Palm Sunday begins Holy Week and commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. When I praise the Lord, especially when I praise Him for His goodness, mercy, and loving kindness, I am changed. Praising Him helps me feel His Spirit. I think the power of praising the Lord cannot be overstated.
Scripture Narration with song Program Outline here for a church program, fireside or similar gathering. It follows this theme: “At this Easter season, let us worship and praise Him for the peace, hope, light, and truth He brings to us.”– President Russell M. Nelson.
Crafts, Games, Scripture Accounts & Palm Sunday Music
Crafts
Rock & Hosanna crafts: Rocks will cry out craft; single rock shouting hosanna;
Donkey crafts: donkey on clothespins, walking on foam palm leaves; paper bag donkey puppet; paper plate donkey; handprint and footprint hosanna painting
Palm Leaf crafts: hosanna wreath, palm leaf relay and many other games; trace out hands onto green paper, cut them out to make palm branches or combine them to make a wreath; Write praises on a palm branch
Palm Sunday coloring pages
Games
PIN THE PALM LEAVES ON THE DONKEY / or palm fronds on the donkey (in the style of pin the tail on the donkey) Supplies needed: poster with picture of a donkey; blindfold; cut outs of clothes or palm branches either laminated or cardstock (about 10-20); Masking tape to hang donkey picture up and masking tape for each piece of clothing or palm frond.
PARABLE CHARADES: let people act out parables and see if their friends can guess which parable it is. Supplies needed: List of parables displayed large so people can guess more easily, could also add in some Holy Week events. (SISTER HILTON can provide paper list)
COLORING PAGES – Of Palm Sunday & Good Friday; Supplies needed: coloring pages and crayons; use this one of the 7 final statements for Good Friday.
PAPER PALM LEAF PRAISES: Write praises on the leaves of palm fronds. Supplies need: paper palm leaves and crayons.
ACT OUT the triumphal entry with puppets, or finger puppets: Supplies needed: finger puppets
RELAY RACE which entails one group of children laying down palm fronds and clothes in front of a donkey to walk on and the team whose donkey reaches the wall first wins. On the winning wall could be a picture of the temple in Jerusalem.
Read the scriptural account of Palm Sunday
We can read the scriptural accounts including Luke 19:28-40, Mark 11: 1-10, John 12:12-17, Matthew 21: 1-11. We can act out the storyline with our children and talk about the importance of praising the Lord, that even the rocks praise the Lord (Luke 19:40), that Jesus is the King of Kings.
Music
Music especially for Palm Sunday is hosanna and praising music: Ain’t got time to die (It is fun and catchy); Hosanna from Children’s songbook; Praise to the Lord, the Almighty; All Creatures of our God and King with the tabernacle choir; Hosanna from Lamb of God; Hallelujah in Hebrew that is just moving!!! How Great thou art; the Palm Sunday hymn in the hymnbook.
If you are looking for music the whole Easter season here are a few!
Traditions in other countries or cultures
How 10 countries celebrate Palm Sunday
In modern-day Israel there is a Palm Sunday processional that begins on the Mt. of Olives and continues down through the Kidron Valley into the old city of Jerusalem. Many worshippers and wave palm branches. It is a beautiful site.
How will you celebrate Palm Sunday?
Elder Gary Stevenson quoted New Testament scholar N. T. Wright as saying, “We should be taking steps to celebrate Easter in creative new ways: in art, literature, children’s games, poetry, music, dance, festivals, bells, special concerts. … This is our greatest festival. Take Christmas away, and in biblical terms you lose two chapters at the front of Matthew and Luke, nothing else. Take Easter away, and you don’t have a New Testament; you don’t have a Christianity.” Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Liahona, May 2023
On Palm Sunday, my friend Ele Zadronzy will lay out palm branches from her children’s bedroom door to somewhere in the house where they will find a wooden donkey and a small gift. She does this instead of the Easter Bunny.
For more ideas on keeping Jesus the focus on this Easter season see this post.
What are your favorite ideas for celebrating Palm Sunday? How you do plan to make it meaningful for you and/or your family?