If your family, like ours, isn’t religious, Easter can be a tricky holiday to navigate with kids. So many Easter activities have religious connotations or connections, for good reason, but that doesn’t mean you can’t participate in the holiday festivities if you fall outside the traditional religious framework. For us, Easter is a celebration of spring, new life, and warmer weather. It’s a time for us to start our gardening and learn about life cycles and enjoy more time outdoors. With those elements as the focus, the opportunities for Easter projects and games are endless. I’ve shared some of our favorites here. Let me know in the comments if you try any of these Easter activities and other ways you celebrate the warmer weather!
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1. Play “Rescue the Easter Eggs“
This is one of my favorite Easter activities because it requires very few props, creates minimal mess, and kept my one-year-old and four-year old busy for at least half an hour. It’s a great solo-play project. All you need is a laundry basket or large tote, Easter eggs, tape, and large kitchen utensils for rescuing the eggs. Optional: empty egg cartons for storing the rescued eggs. You can either leave your kiddos to play solo or create different rules, if they require some guidance. For example, you could try timing how quickly they can rescue all of the eggs; if you have more than one kid playing, have them take turns and avoid touching the tape (if they touch the tape, they lose their turn); or ask them to rescue one color at a time.
2. Host a scavenger hunt
I love themed scavenger hunts for holidays. It’s a great conversation starter; you can talk about why different elements are representative of the holiday or time of year. Here’s an Easter scavenger hunt I made for our kiddos, including easy-to-find items like flowers, chocolate, and a nest.
3. Make an Easter wreath
I like doing this project in the days leading up to Easter because it’s best spread over a couple days to allow paint and glue to dry. Plus it’s a sweet decoration for the holiday and spring in general. After cutting “eggs” out of heavy white paper, I had my kids decorate them while I cut the center out of a couple paper plates to create a wreath frame. I glued these together to create a sturdy base. We let the paint and glue dry until the next day and then glued the eggs to the frame. I used a hole punch to attach a string for hanging the wreath. You can find ABCDeelearning’s instructions here for the Easter wreath that inspired me.
4. Satisfy your sweet tooth with Easter-themed baked goods
I am an absolute sucker for holiday-themed sugar cookies. Think carrots, bunnies, eggs, and flowers. I’m not sure who enjoys decorating them more, me or my kids. Whether you decide to go for bright spring colors, or soft pastels, they’re sure to be a hit at an Easter get-together. I also can’t resist these Rice Krispie nests from Crafty Morning. Adorable and delicious.
5. Make handprint and fingerprint art
Handprint bunnies (from onelittleproject) and fingerprint chicks (from Glued to My Crafts) are easy and are a great opportunity to break out the finger paints. What I love about these Easter activities is that they double as decoration and keepsake. Write the year and your kiddo’s age on the back and tuck them away for future reminiscing.
6. Color sort with paper tube bunnies
Pre-kids who would have thought that toilet paper rolls would become such a resource for crafting? They can be used to make these adorable bunny sorting tubes from Happy Toddler Playtime. Not only can you practice color sorting, but you can also have your kiddo decorate the bunnies. If you want to take this Easter activity one step further, draw different expressions on the bunnies and practice identifying different emotions.
7. Practice patterns with Easter eggs
Recognizing patterns is an important exercise for preschoolers. You can either utilize a free printable like this one from Preschool Play and Learn, or you could easily draw similar guides. Keep the eggs a solid color, or try different combinations like this other Easter sorting activity from Preschool Play and Learn.
8. Play “Pin the Tail on the Bunny”
Just like the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey, this Easter activity is a fun activity for multiple little kids. All you need is some paper, tape, and some cloth for a blindfold.
9. Make suncatchers
As daylight increases during the spring, these easy suncatchers from Sweet Frugal Life are a beautiful way to add some color to your environment while you wait for the grass and flowers to brighten the landscape. This is also a project that is easy to pack away as a keepsake. Just don’t forget to write the year and your kid’s age on the back!
10. Plant seeds
I love to involve my kids in activities I already need to do; it instills some magic into the task for me and teaches valuable life lessons to my children. And what more appropriate task to turn into an Easter activity than planting seeds. Depending on your location in the world, right around Easter is a good time to start certain plants indoors, such as peppers and tomatoes. I let my four-year-old help fill the containers with dirt, poke holes for the seeds, plant the seeds, and lightly water them. She loves to get her hands dirty and help with such a “grown-up task.”
BONUS ideas
I know, I know . . . I said ten things. But there are so many fun Easter activities out there that I had to dump a few more ideas here for you. You’re welcome. 🙂
- Make a no-sew sock bunny
- Decorate Marshmallow Peep houses
- Have an Easter egg bath
- Make toilet paper roll bunny stamps
- Play a balancing game with plastic Easter eggs
