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8 Easter Ideas For Kids That Perfectly Capture The Spirit Of The Season

by Shannon Evans

Holidays are the perfect opportunity to invest in some quality time with our kids; and whether or not we've achieved "Pinterest mom" status, most of us want to go the extra mile to build memories together during these special times of year. As we head into Easter, I've been thinking about how to capture those bonding moments with my sons while also not putting unrealistic expectations on myself. (Full disclosure: I am definitely not a crafty mom.) Searching for ways to celebrate the season without dooming myself to failure, I started asking my friends for Easter ideas for kids that are realistic but also a lot of fun. Some of their suggestions were specific to the Christian faith (in which Easter is observed as the resurrection of Christ), and some were simply secular ways to celebrate the coming of spring.

Knowing that if I make my goals too lofty my best laid plans would either turn out disastrously or I would simply give up and do nothing, I sought to compile a list of the Easter activities that were most realistic for my family. Here are some of the best Easter ideas for children that capture the spirit of the season.

1

Dyeing Easter Eggs

Let's start with the obvious. Dyeing Easter eggs is the main craft we think of when this holiday rolls around. However, a lot of parents avoid it like the plague because it feels too complicated. Luckily, there's a way to adapt this activity for everyone: Purchase an egg dyeing kit in the seasonal section of your grocery store, mix up your own with food coloring and vinegar, or go the extra mile and make homemade dyes from foods like blueberries and paprika.

2

Decorating Eggs Without Dye

If you're put off by the hassle and mess of dyeing Easter eggs, consider an alternative: Bust out the washable markers and some seasonal stickers and let your kids go nuts on the hardboiled eggs. (Or, for the lazy-parent hack, just give them plastic ones.)

3

Make "Stained Glass" Crosses

Celebrating the religious holidays doesn't get any easier than this for Christian families — and the results are actually pretty cool. Using a little wax paper and some multicolored tissue paper, your windows can be transformed into beautiful displays of faith with these stained glass crosses.

4

Have An Egg Toss

An egg toss is a simple Easter game, one that only requires a few raw eggs and at least four willing human bodies. Pair up the players to stand about a yard apart and have them toss the egg from one partner to the next. If they drop the egg or it cracks in their hands, the pair is out. Other players continue taking one step back each time the egg is caught, and the last team with an unbroken egg wins.

5

Make An Easter Egg Puzzle

Give your child a basket full of plastic eggs that each have one puzzle piece inside, and spend the rest of the afternoon sharing the work of putting it together. This is another craft that can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be: You might choose to buy a small 25-piece Easter puzzle from the store, or you can purchase a blank puzzle from a craft store and draw your own seasonal image.

6

Have A Confetti Egg Fight

If you're craftier than I, you might be interested in making your own cascarones, or confetti eggs. Otherwise simply purchase a few dozen pre-made ones at your local supermarket and let the battle begin.

7

Get Your Picture Taken With The Easter Bunny

This tradition used to be all the rage, but it's tapered off dramatically in recent years as online shopping has boomed and malls have begun closing down. Take a trip down memory lane by indulging in this nostalgic throwback with your own child.

8

Host A Bunny Race

Invite some friends over, tell them to BYOPC (bring your own pillow case, obviously), and gather the kids in for a hopping race across the backyard. Bonus points if you can get them to put on bunny ears too!

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