4 Fun Easter activities kids will love

Finding age-appropriate activities for young children can be a challenge, but these Easter ideas are perfect for both toddlers and pre-schoolers, says occupational therapist and owner of Capable Kids in Johannesburg, Samantha Smith. 

1. Painted eggs 

Let your child unleash their creativity with this simple yet entertaining activity. Decorating pebbles and/or hard-boiled eggs are tons of fun for the kids and they can be used as Easter table decorations. 

What you’ll need: 
•    Hard-boiled eggs, small rocks or smooth pebbles 
•    Acrylic paint, felt tip pens or markers
•    A variety of paint brushes 
•    Ear buds (optional) 
•    Paint palette 
•    Water-based sealer (like Modge Podge), optional if using rocks or pebbles.

How to get started: 
1.    If you’re using pebbles or rocks from the garden, make sure they’re clean and dry before decoratign them. And, if you’re using hard-boiled eggs, allow them to cool down before the kids start decorating.
2.    Get all paint colours ready and clean the brushes. 
3.    Let your kids choose a colour to paint the entire rock or egg. They could also use felt tip pens to colour them in. Eggs may need more than one coat of colour. 
4.    Encourage your kids to use the paint brushes and ear buds to create any designs they wish. Polka dots, zig-zags and squiggles all work well. 
5.    Let the rocks dry completely before sealing them with a thin layer of sealant. Skip this step if you’re using eggs. 

Great for: Fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination and creativity. 

2. Hopscotch bunny hop 

This traditional game has stood the test of time for a reason! It encourages creativity, as well as fine and gross motor skills as kids create their own squares in the sequence they choose. Turn this simple game of hopscotch into a fun, Easter activity as the kids get to “hop like bunnies” over the squares. 

What you’ll need: 
•    A smooth pavement or driveway 
•    Sidewalk/pavement chalk or masking tape
•    A marker such as stone, button, etc. 

How to play: 
1.    In a traditional hopscotch game, you use chalk or tape to draw a diagram with 8 numbered sections in a row, using single and double squares. With this Easter hop, allow your kids to be creative and draw the squares in the sequence they like. 
2.    All players are to stand in a row behind the first line.
3.    The first player throws the marker into the first square and hops on one leg, over it to the next square, until they reach the last square. The player then turns around and hops back again, picking up the marker on the way back to the start line. Kids should hop over their markers like bunnies!
4.    Once all players have hopped successfully over the marker, the next player in the line has a chance to throw the marker into square two, and so the game continues, with each player jumping over the marker. 
5.    Players are out if the marker doesn’t land in the square properly, if they lose balance picking up the marker, if they fail to hop or one or both legs, or if they land on any line. 

Great for: Fine and gross motor skills, balance and sequencing (especially if they write numbers in the hopscotch squares) 

3. Easter-egg hunt 

Rather than simply hiding eggs in the garden for your little ones to find, try this different egg hunt where kids will have the chance to explore using their senses. This activity will keep them entertained for a lot longer and help to burn off some extra energy too!

What you’ll need: 
•    Coloured pens and paper to write down the activities 
•    A pen or pencil for your kids to tick off the list 
•    A few traditional easter eggs to hide 
•    A basket or packet 
•    A few of your child’s toys (preferably animals) 
•    Items from the garden (see activity below).  

How to get started: 
Set up the Easter egg hunt with the following activities in a checklist format, and get your child to tick them off: 
1.    Find 5 different Easter eggs and taste one!
2.    Smell 3 types of flowers in the garden 
3.    Touch and pick up 5 leaves, 4 sticks and 10 blades of grass to put in your basket 
4.    Look for the Easter bunny’s footprints on the ground, around the trees and in between the flowers. Then, copy the bunny and hop on them yourself
5.    Listen and identify three different bird sounds (or any surrounding sounds) in the garden 
6.    Hunt for your special toys and add them to your basket.  

Great for:  Counting, colour identification/matching, engaging all the senses, gross motor, i.e hopping, running, searching. 

4. Easter mason jars 

Such a fun activity for kids, decorated mason jars look great on the Easter table too. Fill the jars with your favourite biscuit recipe, homemade fudge, rusk, brownies or shortcake slices - this makes for a thoughtful gift for friends and family.

What you’ll need: 
•    Scissors
•    Craft glue for glass 
•    Ribbons, lace, string, or twine to tie around the jars 
•    Coloured paper or acrylic paint specifically for glass 
•    Permanent marker
•    Crafty objects such as feathers, pom-poms, buttons, googly eyes, pipe cleaner for whiskers
•    Your favourite biscuit recipe (optional) 
•    Moulding clay for the bunny ears (optional)
•    Mini-Easter eggs or marshmallows to add to the jar 

How to do it: 
1.    Paint the mason jars using acrylic paint, or cut out and stick the coloured paper around the jar 
2.    If painting, let the jar dry before applying a second coat
3.    For a bunny or chick jar, use permanent markers to draw a bunny or chick face onto the jar (either onto the paper or painted jar)
4.    Also use craft objects to stick onto the jar - pipe cleaner for whiskers, a pom-pom for the nose and googly eyes for the eyes
5.    If you’re making ears, use the moulding clay to create ear shapes. Paint or colour them and stick them onto the top of the mason jar with the craft glue
6.    Now that your jar is ready, consider what to put inside the jar. Ideas include chocolate Easter bunnies or chicks on green “straw”, mini-Easter eggs, caramel popcorn or marshmallows
7.    Finish off your mason jar by closing the lid tight, and sealing the jar with chosen ribbon, lace, string or twine.  


Great for: Decorating the jar encourages creativity and enhances fine motor skills, cutting and sticking skills, as well as drawing. Baking is great for number concepts such as measuring, bilateral integration, and sequencing.