How to make easter fun with your kids

Easter is a special time of the year because of the message it brings, the traditions surrounding it and the announcement that spring has arrived. Here are some ways to make Easter memorable for your family and fun for your kids.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Large eggs
• Dyes
• Easter baskets
• Plastic eggs filled with candy and coins

Coloring Easter Eggs

1. Try to have at least 6 eggs per child for them to dye and experiment with. To prepare, calculate how many eggs you will need and then hard-boil them a day in advance to give them plenty of time to cool. Once you are ready to color the eggs with children, you can decide what type of decorating you want to do.
2. Try traditional Easter egg dying with color tablets but with a twist. Use a wax crayon to draw designs on the eggs before you dip them in dye. The waxed design will not color, and it gives a unique contrast to traditional eggs. Kids can write names or draw shapes.
3. Instead of a wax crayon, use stickers. Then when you are done coloring the eggs, peel the stickers off and the shapes will be left behind.
4. Take various colors of tissue paper and cut small squares out of them. Then use glue or Mod Podge and a paint brush to design mosaic eggs.

Easter Baskets

5. Put these special baskets together weeks in advance. Instead of purchasing the prepackaged kind, put some thought into the baskets.
6. Include things in their favorite colors or go with an animal theme. Just personalize it to their liking. Some fun things to include in Easter baskets are candy, books about Easter or spring, CDs with children's music, coloring books, crayons, bubbles, pails and shovels for sandbox play, jump ropes and sidewalk chalk.
7. Start a tradition with your Easter baskets and each year put in something similar, such as a new teddy bear or bunny, a sun hat or a new shirt.

Edible Easter Treats

8. Make Rice Krispies-treat eggs by making regular Rice Krispies treats (see Rice Krispies box for recipe) and then fill plastic eggs with the mixture. They will mold to the shapes of eggs so that when they harden, they will be egg shaped and fun to eat.
9. Make sugar cookies. Use a recipe to make them from scratch or use refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Whichever you choose, roll them out and use cookie cutters in Easter shapes, like eggs, bunnies and chicks. Decorate the cookies with icing and special decorations.
10. Wrap these treats in plastic wrap and tie them with a fun bow to make great treats for Easter or spring parties.

Easter Egg Hunt

11. Have a scavenger hunt. Instead of candy, place a clue in each Easter egg leading to the next. All the clues can point towards a special prize at the end: an Easter basket, a basket of candy or a special spring treat.
12. Color-code the eggs so that children will not fight over eggs and the egg hunt is fair. Children can all receive the same number of eggs and treats.
13. If you do not want to fill the eggs with candy, you can use change. Then take your children to the store and pick out a special Easter treat that will last longer and be enjoyed more than candy. Children love to feel like they are choosing something and they can pay for it with their money.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure all gifts are age appropriate and do not have pieces too small for young children.