Thinking about the cross using a nail board (Good Friday)

Here's an activity that will be available at Messy Church this Easter but is also an interesting way to help children reflect on what happened to Jesus on the cross. When using it as a reflection activity, I'd put an adult with the board as a guide and also to help prevent any injuries should a nail come loose for any reason!

The board is a piece of wood that I have hammered nails into so children can feel the textures and be reminded of what happened to Jesus on Good Friday. The nails are then used to stretch elastic bands into cross shapes of different colours and sizes.  As children make their cross they can thank Jesus for what he did or talk about what it must have been like for him.  The individual crosses represent us as individuals who have been saved by Jesus and eventually the whole board will be filled with overlapping crosses to represent the overlapping of our own relationships as Christian friends and family. 

A note on the board:  I'm not the most practical of people but it literally took me only half an hour to make so I can vouch for it being easy!