Easter Activities for Kids

Even when I was a child, decades ago, we had nontoxic Easter egg dye.  Usually the dye is sold in packages with instructions.  Basically, the only thing you might need beyond the contents of the package is white vinegar, paper or plastic cups that are disposable which actually might be included, and water.

The dye is dissolved in the vinegar and water, and a boiled egg is inserted.  Better packs include a wire holder to fish the eggs out.  I recall going past the recommended method, and trying to color half an egg one color, and the rest another color.  This is where the child becomes creative. 

There are foam eggs available for decorating.  These are often white, and the eggs can be colored if desired.  But even without coloring them, they can be made into stunning decorations by attaching decorations to them. 

Foam eggs come as Styrofoam and smooth eggs.  The Styrofoam eggs are fine for very young children, but the smooth eggs have a much better appearance.  If an older child is working on decorating a foam Easter egg, the smooth egg can produce a more finished look, and be a nice decoration to have about the home.

Remember, size is important.  The decorations used must not overwhelm the egg itself.  I recommend larger eggs for such a craft.  Also, since the decorations are being applied to a curved surface, small decorations work better. 

Always have an adequate supply of decorations with many colors available so the children can choose the colors desired.  To a child it may be really important that blue is used instead of yellow.  A larger color palate allows for increased creativity, and greater satisfaction.  This can mean a longer time of engagement.

Another way children can help be creative at Easter is to assist with baking cookies for Easter.  While handling hot pans is not the best thing a child can do, using Easter cookie cutters on the dough before baking can provide a sense of having significantly contributed to the final outcome.  It gives the child a sense of having produced the cookies, especially if the child is allowed to decide which cookie cutters from a set are used.

Allow children to help with decorating for Easter, whether it is for a gathering or just for the family.  Hanging ornaments can itself be a challenge, since finding places to hang them is the first step.  Be careful not to tape to painted surfaces, or even to paneling.  Assign the children the task of finding places for the ornaments, but make certain approval must be had before any ornament is actually placed.

One thing you can do is take out a small Christmas tree, if one is available.