The two-week Easter school holiday is here! Yes, it did feel like they’ve only been back at school for 5 minutes. And, no, we weren’t ready to enter the mad-house again, either.
These are the eighty-five ideas every parent needs to keep their under-6s busy. Scroll down for Easter and spring-themed baking, crafting and play ideas. Plus, some Bluey colouring sheets to make life easy – perfect for a garden gathering over Easter weekend.
Browse Easter holiday ideas for children
Easter egg hunt
1. Easter wouldn’t be Easter without an egg hunt. If you want to make an event of it, download and print these Easter egg hunt clues and decorations and use them to hide mini eggs or toy animals around your home.
Easter bonnet ideas
We’re happy schools are back but they do come with a regular dose of craft admin. Now, it’s Easter bonnet time again. These five ways to tackle Easter headgear include a really simple party hat hack, perfect for those of us who are time-poor or creatively-challenged!
Role play games
7-11. We know, you have a house full of toys but your child is still bored. Inspire them to play new games with soft toys over the school holidays.
Hummus recipe for kids
12. “Can I have a snack? Can I have a snack?” “But you’ve just eaten 35 chocolate eggs…” See if you can restore some balance with this clever carrot snack idea from BBC Good Food.
Easy Easter cards
Some of us haven’t seen family or friends for months, and it’s another month before we can go to stay with them. It’s the perfect excuse to get out the craft box and send them a homemade Easter card. Personally, we’d love to receive the fluffy cotton wool sheep.
13. Easter egg card
16. Rabbit card
17. Rainbow card
Chocolate cornflake cakes
18. We loved making Easter nest cakes when we were small, and we still like eating them now. Try this chocolate cornflake cakes recipe from BBC Good Food.
Home science experiments
19-28. Kids all bunnied out? Try these home science experiments instead. Younger children will love playing the float or sink game. Challenge older children to see whether water can walk.
Button crafts
29. Let your child turn old buttons into springtime crafts, including this brilliant button bug craft.
Easy Easter egg painting idea
30. This easy Easter craft is definitely one of our favourites. You’ll want to empty your eggs before you decorate them – follow this handy how-to guide from our friends at Gathered, which shows you how to blow and decorate an egg without making a mess.
Bunny finger painting
31. Get your kids’ fingers ready for a cute bunny finger painting.
Free activity sheets to print
32-41. If you need a bit of time to chill, try printing these 10 activity sheets for your child to get on with. They feature colouring, maths and writing with Numberblocks, Waffle the Wonderdog, Bing Bunny, PJ Masks and more.
How to paint using a fork
42-46. Paintbrushes all dried up? Try these 5 painting ideas that use a fork instead.
Animal crafts
47-51. These 3 awesome animal crafts include a butterfly card your child can send to someone special.
Counting game for a rainy day
52. Still raining outside? Embrace it with this rainy day counting game.
Numberblocks maths games
53-57. Keep their brains ticking with these 5 active Numberblocks maths games that are lots of fun, too!
Bee art craft
58. Get your child to have a go at this buzzy bee art craft that uses paper, tissue paper, foil and a cardboard tube.
Screen-free activities
59. Try one of these 5 screen-free activities for kids if they need a break from tablets, phones or computers.
Easy bread recipes for families
60. Make the most of time at home and learn a new skill – try this easy bread recipe.
Parenting hacks from grandparents
62. Try these fun parenting hacks from grandparents (because we can’t be with them this year).
Lamb craft idea
63. We’ve fallen in love with this little lamb craft by One Little Project, which was made using cotton buds and clothes pegs.
Googly eyes crafts
64-68. We love these quick googly eyes craft ideas!
Building blocks activities
69-73. These 5 ideas to try with building blocks include matching, counting, sticking, phonics and using their imagination.
Finger printing ideas
74-78. These five fun finger printing ideas include springtime sheep that help your kids with learning maths.
Easy Easter biscuits and cakes
Get busy in the kitchen with these brilliant ways to decorate Easter biscuits and cakes.
82. Chocolate Rice Krispie cakes
Free Bluey colouring-in sheets
84. We just can’t get enough of Bluey and Bingo! Download these free Bluey colouring-in sheets and take your pick from three fun illustrations.
Bonding activities for siblings
85. If you’re looking for ways to keep the whole family happy, here are some fun activities for siblings that kids of all ages can enjoy.