Five Fun Easter Activities for your Family

Easter Family Fun

Here are some things we plan to do this year.

1.  We've been EGGED!   Hide Easter eggs filled with treats around the doorsteps of your neighbors, your kiddos will love playing Easter bunny!  Leave a sign that says "We've been Egged!" Then ding-dong ditch them!  When we do this we add a little "now go egg someone else!" to the bottom of the sign and that keeps it going around the neighborhood.  Here is my simple sign you can use, I backed it with paper too.

2.  Have an Egg Dyeing Party.  I am always up for a party!!  We usually get together with cousins for this.  Cover the table and get ready for a mess.  Messes are more fun with friends or cousins, anyway! 

Egg dyeing usually goes way too fast (because how many hard boiled eggs do we need?!) So here are some ideas of how to draw out the fun!

Plan to go beyond the dye!  I saw these cute animals stamped on eggs here and I thought it would be fun to use raw potatoes or apples to make the stamps and gel food coloring (the kind in my Wilton cake decorating set) as the ink.  We also have these "color-a-cookie" food markers that would be fun to embellish the eggs with (after they are dry)! 

Plan to make a fun Easter treat too.  Last year we made these cute nests with eggs.  They are so easy and yummy.  Just follow the recipe for "crispy rice treats" on the marshmallow bag, except use crunchy chinese noodles instead of rice crispies cereal.  Then fill the nest with candy eggs, I like the Cadbury ones!  

3.  Make a fun Egg display: 

Plant real grass (You need 10-12 days, so do it soon to have it on Easter!) See how we did it here.

Use toilet paper rolls to make some cute egg holders to put on your table (or in the grass) like shown here or here.

4.  Host an Easter Egg Hunt:  We are lucky that the week before Easter is our spring break!  We used to do egg hunts at a park for playgroup when my kids were younger so I am excited that my oldest will be home this year!  Here is what I am planning:   I think I will host it at my house this year.  It usually goes really fast so I am planning to do some extra activities with it.  

Craft:  I am going to have white and pink paper to make bunny ears and black eye liner to do bunny face painting before the big event.   Then as the kids run around they will look like little bunnies.  (I doubt my 9 year old will go for it, but maybe we will have the big kids do the painting!!) 

Hunt:  I am going to ask everyone to bring 12 candy filled eggs per child.  Then as we hunt by age group, everyone can bring that many home. 

Decorations:  I want to decorate, (of course!) so I thought I would drape the back patio with yard stakes and pastel crepe paper between to keep the kiddos out of the "hunting" area until we are ready (then they can break through) and it would be fun to make bunny prints on the back patio with baby powder, here are some of my practice ones....

Food:  I think it would be fun to do a little potluck lunch after the festivities too....it is supposed to be warm. 

5.  Have a Jerusalem Dinner:  Eat like the Savior did.  Light candles, sit on pillows on the floor, use a low table (I am going to use our coffee table) and one main bowl of food which everyone dips their hands in, dont use utensils (luckily it is finger food anyway).   I set this stuff out on our coffee table to take a quick photo but I can assure you I will be moving the white rug, especially if I am serving grape juice!!

Eat foods like:  grape juice, whole wheat loaves, dried figs, goat cheeses, lamb, raisins, pomegranites, cantelope, or fish.

Activities:  let them taste (or just smell) vinegar since it is what Christ was given to drink while on the cross.  Turn off all lights and explain that there was darkness when Christ was crucified.  Wash each others feet and explain that Christ wants us to feed his sheep and serve each other. 

(this idea is from my friend Carrie who has a book called A Christ Centered Easter by Janet and Joe Hales, I cant wait to do it this year!).  For a whole lot more Christ Centered Easter Ideas go here.

I compiled some of these fun ideas last year with my crafty buddies Amber, Carrie, and Caroll (who also did the trees with me). I cant remember who shared what so I wanted to give credit to everyone!  Thanks guys!