For many Christian families, Easter is not about the bunny. It is about an empty tomb, a stone rolled away and a promise kept. An Easter coloring book with resurrection and cross pages lets children spend real time with that story, page by page, with a crayon in hand and a verse to say out loud.
This guide is for parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers and homeschool families who want faith-centered Easter coloring. It walks through Holy Week one page at a time, shows how to talk about the cross with young children without frightening them, and suggests simple ways to pair each page with Scripture. You will also find two Taskdale printables built for exactly this, plus a calm option for grown-ups.
Quick picks for faith-centered Easter coloring
| Product | Best for | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Basket Easter Coloring and Activity Book | A 10-page Easter story from Palm Sunday to the empty tomb, with KJV verses | $4.99 | View |
| Ark & Star Bible Story Coloring Book for Kids | 40 Bible stories, including Palm Sunday, the Last Supper and He Is Risen | $4.99 | View |
| Easy Mandala Coloring Book | Quiet, repetitive coloring for adult reflection | $3.49 | View |
Why coloring the Easter story helps children remember it
Children remember what they do with their hands far better than what they hear in a long talk. A six-year-old who spends 15 minutes coloring the angel at the tomb has looked at that scene, asked about it and made choices about it. The story stops being words in a sermon and becomes a picture they made.
Coloring also slows things down. Holy Week moves fast in the Gospels, from a crowd waving palm branches to a quiet garden to a hill outside the city. One page a day gives a child time to sit with each part. By Easter morning they know the order, and the joy of the empty tomb lands harder because they walked the week to get there.
And it gives parents an easy opening. “Who is this? What is she feeling?” A coloring page is a gentle way to start a conversation that might feel awkward at the dinner table.
What a good resurrection coloring book includes
Not every Easter book with a cross in it tells the story well. Here is what to look for.
- The full sequence. Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the garden, the cross, the tomb, the angel and the risen Jesus. Leaving out the middle makes Sunday harder to understand.
- A verse on each page. A short Bible verse with its reference turns coloring into memory work. King James Version text is common because it is in the public domain.
- Gentle art. Hard moments shown with care, so the cross is clear but not graphic. Young children need truth without fear.
- Friendly faces. Simple, kind faces help children connect with the people in the story.
- Room for joy. Lilies, sunrise, a garden morning. The story ends in hope, and the pages should too.
The Easter story in ten coloring pages
A family Easter book with a separate faith section lets you tell the whole story while siblings also get spring pages. You can print the story pages alone for church, or mix them with bunnies at home.
Sunrise Basket Easter Coloring and Activity Book
Price: $4.99 | Best for: Christian families with kids of mixed ages
Its He Is Risen section has 10 pages: Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, praying in the garden, the cross, the empty tomb, the angel at the tomb, Mary meets Jesus, the Lamb of God, Jesus with the children and Easter lilies. Each page has a short KJV verse with its reference. The 88-page book also includes toddler and kids’ spring pages, games and a Classroom and Sunday School Pack. Print the ten story pages first and staple them as a Holy Week booklet.
Because the faith pages sit in their own section, you decide how to use them. Some families color them only during Holy Week, then switch to spring pages on Easter Monday. Others print the story for church and keep the bunnies for home.
A Holy Week coloring plan, day by day
Here is one way to spread the story pages across the week. Each day takes about 20 minutes: read a short passage, color the page, say the verse.
| Day | Page | Read together |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Sunday | Jesus rides into Jerusalem | Mark 11:1 to 11 |
| Monday | Jesus with the children | Mark 10:13 to 16 |
| Tuesday | The Lamb of God | John 1:29 |
| Maundy Thursday | The Last Supper, then praying in the garden | Luke 22:14 to 20 and 39 to 46 |
| Good Friday | The cross | Luke 23:33 to 46 |
| Holy Saturday | Easter lilies, a quiet waiting page | Luke 23:50 to 56 |
| Easter Sunday | The empty tomb, the angel and Mary meets Jesus | Matthew 28:1 to 10 and John 20:11 to 18 |
Saving three pages for Sunday morning makes it feel like a celebration. Kids who colored the cross on Friday color the empty tomb with a different energy two days later. Bright yellows, wide sunrise skies. That shift is the whole point.
Talking about the cross with young children
Many parents worry about the Good Friday page. It is a real concern. You want to tell the truth without giving a four-year-old nightmares. A few approaches help.
Keep it short and true
“Jesus died on the cross because He loves us. It was very sad. But that is not the end of the story.” Three sentences is enough for a preschooler. Older children will ask more, and you can answer as they go.
Always point to Sunday
Never leave the cross page as the last thing a child colors that day. End with a promise: “On Sunday we get to color the best page of all.” Hope gives the hard part a frame.
Let them choose the colors
Some children color the sky dark on Good Friday. Some color it purple, or gold. Do not correct either. Their color choice is often how they show what they feel.
Use gentle art
Pick pages where the cross is shown simply, often with a sunrise or flowers nearby, rather than detailed suffering. A book drawn for children will do this for you.
Bible story pages for the whole year
Easter often sparks a child’s interest in other Bible stories. If yours starts asking about Noah, Daniel or the lost sheep, a Bible story coloring book keeps that curiosity going well past spring.
Ark & Star Bible Story Coloring Book for Kids
Price: $4.99 | Best for: Sunday school and homeschool Bible time
40 original pages in Bible order, 20 Old Testament and 20 New Testament, including Palm Sunday, The Last Supper, He Is Risen! and The Day of Pentecost. Every page names the story, gives the chapter to read and a short KJV memory verse. It comes with a 12-lesson Sunday School Pack that includes an Easter lesson, a story tracker, a word search and a maze. Start with He Is Risen! on Easter Sunday, then follow the tracker through the year.
The story tracker is a quiet motivator. A child colors a star for each story finished, and by summer they have a sheet full of stars and a head full of Bible stories. That kind of small, steady progress builds real pride.
Using these pages in Sunday school
Coloring pages fit naturally into a children’s church or Sunday school hour. A simple 20-minute flow works for most groups.
- Welcome, 3 minutes. Hand out the page as children arrive so early birds have something to do.
- Story, 5 minutes. Read the passage or tell it in your own words, holding up a colored example.
- Verse, 2 minutes. Say the memory verse together twice.
- Color, 8 minutes. Children color while you walk around and ask about their picture.
- Close, 2 minutes. Pray together and send the page home so families can talk about it.
Pages with Name and Date lines save time at pickup. Both Taskdale books include a classroom or Sunday school pack licensed for one teacher and one group, so check that you are within the terms if several classes share materials.
Memory verses that fit each page
A verse attached to a picture sticks. Children remember “the angel page” and the words come with it. Here are short King James verses that pair well with resurrection coloring:
- Empty tomb: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” Matthew 28:6
- Lamb of God: “Behold the Lamb of God.” John 1:29
- Jesus with the children: “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” Mark 10:14
- Easter lilies: “I am the resurrection, and the life.” John 11:25
- Palm Sunday: “Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Mark 11:9
Write the verse at the bottom of any page that does not have one. For young children, one short phrase is plenty. “He is risen” said proudly by a three-year-old is a beautiful thing to hear.
Coloring for grown-ups during Holy Week
Adults need quiet time in Holy Week too. Many people find that coloring something repetitive while praying or listening to Scripture helps them settle. The hands stay busy, the mind slows, and it becomes easier to pay attention.
Easy Mandala Coloring Book
Price: $3.49 | Best for: adults who pray or reflect while coloring
34 bold, open mandalas with thick outlines, printable in US Letter and A4. Designs like the Petal Sun Mandala, Daisy Circle and Starburst Mandala take an evening rather than a week. Print one, put on a reading of the Passion narrative and color slowly while you listen.
Some families color together on Good Friday evening in near silence, each person with their own page, a candle on the table. Kids with the story pages, adults with a mandala. It is simple. It can be one of the most peaceful hours of the year. For more on reflective coloring, see our guide to mindfulness coloring pages for adults.
Crafts that grow out of the story pages
Finished pages can do more than sit in a pile.
- A Holy Week banner. Punch holes in the top corners of each finished page and string them in order across a wall. Kids can retell the whole story by walking along it.
- Empty tomb reveal. Tape a gray paper circle over the tomb opening on the empty tomb page. On Easter morning, children roll the “stone” away.
- Cross bookmark. Cut a colored cross shape from a page, laminate it with clear tape and use it in a children’s Bible.
- Easter card for a neighbor. Fold the lilies page in half, write “He is risen” inside and deliver it with a small treat.
If you like the idea of free sheets to start with, the guide to free coloring book PDFs explains where free printables come from and what they are good for. Older kids who enjoy drawing their own lines might also like reverse coloring, where the color comes first and they add the outlines.
Mistakes that flatten the story
A few habits can turn a meaningful week into just another worksheet.
- Coloring all ten pages in one sitting. The story loses its shape. Spread it out so each day has its own moment.
- Skipping straight to Sunday. Without Friday, the empty tomb is just a cave. Children need the sad part, told gently, for the joy to make sense.
- Turning it into a test. Asking “what verse is this?” with a stern face makes coloring feel like school. Say the verse together instead, and smile.
- Doing it alone. The richest part is the talk. Sit down with your child, color your own page, and ask what they notice.
- Printing too small. Scaled-down pages squeeze the verse text. Print at 100% so little readers can see the words.
Get these right and a simple stack of pages can become a family tradition children look forward to every spring.
Frequently asked questions
Are there Christian Easter coloring pages with Bible verses?
Yes. The Sunrise Basket book has ten Easter story pages, each with a short KJV verse, and Ark & Star has 40 Bible story pages with memory verses, including Easter.
How do I explain the cross coloring page to a preschooler?
Keep it brief and true: Jesus died because He loves us, it was sad, and on Sunday He rose again. Always finish with the hopeful part.
Can I use resurrection coloring pages in Sunday school?
Yes. Both books include a pack for one teacher and one class or group. Print the story page for each child and send it home after the lesson.
What age are Easter story coloring pages for?
Most suit ages 3 to 9. Younger children color the big shapes while you read, older ones can read the verse themselves and add details.
Can I skip the religious pages in a family Easter book?
In Sunrise Basket, yes. The Easter story is its own section, so you can print only the spring pages, only the story, or both.
Which Bible translation do these Easter coloring pages use?
Both Taskdale books use short verses from the King James Version, which is in the public domain in the US. If your church reads a different translation, you can write that wording on a sticky note and add it beside the picture. Children will not mind a small extra note, and it keeps the verse in the words they hear on Sunday.
Your next step
Before Palm Sunday, print the ten story pages, staple them into a small booklet and put it next to your family Bible. One page a day gets you to Sunday morning. The Sunrise Basket Easter Coloring and Activity Book has the whole Easter story, from Palm Sunday to the empty tomb.