12 Ways To Have A Cracking Easter With Kids At Home In Lockdown

Sarah Hallam
Dec 12, 2023 By Sarah Hallam
Originally Published on Apr 06, 2020
Dressing up for Easter with homemade crafts.
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Age: 0-99
Read time: 10.6 Min

It can be difficult to find fun things to do in the Easter holidays at home, especially during lockdown. This Easter, families across the UK are having to spend a little more time together inside and a little less time outside. Whether you've been taking the structured approach to the Easter holidays with our fabulous 2-week guide, or mixing it up with some child-friendly science experiments, Easter Sunday is the perfect opportunity to take a breather and have some well-deserved family fun! So, we've come up with a stack of fantastic family activities that are sure to keep the whole family entertained at home this Easter holiday. These low-fuss ideas won't break the bank and don't require outdoor space, so you're free to relax and focus on enjoying your Easter Day.

Pin the tail on the Easter Bunny

You will need: A large piece of paper or card, marker pens, a glue stick, a blindfold (a tie or thick headband will do!) and some cotton wool balls.

First, draw out your bunny! You can draw this any way you like, but a simple bunny outline can be made by drawing a snowman shape (two circles, one above the other), with two long ovals on top for the ears. You can then draw a small circle where the bunny's tail should be. Then, find a space on a wall or door that is easy for children to reach, and stick the bunny in place. Next, take the cotton wool balls (one per person per round), and carefully add a small amount of glue to one side before handing them out (if you think this might be a bit too messy for you, feel free to use blu tack or double sided tape instead!). The kids can then take it in turns to cover their eyes with the blindfold and try and 'pin' the tail on the bunny! The aim of the game is to stick the 'tail' as close as possible to the tail on the picture. If you don't have glue or cotton wool balls, don't worry- you can easily substitute with a cut-out paper tail instead.

This twist on a typical home party game will certainly ramp up the fun and get everybody in the mood to celebrate!

DIY Easter egg cups

This fun activity will make sure this Easter holiday isn't one to forget! These adorable clay egg cups are easy peasy to make, and can be reused again and again all year round! Prep the egg cups a couple of days beforehand as they may take a while to fully dry.

You will need: Air drying clay, an egg or two, and paints and paintbrushes for decorating (acrylic paints work well).

First, open your block of clay and cut it into sections. Next, roll into balls, each about the size of a tangerine. Help the kids roll each ball into a cylinder shape, flattening the ends on the table and making sure the ends are wide enough for an egg to sit comfortably. Then, take an egg and lightly push it onto the end of the cylinder, leaving a perfectly egg-shaped dent. Now you have the basic egg cup shape, feel free to get creative! Try adding texture while they're still wet, with forks, buttons, or anything else you can find around the house. Use a little water to smooth over any cracks.

Once the cups have dried, you can now get the paints out and let your artistic side run wild!

Put on your own indoor Easter egg hunt!

easter egg hunt

Little ones love nothing more than an Easter egg hunt, but it definitely doesn't need to be outdoors! For this fun activity all you need is a little imagination, and of course, some chocolate! Simply gather some chocolate Easter eggs, hide them around the house, and let the kids run wild. You could even get creative, and make an Easter-themed 'Treasure Hunt' map, guiding the kids to the key spots around the house! Another idea is adding a label to each egg with an activity they must do before searching for their next egg, such as 'jump like a bunny' or 'quack like a duck'. This will help keep the children engaged and get rid of some of that excess energy!

Have an Egg Rolling Race

This traditional race has been famously played all across the UK, and the world. Even the White House has a designated Easter Egg Roll on Easter Monday, and became a tradition over a hundred years ago when the president allowed children on to the White House grounds to roll their eggs!

To create your own egg rolling race, you will need: Eggs (we recommend 1-2 per person), a saucepan, water, spoons (ideally wooden, but any will do), and some tape or string to mark out the lanes.

Firstly, place your eggs in the saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and boil for 8-10 minutes, until hard-boiled. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and leave to cool on a tea towel. While the eggs are cooling down, take your tape or string and mark out some 'lanes' on the ground. When you are ready to start, each person places their egg at the start line, and attempts to roll it along to the finish line using only a spoon. Traditionally wooden spoons are used for this, but tablespoons also work. The aim of the game is to get your egg to the finish line first, using only the spoon to roll it along.  

This classic Easter activity will get the whole family in fits of giggles, and children will love hearing the story that goes along with it.

Accessorise with some Easter Bunny ears!

No Easter day is truly complete without bunny ears! The whole family can get involved with this quick and simple craft activity. All you need is a headband or two hair clips per person, and some pipecleaners (whatever colours you like!).  Simply take two pipe cleaners, fold them in half, then twist them in place on each side of your headband. Alternatively, twist them onto two hair clips so they can be worn on each side of your head, and voila! Instant bunny ears! Make it even more exciting by adding in other craft materials- pom poms, glitter, ribbon... the possibilities are endless!

Decorate some eggs!

easter crafts at home

Egg decorating is one of those classic Easter activities you just can't beat. This particular method involves blowing out the inside of the eggs, leaving the shells ready to decorate and keep!

All you need is: A needle or pin, a cocktail stick, skewers, eggs, a bowl, and craft materials for decorating.

First of all, take your needle/ pin, and, holding your egg upright, press directly into the top of the egg creating a small hole. Next, take your cocktail stick and carefully insert this into the hole to widen it slightly. While the stick is inside, wiggle it around a little to help break up the yolk and white. Then turn your egg upside down and do the same on the bottom side of the egg. This time, try to make the hole slightly larger, as this is where the white and yolk will come out. Again, use your cocktail stick to break up the yolk. And now for the fun part! Get the kids to position their eggs right-side up over a bowl, and simply blow through the top hole, being careful not to crack the shell. This part can take a few minutes, but eventually the white and yolk should slowly come out from the bottom of the egg. Once the shell is hollow, rinse it out with some warm water and you are ready to decorate!

To decorate your eggs without getting too messy, place a skewer through the holes and then position it over a bowl. Now the kids can customise their eggs using paint, pens, or any other craft materials you may have. Try adding googly eyes to make your own Easter chicks or bunny pals!

Make a puzzle out of lolly sticks

This is another quick and easy craft idea that will keep the kids entertained while getting creative.

You will need: 8-12 wooden lollipop sticks, pens/paint and tape.

All you need to do for this activity is lay down a strip of tape, sticky side up, and lay the lollipop sticks along the length of the tape side-by-side, so they are fixed in place while you decorate them. Next, take your pens or paints and get creating! You could try painting or drawing some Easter eggs, flowers or yellow chicks, or whatever takes your fancy. Once your work of art is dry, you can simply peel away the tape, mix up the sticks and let the kids put together the puzzle!

Make your own Easter cards

kids making easter cards at home

Get back to basics with this fun family activity. Even though they're at home, kids will love making some Easter themed cards for family and friends that would brighten anyone's day. Just make some space at the table and grab some pens and card to get started! Try collaging some bunnies, chicks or lambs, or create your own snazzy Easter egg designs. Once you've written your messages inside you can even decorate the envelope too, adding paper bunny ears or little legs for chicks.

Party games

Just because it's the school holidays doesn't mean you can't take a little inspiration from sports day and get the family involved in some good old-fashioned competition. If you have a small amount of space indoors or a garden, egg-and-spoon races never go out of style. Alternatively, grab a few pillow cases and attach a cotton wool 'tail' to the back for a hoppy bunny sack race! Along with the Egg Rolling, these games would make a great afternoon of friendly competition- consider awarding prizes to the winners, or even creating an official-style league table and making a day of it!

Decorate an Easter Tree

Still looking for more fun things to create? This short project is super fun, and you can include your previous Easter crafts. All you need is a small tree or plant, and some string to make your decorated eggshells into wonderful Easter decorations. Alternatively, you can create your own small 'tree' by twisting wire into branches, and fixing to the bottom of a plant pot or dish using blu tack or glue. All you need to do now is simply tape a loop of string to the top of your decorated eggs and pop them on the tree! Don't have eggs? You can cut some egg shapes out of card and decorate these with pens, then attach them in the same way. This idea is a great way to get the family in the mood for Easter fun, and doubles as a top egg-hiding location for egg hunts!

Dip into a chocolate fondue!

easter chocolate

No need to get fancy with this one. Simply get together a bowl, a saucepan, some water, a big bar of chocolate and some dipping implements (think skewers with marshmallows or strawberries!). Fill the saucepan to about 1/3 of the way up with water, and place the bowl over the top. You can then break up the chocolate into smaller pieces and place it into the bowl. Next, heat up the water in the saucepan on the hob, and gently stir the chocolate until it melts and becomes completely smooth. Carefully transfer the hot chocolate to a cool bowl, place your fruit or marshmallows on cutlery or skewers, and dip away!

Start a scrapbook

This Easter, the school holidays are looking a little different than normal. Working on filling a daily scrapbook is  a great way for children to put aside a little time every day to collect their thoughts, reflect and create. It is also a fun and free way to keep a memento of all the activities they get up to at home, and collect together all their Easter crafts too.

You will need: A blank notebook or some pieces of craft paper, folded in half and stapled, pens, paint and craft materials. Encourage the kids to (hygienically) collect things they find, or make drawings of things they see or experience. Making rubbings by placing paper over textured surfaces, printing out photographs or cutting pictures out of magazines are great examples of things that can be included in an Easter holiday scrapbook.

With this activity, there are no rules! Allow the kids to lead the way and see where it takes you! Parents can get involved too and make their own, or you could even make a big family scrapbook.

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Written by Sarah Hallam

Diploma of Education, Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts specializing in Illustration and Visual media

Sarah Hallam picture

Sarah HallamDiploma of Education, Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts specializing in Illustration and Visual media

With a Diploma in Education specializing in Fine Arts (Painting) and a Bachelor of Arts specializing in Illustration and Visual media from the University of Arts London, Sarah previously was a London-based teacher who brought her passion for art and culture to the classroom. Her creative endeavors include painting classes and experimenting with new recipes. She draws inspiration from the world around her and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others while sipping a cup of tea.

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