(Click the images to download the respective Easter pack or the blue poster to download the Church Adoption day pack) 

The Bible Buddies are reclaiming Easter from the Easter bunny! 😉

A Bible Buddy is a small toy which a child adopts and promises to look after. The main difference to any other toy is that this buddy needs feeding – not with pet food but with the word of God!

You will see we have two reading packs. The red pack has passages from the International Children’s Bible for those who are reasonably confident in their reading, or if an adult is reading with them. This pack includes pages for the children to write and draw their thoughts following the reading – this is their space, it is not a test to see if they remember what’s been said but a space to express what thoughts they had, things they felt and or draw those things too. The Orange Easy Reader pack has shorter passages taken from the Big Story Bible Book – these packs are for those who find reading more of a struggle. There’s no writing / drawing pages in this pack but you could print them from the red pack if you wish.

These packs tell the story of Easter and enables families to explore, chat and wonder about all that happened to Jesus.

Unlike our other Bible Buddy reading packs, this pack deals with some challenging themes. The Easter story is not fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs, but it is central to our children’s growing faith. We do not want to hide away from the truth of the gospel, however we do need to consider our child’s stage of development and how, in particular, we talk through the topic of death.

We have not edited anything from the bible passage that tells of the crucifixion (“A very dark day” page). In our notes that follow this reading you will see we have placed the emphasis on the miracle that was to come next, and that when there seems to be no hope – God brings new life and renewed hope. God’s love is stronger than death.

When chatting with your child allow them to ask questions and in response use the same age appropriate words that you would use generally when talking about death. Ask them what they think, give reassurance and hope – this is not the end. You might even choose to do “A very dark day” & “Alleluia He is risen” together on the same day. This is all covered again in the “Adult’s pre-amble” page of the pack. 

If you are running an adoption day in your parish or diocese you can download the Church pack. You can run this as a stand-alone event, maybe have a teddy bear’s picnic if you wish or incorporate it into an all-age service, or at the end/start of a holiday camp. The Church purchases however many toys you think you will need. We recommend using the small TY teeny or beanie boo toys for affordable options that come in a variety of colours and animals, but work with your budget and shop around to find what is best. The key however is to ensure that one child is not getting a larger toy than any other.

The Church pack includes:

• A poster which you can put your details into or use on social media.
• A care guide for the children to learn how to look after their pets.
• A certificate of adoption for each child to choose the name of their new buddy.

You can ask the children to send in photo’s of their buddy on adventures as – at the park, the beach etc which you can display on social media (ensuring you have parental permission and adhere to your GDPR policy if children are in the photo’s)

Another added Eggstra(!) is the recorded version of “The Garden, The Curtain & The Cross” which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/5t73P_1a-JU