Easter: Mixed message?

Easter presents early years workers with a dilemma about religious observance within a multicultural society, as Judith Napier reports

Doug Swanney, Children's Ministry development worker with the Church of Scotland, is cheerfully aware of the pitfalls involved in teaching the Easter message to youngsters. As he says, 'You are trying to explain that although Jesus died on this cross, he came back to life, and you get questions like, so if I put my hamster on the cross, will it be OK?'

Mandy Catto, who leads a music group for under-fives in Aberdeenshire, recalls the time she told a simple Easter story which left one little boy convinced that Jesus died in the cave, trapped by a rolling stone.

So it is scarcely surprising that Easter, for most pre-school settings, means only chocolate eggs, fluffy chicks and hot cross buns. The Christian festival - especially the horrifying detail of the crucifixion - is set firmly to one side.

Steven Jenkins, National Society (Church of England) for Promoting Religious Education, believes that one reason why it is neglected is the assumption that in a multi-religious society it is insulting to one religion to celebrate another's festival. 'But if you talk to people who are religious, they will tell you that's nonsense. The way to deal with it is to note the festivals of lots of religions. It is a wonderful opportunity for broadening a child's experience and knowledge.'

His advice to playgroups that feel ill-equipped to deal with the Easter message in-house is simple: talk to your local vicar. 'You are giving children access to a priest who is experienced in getting the story and images across to children of any age,' he says.

It is true that early years settings may deliberately choose not to engage with the subject, nor with any other religious festival. Dorothy Cooper, playleader at a rural Grampian playgroup, maintains that there are good reasons for this.

'There are so many different religious festivals, we cannot possibly accommodate them all, and we don't want to offend any parents,' she says. 'We do an Easter card and talk about the coming of spring, rather than the Christian festival.'

But it may also be that practitioners are reluctant to deal with such huge, and potentially distressing, issues as death on the cross, because they themselves feel unsure about the story.

Joss Dunn, senior lecturer in childcare and education, knows from her own experience that her students are shaky on the details of a story that, paradoxically, it is assumed everyone knows. 'It's a bit like nursery rhymes,' she says. 'It was assumed for years that everyone knew them. And it is not just through nursery but through school too. Children just aren't told the Easter story.'

Alison Stoddard, manager of the Ark Christian Childcare Centre at Tiddington, near Stratford upon Avon, agrees that practitioners may not feel confident. 'There are so few people who feel able to do it, for whom Jesus is a reality,' she says.

Her nursery is run on Christian principles - the children say grace at mealtimes, and pray for family and friends. They hear the story of how Jesus died and came back to life, linked in with the theme of spring. Mrs Stoddart says, 'It is quite difficult, because death is a difficult concept for little ones to deal with. We talk about it as being a celebration of life. We concentrate on the fact that Jesus came back.'

Some practitioners, and indeed some children's Bibles, are so careful not to alarm children that they steer clear of any mention of Jesus' crucifixion. But Doug Swanney believes that is a mistake. 'The concept is hard to grasp at that age. It's hard to grasp at any age,' he says. 'But the cross as a symbol of life is there; it is central to what we are doing. Perhaps mummy or daddy wears a cross, so there are more connections. I believe it is about being honest, so I would say the cross is central. I don't think it should be dumbed-down for any age group.'

Margaret Withers, who is soon to take up a post as Archbishop's Officer for Evangelism Among Children in her Rochester diocese, thinks it is wrong to try to hide the reality of death. 'Death is now one of the taboos - we don't mention it. But children see things like dead birds and dead rabbits. That, and the concept of new life coming out of the earth in the spring, are all things children can understand.

'The resurrection has come through suffering and I feel that if you tell only part of the Bible story, and not all of it, you are skewing the message of God's redeeming love for us.'

Mandy Catto, whose music group is supported by the Church of Scotland, endorses that view. 'It does seem sad that the children know the Christmas story only because they have all acted in nativity plays, but if you leave Him in the manger, then that is only a very small part of the story.'

Monica Sanderson, assistant playleader at St George's Church pre-school near Bromley, Kent, refers back to Christmas to explain Easter. 'I start with Jesus as a baby, which they all remember because they have all been in a nativity play. Then we shut our eyes, and he's grown up, and has done all sorts of very good things, making people better, but I explain that some people don't like him very much and thought it would be better if he were put to death. I tell it all in a very simple way.

'He dies on the cross, is then taken down, and he is buried. They know about that because maybe a grandparent of theirs has died. Then we say that because he was very special he came alive again and that is why we call it Easter.'

She acknowledges that her pre-school is fortunate in being situated beside their church, and she can take the older children round the stations of the cross. 'Some years that is very successful. Other years we have the boys asking if is he dead yet, and where's the blood. But in the parents' feedback on what we do at Easter, they tell us it has made an impact and they thank us for doing it.'

It seems that having access to a church, and one where children are made to feel at home, is an advantage in setting the story in context.

The Rev David Chance of All Saints Church at Banstead, Surrey, runs 'Teddy's Ten Minutes' (in fact, a 60-minute session) which attracts upwards of 60 children and parents a week to their brightly redecorated Lady Chapel. The familiarity of the surroundings helps children understand the progression of Christ's life to the events of Holy Week. Easter is marked with a walk and simple explanation round the stations of the cross. Then there is a fish supper at the church cafe.

The Rev Chance says, 'We as clergy are invited into playgroups at this time to do whatever we feel is appropriate, but I am not sure that happens everywhere.' Doug Swanney perceives a huge pressure on local authority schools and nurseries to get the balance right. 'Even if it is not about evangelising, it is about teaching children that it is their global setting, about informing children to make their own choices.'

Steven Jenkins agrees. 'Whatever people might say, there are millions in this country who go to church or temples, and this is something children are going to encounter as they grow up. The sooner they know there are people who have faiths, the better.'