What Are the Best Easter Activities for Kids?

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Here we are again. Another holiday is approaching, and I’m looking for ways to keep the kids entertained. Easter is tricky because it’s shorter than Christmas. Just a long weekend, really, unless you count the whole lead-up.

But there’s still plenty to do. And some of these activities are easier than the Christmas ones. Less pressure somehow. Maybe because there aren’t as many traditions you feel obligated to follow.

I’ve been collecting ideas that actually seem doable. Not the ones that require special moulds or twelve steps. Just straightforward things that might happen in a normal household.

Let me share what I’ve gathered.

Dyeing Easter Eggs

This is probably the most classic Easter activity. And for good reason, because kids genuinely enjoy it. You just need hard-boiled eggs, dye, and some patience for the mess.

You can buy egg dyeing kits at any grocery store. They come with tablets that dissolve in water and vinegar. Super simple. Or you can make natural dyes from beets, turmeric, and red cabbage. That takes more effort, though.

I usually go with the kits. Put down newspaper or plastic tablecloths first. The dye stains everything. Give each kid a cup in a different colour. Let them use the little wire holders to dip eggs.

Some kids want perfect, solid colours. Others want to mix colours and create patterns. Both approaches work fine. There’s no wrong way to dye an egg unless someone drops it on the floor.

For adding designs, you can use crayons before dyeing. Draw on the egg with a white crayon, and the dye will resist. Creates cool patterns. Stickers work, too, if you put them on before dyeing and peel them off after.

Martha Stewart has tons of egg decorating techniques if you want inspiration. Some are simple, some are complicated. Pick what matches your energy level that day.

The dyed eggs can be eaten later. Or used for egg hunts. Or just displayed in a bowl. We usually end up with way too many hard-boiled eggs and have to make egg salad for days afterwards.

Organizing Easter Egg Hunts

Kids love hunting for things. It’s basically a treasure hunt with candy. You can do this in your backyard, at a park, or even inside your house if the weather is bad.

The plastic eggs that open are perfect for this. Fill them with small candies, stickers, or coins. You need quite a few eggs, though. I always underestimate how many to hide. Twenty eggs for two kids doesn’t last long.

Hide them at different difficulty levels. Super obvious spots for younger kids. Trickier locations for older ones. Behind bushes, under chairs, in tree branches. Just remember where you put them all. I once found an egg in July.

Set some ground rules before starting. Like everyone gets a basket, and you have to share. Or older kids can only collect certain-coloured eggs. Otherwise, the big kids grab everything first, and the little ones cry.

Some communities organise big Easter egg hunts in parks. These can be fun but also chaotic. Hundreds of kids rushing at once. Check your local parks department or community centre websites for events.

In the US, the White House Easter Egg Roll is famous but hard to get tickets for. Many cities have their own versions, though. Search “Easter egg hunt near me” in March to find local options.

For families in Australia, New Zealand, or the UK, community Easter events are common too. Each area does things differently. Some have the Easter Bunny visit. Others include face painting and games.

The best part about egg hunts? They tire kids out. All that running around searching means quieter afternoons. That’s worth the effort of hiding eggs.

Baking Easter Treats

Similar to Christmas baking but with different shapes and colours. You can make sugar cookies using bunny and egg-shaped cutters. Or try something new like hot cross buns.

Hot cross buns are traditional for Easter in many countries. They’re slightly sweet bread rolls with a cross on top. You can find recipes online or buy them from bakeries. Kids can help mix ingredients and shape dough.

Carrot cake feels appropriate for Easter because of its association with the whole bunny. Plus, it’s delicious and counts as vegetables, right? Kids like helping grate carrots even though half ends up on the floor.

For something simpler, make Rice Krispies treats and shape them into eggs or nests. Add jellybeans on top to look like eggs in a nest. This takes about fifteen minute,s and kids think it’s impressive.

Allrecipes has thousands of Easter recipes sorted by type. You can filter by difficulty level and preparation time. Really useful when you’re trying to find something manageable.

Decorating cupcakes works well, too. Bake any flavour cupcakes, then let kids frost them. Provide pastel-colored sprinkles, mini chocolate eggs, and those little marshmallow chicks. They’ll create their own designs.

Whatever you bake, the process matters more than the result. Messy kitchens are fine. Lopsided cookies are fine. The goal is spending time together, not creating bakery-quality products.

Making Easter Crafts

There are endless craft possibilities for Easter. Some are genuinely fun. Others create more mess than they’re worth. I try to stick with straightforward ones.

Paper plate bunnies are easy for younger kids. Take a paper plate, add construction paper ears, and draw a face. Done. You can make chicks the same way using yellow paper plates. Glue on a beak and googly eyes.

Older kids might enjoy making Easter cards for grandparents or friends. Fold cardstock in half and decorate with Easter themes. Stickers, markers, whatever art supplies you have available.

Egg carton crafts are popular because they’re a form of recycling. Cut up cardboard egg cartons to make flowers or caterpillars. Paint them bright colours. Glue them together in creative ways. Honestly, these often look a bit odd, but kids enjoy making them.

Handprint crafts are classic for a reason. Trace your child’s hand on paper and turn it into a bunny. The thumb becomes the head, and the fingers become ears. Add details with markers.

The Spruce Crafts has step-by-step instructions for various Easter crafts. Photos help you understand what you’re supposed to do. Unlike some craft blogs that assume you already know everything.

Pom pom bunnies are cute if you have pom poms lying around. Glue them together to make a bunny shape. Add felt ears and googly eyes. These take minimal skill.

Set realistic expectations for craft time. It will get messy. Someone might cry because their project doesn’t look how they imagined. That’s normal. Just put down the newspaper and have patience.

Growing Easter Grass

This one takes advance planning, but it’s worth it. Kids love watching things grow. And it connects Easter to spring and new life.

Buy wheat grass seeds or regular grass seeds. Plant them in small pots or containers about two weeks before Easter. Water regularly and put them in a sunny spot. They’ll sprout within days.

By Easter, you’ll have little pots of grass. Kids can place plastic eggs or small decorations in the grass. It makes a nice centrepiece for your Easter table. Or just a fun spring project.

You can also grow grass in eggshell halves. Carefully crack eggs to remove just the top portion. Use the shells as tiny planters. Draw faces on them with markers. When grass grows, it looks like hair. Kids find this hilarious.

Cress grows even faster than grass. You can grow it on damp paper towels in just a few days. It’s edible too, so kids can harvest it and try it. Though mine usually refuse to actually eat it.

This activity teaches patience because you have to wait for growth. But checking on plants daily becomes part of the routine. Kids get excited seeing new shoots each morning.

Gardening Know How has information about growing grass indoors if you need specific instructions. Different seeds have different requirements. Some need more water or light than others.

After Easter, you can plant the grass outside if you want. Or just compost it. Either way, you’ve got a couple of weeks of watching something grow.

Reading Easter Books

Books work for every holiday, apparently. And Easter has some really good ones. They’re generally shorter than Christmas books, which is nice when you’re tired.

“The Runaway Bunny” is sweet and calming. “Rechenka’s Eggs” is beautiful and teaches about Ukrainian Easter eggs. “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown” is funny. “The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes” has a good message.

For religious families, there are books explaining the Easter story at different age levels. You can find these at libraries or bookstores. Choose whatever matches your family’s beliefs and your children’s understanding.

Make reading time special by sitting outside if the weather permits. Spring is finally arriving in many places. Reading in the sunshine feels different from winter reading by the fire.

Libraries often have Easter book displays in March. You can borrow several and read different ones throughout the lead-up to Easter. Then return them without cluttering your house permanently.

Scholastic has recommended reading lists for Easter books. They’re organised by age, which helps you find appropriate options. Reviews from other parents are included as well.

Some Easter books focus on spring rather than the holiday itself. Stories about baby animals, flowers blooming, and warmer weather. These work for families who don’t celebrate Easter religiously but want seasonal books.

Reading together slows down the day. Everything about holidays feels rushed. But sitting with a book creates a quiet moment. Even if that moment only lasts ten minutes before someone needs something.

Having an Easter Brunch or Lunch

Food brings people together. And Easter feels like a brunch holiday somehow. Maybe because of all those pastel colours and spring vegetables.

You don’t need to make anything fancy. Scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and toast. Add some bacon or sausage if you eat meat. Put everything on nice plates and call it special.

Deviled eggs feel appropriate since you probably have leftover hard-boiled eggs from dyeing. Cut them in half, mix the yolks with mayo and mustard, and pipe them back in. Kids can help with mixing and filling.

Spring vegetables are starting to appear in stores now. Asparagus, peas, baby carrots. Roast them with olive oil and salt. Even kids who normally hate vegetables might try them on a holiday.

For something sweet, make a simple fruit salad with strawberries, grapes, and melon. Add a squeeze of lime juice. Or serve it with whipped cream on the side.

Hot cross buns work great for brunch if you made them. Or buy them. Nobody will judge you for buying baked goods. I promise.

Food Network has Easter menu ideas if you’re looking for recipes. They range from simple to complicated. Filter by what you’re willing to attempt.

Set the table nicely with whatever you have. A tablecloth, cloth napkins, maybe some flowers. It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-worthy. Just a bit special. Kids notice when you make an effort.

The meal itself doesn’t have to be long. Especially with young kids who won’t sit still. But gathering together for a nice breakfast or lunch marks the day as different. That’s the point, really.

Visiting Farm Animals or Petting Zoos

Easter and spring mean baby animals. Lambs, chicks, ducklings, bunnies. Many farms open for visits during Easter time. Kids love seeing animals up close.

Check if local farms near you offer Easter visiting hours. Some let you hold baby animals. Others just have viewing areas. Either way, it’s exciting for children.

Petting zoos often have special Easter events. Face painting, egg hunts, and animal feeding. These can get crowded, but kids usually have fun despite the chaos.

Make sure to follow the farm’s hand-washing and animal-handling rules. Teach kids to be gentle. Some children get too excited around animals and need reminders to keep their voices quiet and their movements slow.

In rural areas, you might know people who raise chickens or rabbits. Ask if you can visit. Meeting animals in a calmer setting sometimes works better than busy farm events.

For city families, some community gardens or urban farms have animals. Or zoos often host Easter events. Search online for “Easter farm visits near me” to find options in your area.

Pack hand sanitiser and snacks. Farm visits always take longer than expected. Someone will get hungry. Someone else will need the bathroom at an inconvenient time. That’s just how it goes.

Connecting Easter to animals and spring makes the holiday feel more meaningful. It’s not just about candy. It’s about new life and warmer weather. Kids understand that connection when they see baby lambs jumping around.

Creating Easter Bonnets or Hats

This tradition is bigger in some countries than others. The UK takes Easter bonnets seriously. But any family can make decorated hats. It’s basically just a craft project you can wear.

Start with a simple straw hat or baseball cap. Or make a paper hat from construction paper. Then decorate with whatever you have. Fake flowers, ribbons, stickers, pom poms, plastic eggs.

A glue gun works best for attaching decorations. Obviously, that’s an adult job. Kids can choose what goes where, and you do the actual glueing. Or use strong craft glue and accept that things might fall off.

Some schools have Easter bonnet parades where kids show off their creations. If your school does this, you’re already making one anyway. If not, you can still make them just for fun.

Boys sometimes resist the “bonnet” name. Call them Easter hats instead. Or spring hats. Decorate them with more neutral colours if that helps. The point is to create something festive, not to force anyone into pastels.

BBC Good Food has instructions for making Easter bonnets. They show a range of styles, from simple to elaborate. Choose what matches your skill level and available time.

Once hats are finished, have a little parade around your house or yard. Take photos. Send pictures to grandparents. Hang the hats on the wall as decorations until Easter passes.

This activity works better for younger kids. Teenagers will probably roll their eyes. But elementary age children usually enjoy making something they can wear. It feels more purposeful than crafts that just sit on a shelf.

Wrapping Up

Easter doesn’t require as much planning as Christmas. That’s nice. You can do a few activities and call it successful. Nobody expects Easter to last a whole month.

Pick what sounds fun and skip the rest. Some years, you’ll feel like dyeing eggs and hiding them. Other years, buying chocolate bunnies and watching a movie is enough. Both are perfectly fine.

The weather is usually improving by Easter. That alone helps. Kids can play outside more. The days are getting longer. Everyone’s mood improves with more sunshine.

Don’t stress about making Easter perfect. Just like Christmas, kids mostly remember the time together. The egg that rolled under the couch. The bunny craft looked weird. The egg hunt where you forgot where you hid things.

Those imperfect moments matter more than flawless execution. So do what you can manage. That’s enough. It really is.