Below you will find a selection of Easter craft activities

Easter basket

Support your child's creativity as they create their own Easter baskets.

Safety first

If your child is under 3, be mindful of resources that might cause a choking hazard and supervise these carefully.

What to do

For this experience you will need a plastic or paper cup, some paint or collage materials and glue, some tape and some ribbon or a pipe cleaner.

Invite your child to take a cup and encourage them to choose their own creative materials they would like to use to decorate it.
Support them with decorating their cups, allowing them to make their own choices and use their own ideas. You can talk to your child about what they might put in their Easter basket.

Once these are dry, ask them to choose a coloured pipe cleaner or some ribbon. Show them how the pipe cleaner can be used as a handle, by taping each end to the inside of the cup on both sides, forming a handle shape. These baskets can be used for other Easter activities!

More information

Making their own decisions supports your child's sense of satisfaction of fulfillment

Salt dough Easter Eggs

Get creative with your child as they make their own Easter eggs using salt dough.

Safety first

Explain to your child that the dough must not be eaten and consider any allergies your child may have before starting. Explain to your child that they must not touch the oven and make sure the cooked eggs are fully cooled before your child handles them.

What to do

Provide your child with a mixing bowl and measuring cups. Invite them to pour one cup of salt and two cups of flour into their bowl and encourage them to mix these ingredients together. Ask them to gradually add in 3/4 cup of water, and encourage them to continue to mix well until it forms a doughy consistency.

Following this, show them how to knead the dough by placing this on the table and pressing into this using the palm of your hand.
Once the dough is smooth and combined, invite them to use a rolling pin to flatten out their dough and shape it into an egg shape. You can explain that a flat egg is an 'oval' shape and a 3D egg is an 'ovoid' shape.

Once your child has created their eggs, place a sheet of baking paper onto the baking tray and invite them to place their creations onto the baking tray. Explain that these now need to be cooked in the oven so the eggs will go hard. Take the tray to the kitchen and place in the oven for 2.5 hours at 120°C / 250°F / GM1.

Once cooked, transfer the salt dough creations from the hot tray onto another tray or plate. Once cooled, encourage your child paint their Easter eggs if they wish to. These could then be used as part of an Easter egg hunt around the house or garden!

More information

Malleable materials help to develop your child's hand strength and their fine motor skills. As your child explores pinching, pulling and twisting the dough, they are helping to develop their pincer grip. The skills are essential pre-writing skills.

Paper mache Easter Eggs

Support your child's fine motor skills in this Easter experience

Safety first

If your child is under 3, consider if collage materials will cause a choking hazard and supervise accordingly.

What to do

Blow up a balloon to a small/medium size. Ask your child to help you pour some glue into the tray. Add a small amount of water to the tray of glue and invite your child to mix the glue and water together using a paintbrush, until the water has soaked into the glue and you now have a thin glue paste.

Show your child how to stand the balloon in a bowl so they have both of their hands free to do the paper mache. Provide your child with some newspaper and encourage them to rip the pages into smaller pieces. Encourage your child to dip the strips of newspaper into the glue tray and then stick this to their balloon. Continue until their balloon is covered in the paper mache. Allow time for the paper mache to dry. Why not share an Easter story while you are waiting?

Once dry, pop the balloon and encourage your child to decorate their paper mache Easter egg using creative materials such as paint, pom poms, glitter and tissue paper.

More information

Paper mache develops your child's patience, perseverance and determination as they cover the balloon with newspaper and then wait for it to dry! These skills are important for when your child starts school.

Easter bonnets

Encourage your child to make and design their own Easter bonnet!

Safety first

If your child is under 3, consider if collage materials will cause a choking hazard and supervise accordingly.

What to do

Explain to your child that we are going to make a special Easter bonnet that they can wear on Easter day!

Invite your child to think about how they might design their bonnet, for example you could use a paper plate with the middle cut out and add strips of card for bunny ears, you could cut a strip of card that fits your child's head and encourage them to decorate it or you could add tissue paper flowers to an existing hat - the possibilities are endless!

Encourage your child to make their own decisions and choices as they decorate their bonnet using creative materials. Why not enter your bonnet into our Facebook competition that is being launched this week? Head over to our Facebook page to find out more.

More information

During this experience, your child is encouraged to have their own ideas and make their own decisions, as they select tools for a purpose and design their bonnet. This promotes their critical thinking.

Homemade paint and glue

To make your own paint or glue, mix 1/2 cup of flour (any type) with 1 cup of water and heat on a low heat, stirring continuously until it forms a paste. Off the heat, add in a further 1/4 cup of cold water until you get the desired consistency. Your child can help you with the measuring, however you can explain to them that you will need to stir it on the hob as it is hot.

To make this into paint, add in food colouring. Your paint is now ready to use! Be mindful to cover surfaces as this paint may stain.

UP for Parents

UP provides essential guidance, resources and information on how to deliver effective learning experiences for your children. There is something on UP for everyone; why not download UP and see what amazing experiences you will find for your family?

UP for Educators

UP provides our educators with a wealth of quality learning experiences and essential guidance. UP pushes the boundaries to deliver even better learning outcomes, giving Busy Bees children the very best start in life. There is something on UP for all educators; download UP and see how this can enhance your practice today!

Discover

the home of amazing experiences

Take a tour of UP to find out how you can unleash your potential.

Take the tour