepare our hearts this Easter season, as we think about what He did for us on the cross. Amen.

Prayer to pray over your kids this week: 

Dear God, thank you for your love for us each day. Thank you for sending your son to die on the cross for all of our sins. We praise you for the hope that you give us as we celebrate your victory over sin and death this Easter season. May our family live our lives each day with you as our savior and king. In Jesus name, amen.

I hope you have a wonderful week and don’t forget to subscribe to my email list and follow me on Instagram @faithfilledfun to stay up to date with the blog!