Holy Week Ideas, Activities, and Lesson Plans

Holy Week Ideas

It’s almost Holy Week and maybe you’re ready to do ALL THE THINGS to finish up your teaching on Lent and Easter. Maybe you’re exhausted and struggling to add any more teaching to this week. I have ideas for BOTH.

Movie Ideas

If you’re DONE and you need a day to catch up on grading and breathing; how about a movie? Here are a few that I love and an easy lesson plan to help the student remember that they are learning even though they are watching TV. These are videos that will be more appropriate for middle or high school students. Let me know if you have any great ideas for younger students.

My Favorite Holy Week Movies

  • Bible Miniseries: Episodes 8 and 9 cover Jesus’ death. Episode 10 has the resurrection and Pentecost.
    • This is my favorite religious movie for Middle and High School students. It stays pretty close to the bible and has enough battle scenes to keep the kids interested. The sound effects add a ‘blood and guts’ feel even though it’s not shown so it still feels school appropriate. One thing to keep in mind–I only recommend Season 1. Season 2 (the episodes about the Apostles) includes all sorts of extra characters and drama that aren’t necessarily part of the story. It’s not necessarily wrong but it’s not in the bible and it confused my students about what was biblical and what was probably fiction.
  • Risen: A different perspective than usual–but a great reflection on the Passion.
    • ‘I’ve only watched this a few times, so I don’t have a lot to say about it, but it’s a quality flick and keeps the students interested in the story. It can also lead to great discussions on forgiveness and repentance since it’s told from the perspective of the soldier involved in the crucifixion.
  • Gospel of John: A word-for-word retelling of the Gospel.
    • This whole film is literally the Gospel of John so the students who love to read and argue will enjoy following along in the bible and commenting about any discrepancies between the movie and their translation. They also might notice how often Jesus says, “I’m telling you the truth!” during the movie.
  • Skit Guys
    • If you only have 10 minutes of class time left, check out this video from Skit Guys. It’s a great wrap-up to the Lent and will help your students connect to the emotions of the story, not just the facts.

Serious Lesson Plans as Holy Week Ideas

If you’re ready for more serious teaching this week, my Holy Week lesson would be a great last-minute plan. The lesson has some basic information about Lent. The bulk of the packet is a review and summarization of the bible verses describing Holy Week. The students will dig into the bible and reflect on Holy Week

The packet jumps through the Gospels to tell all the parts of the story. (Did you know that the Washing of the Feet is only in John’s Gospel?) I like to differentiate this type of packet by giving different expectations for the summaries. Higher-ability students need to write more complete summaries. They should include more connection and vocabulary instead of basic regurgitations of the events. Some students just need to read and write a few keywords about the story. I also love to allow students to read and work together. They get caught up in the importance of written work. What they don’t notice is that they are telling the stories of Jesus. Teaching each other the key facts while debating whether the washing of the feet is awesome or disgusting.

Sorting Cards & Games as Holy Week Ideas

The Holy Week sorting cards can be used for numerous activities. I usually start with a simple sort–match the events with the descriptions. Then, the students can race to match them quickly. They could play games with the cards such as memory or divide the cards between students and ask them to line up in the correct order. They could also create illustrations for each part of the story. The Stations of the Cross cards would work for the same activities. I use the Holy Week cards to play Baby Monkey Astronaut–an awesome game that’s explained HERE.

The FREE bulletins also have pages for Holy Week that could be used for lessons even if you’re not attending the services with the students. I love the Holy Thursday page!

Whatever you’re teaching, I pray that you have a blessed Holy Week and an awesome Easter!

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