Fun Easter Activities for Kids

Spring bloomed early this year for us here in Virginia, and as soon as the air got warmer, the kids started asking, “Mom, when will Easter be here?”

So begins the annual countdown until that day which, for us, celebrates the pinnacle of our faith – new life in the resurrection of Christ. And though there are plenty of faith-based activities we do to prepare for Easter, the holiday is also a lot of just plain fun for our family!

Cooking projects, Easter crafts for kids, and finding Easter eggs all accompany Easter devotionals in our attempt to help our children get into the spirit of Resurrection Sunday.

Here are some ideas for making Easter fun in your own family:

• Create marbelized dyed Easter eggs. Dyeing eggs is so non-homeschoolish. I mean, come on – everyone does it. So this year, pump up the fun homeschool style by going to the next level and marbleizing your eggs!
• Make edible marbled eggs. Everyone knows you can dye Easter eggs, but who knew you could marbelize the inside of them? This fun project creates beautiful hard-boiled eggs that you can eat when you’re done!
• Tell the Easter story by making Easter story cookies. Each ingredient in the cookies corresponds to specific parts of the resurrection story. This is a great way for young children to be actively involved (as they put in each ingredient) and to reinforce the meaning of Easter.
• Make an Easter tree. By using ribbon and dyed eggs, you can make a special centerpiece for your home that displays your egg creations and reminds your family of the Easter message of new life. A more faith-based variation of this activity involves making ornaments for each of the six weeks of Lent and then seven ornaments for Holy Week, and placing the ornaments on the tree. This is similar to the Jesse Tree idea which is done at Christmas.

DIY Easter Tree Tutorial by Sarah Johnson - EssyJae

• Construct an Empty Tomb Visual Aid. Kids can use poster board (for the scene), a plastic bowl (as the tomb) and paper plate (as the stone) to create a tomb scene that will help them visualize the Easter story.
• Make Easter baskets with real grass. Why use fake grass for the kids’ Easter baskets when you can grow the real thing? By growing grass in special baskets or containers, children can gain scientific knowledge while creating a gift for others. Directions can be found at Monkey Lobster.
• Make a fun Easter lunch. Bunny-shaped sandwiches, hard-boiled egg chicks, cheddar bunny crackers and other fun ideas make for festive Easter fare for the kids.
• Create Dyed Coffee Filter Easter Eggs. Instead of dyeing real Easter eggs, let kids get crafty by cutting coffee filters into egg shapes and decorating them with markers. A little spritz of water on each one, and you’ve got a craft perfect for hanging in the window!
• Read some Easter books. Without a doubt, the Easter story from the Bible takes center stage at our house during the season. But it’s also fun to enjoy some other Easter-themed literature for children. Check out these Easter picture books at apples4theteacher.
• Conduct an egg drop experiment for science. Make science Easter-egg friendly with this fun and educational experiment.
• Make papier mache eggs. These adorable eggs, made with tissue paper papier mached over a balloon, can be filled with candy or other surprises to make an extra-special Easter goodie! This idea can also be used to make a larger papier mache egg, which can be turned into an Easter diorama.
• Make an Easter jellybean jar to give to others. This sweet Easter gift is accompanied with a poem which explains the colors of each jellybean as symbolic of what Christ did at Easter. Not only a great gift for others, but a good learning tool for children.
• Make Resurrection Rolls. This is a favorite activity for my kids! Marshmallows represent Jesus’ body going into the “tomb” of crescent rolls. When they come out of the oven, Jesus’ body (the marshmallow) is gone!