The Easter story
Easter is one of the most important celebrations for Christians around the world. It marks their belief that Jesus rose again, and it is a time of hope, joy and new beginnings. The weeks and days before Easter Sunday each have their own name and meaning. These questions walk through that special season, from the start of Lent to Easter morning.
Q1.Easter is one of the most important holidays for followers of which religion?Tap to reveal
Answer: Christianity
Many churches sing joyful songs at Easter with the word Alleluia, which means praise the Lord.
Q2.At Easter, Christians celebrate their belief that who rose again?Tap to reveal
Answer: Jesus
Christians around the world mark the day with church services, special songs and family meals.
Q3.On which day of the week is Easter always celebrated?Tap to reveal
Answer: Sunday
Because Easter is always on a Sunday, the day after it, Easter Monday, is a holiday in many countries.
Q4.Where do many Christian families go on Easter Sunday morning to celebrate together?Tap to reveal
Answer: Church
Some churches hold sunrise services outdoors, so people can celebrate as the sun comes up.
Q5.On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on which animal?Tap to reveal
Answer: A donkey
Crowds waved palm branches to welcome him, which is how Palm Sunday got its name.
Q6.What is the name of the week that begins on Palm Sunday?Tap to reveal
Answer: Holy Week
Christians remember a different part of the Easter story on several days of this week.
Q7.What is the Friday just before Easter Sunday called?Tap to reveal
Answer: Good Friday
It is a public holiday in many countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia.
Q8.What is the name of the season of about 40 days before Easter, when many Christians give something up?Tap to reveal
Answer: Lent
Some people give up candy for this season, while others try to do one kind thing every day instead.
Q9.What is the Thursday just before Easter called by many Christians?Tap to reveal
Answer: Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday)
On this day the British monarch gives special silver coins, called Maundy money, to older people.
Q10.On which day of the week does Lent begin?Tap to reveal
Answer: Wednesday (Ash Wednesday)
The day before it is Shrove Tuesday, when many families use up their eggs and butter by making pancakes.
Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny
Eggs and the Easter Bunny are two of the best-loved parts of Easter. In many homes, the Easter Bunny hides eggs and treats for children to find on Easter morning. Families also color and decorate eggs, fill baskets and hold egg hunts in the garden. This round covers the eggs, the sweets and the famous bunny who brings them.
Q1.Who hides eggs and treats for children to find on Easter morning in many homes?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Easter Bunny
Some families leave out a carrot or two for the Easter Bunny to munch on.
Q2.What is the game called where children look for eggs hidden around a garden or house?Tap to reveal
Answer: An Easter egg hunt
Some egg hunts use clues or maps, so finding each egg is like solving a puzzle.
Q3.What sweet treat are many Easter eggs made of?Tap to reveal
Answer: Chocolate
Many chocolate eggs are hollow, and some have little candies hidden inside as a surprise.
Q4.What do children often carry to collect the eggs they find?Tap to reveal
Answer: A basket
Easter baskets are often lined with paper grass so the eggs do not roll around.
Q5.What do people usually do to real eggs before dyeing them, so the inside is not runny?Tap to reveal
Answer: Hard-boil them
A splash of vinegar in the dye helps the color stick to the eggshell.
Q6.Which small, chewy candies, shaped a bit like tiny eggs, come in lots of colors and are often found in Easter baskets?Tap to reveal
Answer: Jelly beans
Their shiny shell is made by tumbling the chewy centers in big spinning pans while sugar syrup is added.
Q7.Eggs are a symbol of Easter. What do they stand for?Tap to reveal
Answer: New life
Christians also see the egg as a reminder of the hope that Easter brings.
Q8.Which dark red vegetable can be used to dye Easter eggs pink?Tap to reveal
Answer: Beets
Red cabbage can be used as a dye too, and surprisingly it turns eggs blue.
Q9.Families from which European country first brought the Easter Bunny tradition to America?Tap to reveal
Answer: Germany
Long ago, their children made nests from caps and bonnets so the Easter hare could fill them with colored eggs.
Q10.Fancy jeweled Easter eggs made by the jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé were gifts for the royal family of which country?Tap to reveal
Answer: Russia
The very first one opened to show a golden yolk with a tiny golden hen inside.
Easter around the world
Easter is celebrated in many countries, and each one has its own way of making the day special. Some families bake cakes shaped like birds, some splash each other with water, and some tell stories about flying bells. This round travels around the globe to find the most colorful and surprising Easter traditions, from Europe all the way to Australia.
Q1.Which sweet spiced buns, full of raisins and with a shape marked on top, are a favorite Easter treat in Britain?Tap to reveal
Answer: Hot cross buns
The shape on top is a cross, and many families eat these buns toasted with butter on Good Friday.
Q2.In Poland, what do children have fun splashing on each other on Easter Monday?Tap to reveal
Answer: Water
The day is called Śmigus-Dyngus, and even grown-ups join in with buckets and squirt bottles.
Q3.In Germany, people hang painted eggs from what to decorate for Easter?Tap to reveal
Answer: Trees and branches
Indoors, families often hang eggs on bare twigs in a vase, a bit like a small spring Christmas tree.
Q4.When Easter comes around, which season is it in Australia?Tap to reveal
Answer: Fall (autumn)
Australia is in the southern half of the world, so its seasons are the opposite of those in Europe and North America.
Q5.In Australia, many shops sell chocolate versions of which big-eared animal as well as bunnies?Tap to reveal
Answer: The bilby
A bilby carries its baby in a pouch like a kangaroo, but the pouch opens toward its back legs so it does not fill with dirt when the bilby digs.
Q6.In Greece, Easter eggs are traditionally dyed which color?Tap to reveal
Answer: Red
Families tap their eggs together in a game, and the person whose egg does not crack wins.
Q7.In Italy, a popular Easter cake is baked in the shape of which bird?Tap to reveal
Answer: A dove
The cake is called colomba, which is the Italian word for dove, a bird that stands for peace.
Q8.In Sweden, many children dress up as what at Easter and visit neighbors for candy?Tap to reveal
Answer: Easter witches
They often wear headscarves and painted red cheeks, and they give out drawings in return for treats.
Q9.In France, what are said to fly away before Easter and come back with chocolate for children?Tap to reveal
Answer: Church bells
Church bells stay quiet for a few days before Easter, which is where this charming story began.
Q10.Pysanky are Easter eggs decorated with beeswax and bright dyes. Which country are they a famous tradition of?Tap to reveal
Answer: Ukraine
Artists draw lines with melted wax, and the dye cannot color those parts, so the pattern appears when the wax is removed.
Spring, chicks and Easter fun
Easter comes in spring in the northern half of the world, when flowers open, days grow longer and baby animals arrive on farms. That is why chicks, lambs and bunnies show up on so many Easter cards. This last round mixes spring nature questions with classic Easter games and crafts, and ends with two tricky ones about eggs and the Moon.
Q1.Which buzzing insects visit spring flowers and use the nectar to make honey?Tap to reveal
Answer: Bees
As bees fly from flower to flower, they carry pollen that helps plants make seeds and fruit.
Q2.What baby bird hatches from a hen's egg?Tap to reveal
Answer: A chick
A chick uses a tiny bump on the tip of its beak, called an egg tooth, to break out of its shell.
Q3.What is a baby sheep called?Tap to reveal
Answer: A lamb
Lambs can usually stand up on their wobbly legs very soon after they are born.
Q4.When decorating Easter eggs, which color do you get if you mix blue paint with yellow paint?Tap to reveal
Answer: Green
Red, yellow and blue are called primary colors, because they can be mixed to make lots of other colors.
Q5.What is a baby rabbit called?Tap to reveal
Answer: A kit (or kitten)
Baby rabbits are born without fur, in a cozy nest their mother lines with some of her own soft fur.
Q6.Which yellow spring flower has a trumpet shape in its middle?Tap to reveal
Answer: The daffodil
Daffodils grow from bulbs that are planted in the fall and wait underground all winter.
Q7.Which tall white flower, named after the holiday, is often used to decorate churches at Easter?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Easter lily
This lily first came from a group of islands in the south of Japan.
Q8.What is a hat decorated with flowers and ribbons for Easter called?Tap to reveal
Answer: An Easter bonnet
Many schools hold Easter bonnet parades where children show off hats they made themselves.
Q9.What in the night sky helps decide the date of Easter each year?Tap to reveal
Answer: The full moon
That is why the date of Easter changes from year to year, while Christmas always stays on the same date.
Q10.About how many days does it take for a hen's egg to hatch?Tap to reveal
Answer: About 21 days
While she waits, the mother hen gently turns her eggs many times a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is this Easter quiz right for?
The questions are written for children aged 6 to 12. Each round has about four easy questions, four medium ones and two harder ones, so a 6-year-old can answer several with a little help reading, while a 12-year-old will still be stretched by the last few. For younger children, read the questions aloud and accept close answers, like bunny for a baby rabbit.
How do I run this Easter quiz with a class or at a party?
Split the children into small teams and read one round at a time, giving each team a moment to agree on an answer. After each question, read the answer and the fun fact out loud, because that is often the part kids remember. One round takes about five minutes, so you can use a single round as a warm-up or all four as a full party game.
Can I use these Easter questions in my classroom for free?
Yes. You are welcome to read the questions aloud, print the page for your class, or use them at a school Easter party without paying anything. The rounds work well on a whiteboard too: show one question at a time and let pupils write answers on paper. There is also a free online version on this page that children can play on a tablet or computer.
Which is the hardest question in the Easter quiz?
Many children find the question about the date of Easter the trickiest. The answer is the full moon, because Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, which is why the date changes every year. The Fabergé egg and pysanky questions also stump many kids, so save those for older children or give a clue, such as the first letter of the country.
Where can my child play this Easter quiz online?
Right here on this page. Press play on the free quiz and your child can answer each question on a phone, tablet or computer, seeing the right answer straight after each one. It is a fun way to practice reading and learn a few Easter facts at the same time. If your family enjoys it, our other quizzes for kids are free to play too.
