Palm Sunday is an important holiday that officially kicks off the Holy Week before Easter. It’s a great time to connect with your middle schooler to help them grow in their faith and knowledge of Christianity. It’s a special time in the year, and it’s a great time to bring in activities for kids to engage them with religion.
Here are twenty-four things to do with your middle school child to help them celebrate Palm Sunday and prepare their hearts and minds for Holy Week and Easter.
1. Read the Bible Story Together
One of the most effective and easiest lessons for youth is to read the account of the Triumphal Entry from Luke chapter 19. This is a meaningful activity that will help young believers engage directly with the scriptures as they celebrate Palm Sunday. You can also use the passage from John 12:12-19 this Sunday School lesson is also great for Palm Sunday.
Learn More: Bible Gateway
2. Triumphal Entry Video
For some help visualizing the crowds of people and the actual donkey that Jesus was riding into Jerusalem, you can show your middle schoolers this video. It tells the Palm Sunday Bible story for kids, and it’s a great way to bring the story to life.
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3. Palm Sunday Object Lesson (video)
This lesson focuses on the real-life application of the message of Palm Sunday. It shows middle schoolers how Palm Sunday can impact their daily life and spiritual practices.
Learn More: CM Bible
4. Making Palm Crosses
Making the cross-shaped, woven palm leaves is one of the oldest Palm Sunday activities. People have been making palm frond crosses for more than a thousand years, and the tradition is one that will likely continue for many years to come!
Learn More: Instructables
5. Waving Palm Fronds
This is another classic way to celebrate Palm Sunday. Plus, it’s a great activity for people of all ages. You can cover the ground with branches, too. Middle school students will enjoy the opportunity to celebrate in an active and interactive way as they remember Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Learn More: Learn Religions
6. Creating Beautiful Palm Leaves
With this DIY arts and crafts palm leaf project, your middle schoolers can create their own palm leaves from paper. These palm leaves can be as big or as small as you please, and they’re great for climates where palm fronds might be hard to find in the chilly spring months.
Learn More: Pinterest
7. Palm Sunday – Sunday School Lesson
With this handy lesson plan, you can lead a youth group through the importance and values of Palm Sunday when Jesus rides a donkey into the Holy City. You can also discuss the different themes that are important to Christianity as a whole with this lesson plan.
Learn More: Teen Sunday School Place
8. Art From Palm Leaves
You can use the palm fronds for more than just the processional! In fact, this craft brings the old leaves together to make an impressive project that will look great hanging in the home throughout all of the key events of Holy Week.
Learn More: Rita’s Artful Life
9. History of Palm Sunday (video)
This video offers a look at all the different ways that people have celebrated Palm Sunday through the ages. It talks about the importance of the palm parade throughout history, and it looks at how Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry impacts our everyday life, too.
Learn More: Crossroads Kids’ Club
10. Palm Sunday Video Lesson for Kids
This video is a great way to get kids interested in the story of Palm Sunday, the acclamation of praise, and the upcoming Holy Week. It also does a great job tying together the themes and ideas into the larger story of Easter and the resurrection.
Learn More: Crossroads Kids’ Club
11. Funny Palm Sunday Skit (video)
This is a fun video that you can use to draw the attention of the youth group before you dive into the deeper ideas of Palm Sunday. It’s a great way to bring in people who have never heard the story of Palm Sunday before, too!
Learn More: YouTube
12. Palm Sunday Journal Reflection
You can encourage your middle schoolers to use these prompts to reflect and write about what Palm Sunday means to them. If they would like to and if they feel comfortable, they can share their thoughts and ideas with their friends and leaders in the youth group.
Learn More: Midlands CYM
13. Continue the Journal for Holy Week
You can keep the journaling going throughout the period of Holy Week, using Palm Sunday as a jumping-off point. Use the momentum from the joy of Palm Sunday to help kids keep reflecting on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the days leading up to Easter to enrich your youth ministry curriculum.
Learn More: Journal Buddies
14. Palm Sunday Discussion Questions
Here are some great questions to get the discussion flowing with your youth group on Palm Sunday. They can reflect on the scripture and talk about different ways that they can apply the story to their own lives, as well.
Learn More: Teen Sunday School Place
15. Palm Frond Palm Art
Using paint and their own hands as stamps, have your kids make palm leaves on paper. Remind them that people from far and wide used their hands and strength to worship Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem; this can be a great way to visualize the joy of the occasion described in the scriptures.
Learn More: Fairys & Frogs, Gift & Art
16. Holy Week Wreath
This arts and crafts project starts with Palm Sunday and continues through the whole Holy Week, all the way to Easter. It highlights the important events and ideas that happened during that week, and it also helps kids talk about application in their own lives.
Learn More: Wee Little Miracles
17. Palm Leaf Origami
With these inspirations, middle school students can make origami versions of the ever-important palm leaf that represents Palm Sunday. They can celebrate the important day in the liturgy by folding and reflecting on Jesus’s triumphal entry.
Learn More: Pinterest
18. Palm Sunday in Context (video)
This video offers a look at the triumphal entry within the larger Easter narrative. It also looks at the praiseworthy people who wind in and out of the wider story. This video is a great place to start for the Easter curriculum, as well.
Learn More: Sharefaith Kids
19. Act Out the Story
A great way to get the middle schoolers involved in the action of the story is to have them act it out! Read the scripture account together, and then assign the main roles. Have the middle schoolers imagine and re-enact all of the actions described in the Bible.
Learn More: The Skit Guys
20. Palm Leaf Cross Bookmark
This bookmark is a handy craft that kids can use to mark important pages in their Bibles throughout the whole year! Plus, your youth group middle schoolers can customize their project however they’d like, all while they reflect on the meaning of Palm Sunday.
Learn More: Twinkl
21. Washi Tape Palm Fronds
This super simple and fun craft is a great way to start the youth group and get the discussion about Palm Sunday rolling. Kids can choose their designs and patterns, and then you can talk about the patterns in the scripture that are important for grasping the true meaning of Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
Learn More: Fun 365
22. Palm Sunday Worship Game
This popular activity helps middle school students understand that everything that they do can actually be an act of worship. This makes it an awesome addition to any youth ministry curriculum. It focuses on big actions and having fun, but the application and lesson from the game are deep and far-reaching for your child’s personal attitude toward worship.
Learn More: Ministry to Youth
23. Palm Sunday Youth Lesson
This lesson plan helps you explain and discuss Palm Sunday, and it is specially written for kids in middle school. You’ll be surprised by the depth of students’ responses, and you’ll be able to follow up on these ideas throughout Holy Week and in the liturgical year to follow.
Learn More: Leader Treks Youth Ministry
24. The Donkey Game
The donkey plays an important role in the Palm Sunday story! It’s what Jesus rides into Jerusalem while all the people shout and cheer. It is one of many fun games for Palm Sunday. It is great as an icebreaker and also a great way to get all the middle schoolers gathered and focused before you jump into the Palm Sunday lesson plan. It’s also a lot of fun, so you may want to play it during the rest of the year, too!
Learn More: Youth Group Games