Eggstra great Easter activities for all the family

Easter fun for all the family

Really egg-cellent activities for the holiday season from former primary school teacher Abby Milnes of education resource bunnies 

PlanBee

. They’re easy to do and you won’t need any fancy kit. Enjoy! 

Make an Easter basket or box 

Challenge your children to design and decorate an Easter basket or box using their imagination, or provide them with a free Easter basket template or a free Easter box template that they can make themselves. 

The colouring in part of this activity can be done by children of any age, but the cutting, sticking and assembly parts are more suited to older primary-aged children.  

Why not use these baskets to make doorstep deliveries of Easter treats to family and friends?

Decorate eggs

This activity involves several steps and drying times. Parts of the activity are very fiddly so we would recommend this activity for children in Year 5 or 6. 

1. First wash out the shells of cracked eggs. If possible keep the two sides of the egg shells in their pairs to help you match them later. Wait for them to dry. 
2. Glue the two shells back together and cover them with tissue paper. The tissue paper will reinforce the joined cracked eggs together. Wait for the tissue paper to dry. 
3. Decorate the covered eggs using paper or paint. 

Note: Always wash your hands after touching the egg shells. 

You could also paint the eggshells or use food colouring to dye the eggs into different patterns and colours.

Why not challenge your children to decorate the eggs as their favourite character?

Easter number challenge

Place numbered eggs in a basket and challenge your children to work out the total value of the basket. Or extend the challenge by giving your children a basket with a total and ask them to place eggs equalling the total into the basket. 

You can use this free basket and eggs template, or use your own baskets and make your own eggs.

Easter egg hunt with added excitement

Add an extra element to your Easter egg hunt by making a treasure map that reveals a route to the eggs. This gives you the opportunity to hide the eggs in more obscure places which will lengthen out the hunt and develop your children’s orienteering skills. 

If making a map is a bit more of a challenge than you’re after, you could write clues for the children to decode!

These variations on the typical egg hunt will be especially useful if you need to do the hunt in a small indoor space.

As an extra precaution, have the children hunt for their own set of eggs and time how long it takes to find them all. The other children can cheer them on from the sidelines! 

Why not reach out to other families in your community? Suggest families decorate a large egg with a number in the middle and put it in their front window. As you take your walk each day, see how many eggs you can spot in windows. Challenge older children to add up the total of all the numbers they spot.

You could use this free Easter Colouring Poster .

Window decorations 

Make stained glass Easter themed window decorations using black paper, tissue paper and glue. 

1. Cut out the shape you would like to display. You could make eggs, rabbits, chicks, religious crosses, flowers or anything that takes your fancy. 
2. Place strips of black paper across the design. We found this made sticking the tissue paper easier.   
3. Rip or cut tissue paper and stick it inside your design. 
4. Wait for your design to dry and then display it in the window. 

 And finally...

Easter is a Christian festival but it can be easy for children to think Easter is just about chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies. At Easter, Christians remember the last week of Jesus’ life. They think about Jesus’ death and resurrection. Share the Easter story with your children to help them understand the origins of this festival.  

With the end of this lockdown in sight, many people are taking this time to reflect on the experiences we have had as individuals and as communities. Adapting to the ‘new normal’ way of living and being more aware of how we interact with the world around us was tricky for some. Seeing it through and coming out the other side may be connected with Jesus’ death and resurrection; bringing with it new life and excitement. 

For more Easter activity ideas, take a look at our Pinterest Easter Crafts and Activities Board.