Easter time is here! With this exciting springtime holiday upon us, you may be wondering what fun things you should plan for your kiddos over the weekend. As I got thinking of what would be fun for both my little ones, I decided to compile a list of activities and crafts I did as a child, things we've enjoyed doing in years past, as well as some I'm hoping to try this year! From crafts, to family events, to Christ centered activities, here are some fun traditions you may want to incorporate into your home this Easter!
Crafts
Decorate Eggs
This is such a fun classic activity for Easter time. But you don’t have to stick to dipping your boiled eggs in paints. Try using shaving cream or whipped cream with dye to create gorgeous eggs with a tie dye effect! You can also draw on eggs with markers or decorate with stickers for less mess. (Check out our blog from last year for a tutorial on how to do dyed eggs with whipped cream, perfect for toddlers and babies!)
Sock Bunnies
Take some old pairs of socks and stuff them with cotton or old grocery bags. Decorate with googly eyes, ribbon and felt!
Easter Bingo
There are so many cute free printables. From coloring pages, to word searches, to bingo boards, you are sure to find a cute activity to do as a family! I personally love Easter bingo because you can use jelly beans as your board pieces. Check out this adorable free printable from Heidi at Happiness is Homemade!
DIY Napkin Bunny Holders
Take old paper towel holders and cut them in halves or fourths. You can also use toilet paper rolls if you prefer. Have your kids paint, color and decorate. If you’re like me and don’t like the mess, you could also help them cover them with colored paper. Then roll your napkins and place inside to go next to your Easter dinner plates! This will make for a cute surprise when grandma and grandpa arrive for Easter dinner!
Photo Credit: Kim @ The Best Ideas for Kids
Family Events
Watch an Easter Movie Together
There are a lot of cute spring/Easter movies. We personally love watching Peter Rabbit or It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. Pick out your favorite movie, gather your favorite snacks, and have a fun movie night together.
Set Up an Easter Picture Book Shelf
Holiday children's books are my favorite! And there are lots of cute Easter and springtime stories for your little ones. Make it extra special for your kids by making a display on their dresser or bookshelf with only Easter books. Make sure to turn the books with the covers facing outwards and read a story each day leading up to the holiday! (This one is my personal favorite for Easter!)
Matching Easter Jammies
We love matching jammies for Christmas, but this year we’ve started doing jammies for Easter as well! My daughter loves matching her baby brother in their cute bunny pajamas and begs me to wash them so they can wear them every night. I decided to give the jammies a month before Easter so they could celebrate longer, but you could always put them in their Easter baskets as well!
Take Easter Pictures
I also love to give my kids a new Easter Sunday outfit to place in their basket that they can wear to church. You can find cute matching hair bows and bow ties and your whole family can match. Dress up and have someone take some cute pictures of you with some beautiful springtime flowers in the background. This is a great way to have a cute yearly picture of your family and document their different Easter outfits from year to year.
Scavenger Hunt
We love any excuse in our house for a scavenger hunt and Easter is no exception. We love to hide our kids’ Easter baskets and give them clue cards to help them explore the house to find them. For young kids, draw pictures for the clue cards to make it easier. For older kids, you can use riddles that will make it more of a challenge. The excitement when kids finally get to the end of the hunt and find their surprise is priceless!
Easter Picnic or Barbecue
I love any excuse to have some delicious food. And with it being a holiday, it's a great opportunity to have a picnic with friends or host a barbecue at your house! Combine this with fun crafts and activities for kids, and yummy springtime recipes! It'll be a yearly event your kids look forward to every year!
Egg Hunt
Traditional egg hunts are so fun for kids. Many cities will have local hunts with age categories to ensure your kids will be able to get their fair share of eggs. Going to the local Easter egg hunt every year was my favorite memory as a little kid. No egg hunts near you or you just don’t want to fight the crowds? There are so many cute ways to have your own hunt at home!
For an at home egg hunt, gather an assortment of plastic fillable easter eggs and fill them with your kiddos’ favorite candies. For babies, you can fill your eggs with yummy snacks like cheerios or yogurt melts. If your kids are a bit older and you want to avoid candy, try filling your eggs with stickers, small toys, hair accessories, jewelry, nail polish, toy cars, Lego minifigures, or finger puppets. My daughter is currently in love with Disney Doorables so we are filling her eggs with some of those mystery characters.
Want a unique way to have an egg hunt? Get glow in the dark eggs and do it at night!
Religious Traditions
If you’re religious and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, here are some incredible ways to bring Him into your home this Easter weekend:
Music
Music is one of the best ways to celebrate a holiday. On Sunday morning, make breakfast together with your kids while listening to some beautiful musical arrangements about Jesus!
Felt Story Board
I have these adorable felt Easter pieces from Rising Moon Adventures that I got when my daughter was a baby. On Sunday morning, we fill Easter eggs with the felt pieces. Once we find the eggs, we place the pieces on a felt board and read the story of the Resurrection. They also have digital prints if you prefer paper to felt.
Make Resurrection Rolls
Resurrection rolls are a great way to teach kids all about Jesus and his resurrection. Grab the ingredients and make and eat these together! These rolls have a marshmallow inside that melts away when cooked. This is an excellent way to help kids understand the reason for Easter. Check out this super simple and yummy recipe here!
Photo credit: Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy
There’s something so incredible about springtime and new life that can bring so much joy to little ones. From fun activities with bunnies and chicks and egg hunts, to Christ-centered spiritual activities, you can create lifelong memories with your kiddos that they will look back on forever!
Needing more ideas for fun springtime traditions to start with your fam, visit our blog at babycubby.com!