Whether it’s fashioning cute, wearable bunny ears or doing a unique hunt for eggs, there are many great ways to celebrate Eastertime and the arrival of spring.
iStock
Easter is a fun time to get those creative juices flowing and do cute seasonal crafts and activities. They’re adorable as decorations in your house (and keepsakes you’ll want to hold on to for years to come), and they also make thoughtful gifts for family, neighbours, and teachers. Whether it’s fashioning cute, wearable bunny ears or doing a unique hunt for eggs, there are many great ways to celebrate Eastertime and the arrival of spring.
You can find lots of easy DIY kits in stores (for everything from animal-themed eggs to marbled eggs, glitter eggs, and more). You can also have a go at dying them at home with ingredients in your kitchen: spices like saffron and turmeric, beloved beverages such as wine and coffee, and produce including cabbage, red onions, beets, and blueberries can all dye eggs naturally (you’ll have to soak them longer than the store-bought dye tablets).
Draw on eggs with a white crayon or add some stickers or rubber bands of different thicknesses before dyeing – they look cool when you’ve finished colouring them as the designs “reveal” themselves. Wrap them in a small piece of wrinkled cloth and use an eyedropper to apply bits of colour to the fabric and egg underneath – it creates an awesome tie-dye effect. Or drop food colouring on top of a thin layer of shaving cream, use a toothpick to swirl the colours gently, and then roll the eggs over the colour (but wear plastic gloves – this one is fun but gets a bit messy).
There’s always the classic hunt, where kids run around and find as many hidden eggs as possible. But if there are multiple kids, colour-code the hunt (Mike gets blue, Jenn gets pink, etc.). That way, everyone can find and keep an equal number of eggs. Put small glow-in-the-dark slicks in plastic eggs and do a nighttime hunt. Or write up funny clues or draw a map and create a scavenger-style hunt.
Secure a loop of cardstock the size of the wearer’s head. Cut out two large white ears and then smaller pink ones as the inside of the ears. Glue cotton balls on the white parts of the ears. Take lots of cute pics #easterhasarrived!
Keep a standard brown paper bag folded (like it comes in the packaging), and cut a middle portion out to create ears on either side. Open the bag to reveal your bunny. Add eyes and cute decorations like a bow, and then stuff with sweet treats for your favourite kiddos.
This is ideal for little ones. A potato cut in half is a perfect oval, and it can be stamped into paint and then onto paper. Kids can “decorate” their eggs with paint or markers when they dry. Or, once you’ve halved your potato, use a paring knife to cut a design into the potato itself.
Trace your child’s handprint on a piece of construction paper and cut it out. Remove the middle finger. Use the thumb and pinky as arms and fold them across the bunny’s body. The last two fingers become the ears. Add a happy little face and front paws.
Cut a very long piece of string or yarn and submerge it in a small dish of school glue. Then, wrap the glue-drenched sting around and around and around (and around) a small inflated oval balloon. Let it dry, then pop the balloon to reveal your cool string egg.
You can also do this craft to create any shape you’d like (like a carrot or chick) – use a Styrofoam food tray, poke pushpins into it to make the outline of the shape you want, wrap that gluey string around the pins many times, let it dry, and carefully remove the pins (this is better for older kids or with adult supervision).
You know those beloved little yellow marshmallow chicks that only come out at this time of the year? Give them a cozy seasonal home by building a three-sided house out of graham crackers and ornamental frosting (6 whipped egg whites, five cups of icing sugar, and one teaspoon or cream of tartar – delicious and super sweet, and yet strong like glue).
Leave the front of the house open and add a triangular roof. Decorate with Easter candy and sprinkles. Put different marshmallow Peeps inside the house. And who knows – maybe your family can build a whole little Peep town that you can use as a table centrepiece for your Easter dinner.
Cut eggs out of coloured construction paper and add a small paper pocket to the front of the egg. Decorate the egg. Cut a cute little chick out of paper and hide him in the paper pocket of the egg. It’s a fun surprise every time!
Keep up with your baby's development, get the latest parenting content and receive special offers from our partners
Jenn Cox is a freelance journalist in Montreal and the mother of an 11-year-old. She loves crafts, gardening, and spending time with her family, including their doodle, Toby.