How to Hold a Classroom Easter Celebration

Easter heralds the beginning of spring. It also signals that the end of the school year is not very far away. Children love the thought of celebrating Easter after the dreary days of winter. Some parents, educators and administrative staff may feel a bit leery of celebrating a holiday that has religious overtones in the classroom. However, if you are careful and make allowances for parental concerns, you can celebrate Easter in your classroom. Make it a celebration that everybody can enjoy!

Instructions

1. Get permission from you administrator. Many schools do not celebrate Easter due to the fact that it can be considered a religious holiday. Ask weeks in advance. Be prepared to explain why it could be fun for all students.

2. Contact the parents by sending home a letter with the students. Include a space for the parents to offer any objections or volunteer to help. Also include a list of "needs," such as napkins and paper plates for the snack time. Make sure the letter has the date and time of the party. Invite any parents to the party who may want to come.

3. Try to work the party into the curriculum. If you have older students, you can examine the Christian and pagan roots of Easter. If you have younger students, you can talk about the season of spring. Explain what happens during spring to plants and animals.

4. 

   Ask the students to help you plan the party. This will help them to become excited for the upcoming celebration. Vote on what food items the class would like to eat during the party. Then, spend some time creating decorations. Large paper eggs on the wall with each child's name can be lots of fun. See link in our Resources section for even more creative ideas.

5. Do an Easter craft with the children. Begin the party with a special craft activity. You can dye Easter eggs (if you have enough parent volunteers), use cotton and colored chalk to create Easter pictures, use watercolors to paint giant Easter eggs, or weave Easter baskets out of strips of paper.

6. Read an Easter story aloud. After the craft is over, quiet the children down with a special snack and story. Read aloud from an Easter-themed storybook. Feed them a special snack such as bunny-ear cupcakes or hard-boiled eggs.

7. Play some games. End your party with some Easter games. You can take the children outside to hunt for eggs. If it's raining, search for eggs inside. Teach the children how to do the "bunny hop."

Tips & Warnings

• Use empty soup cans to hold food coloring when dying Easter eggs. They are easy to get. You can throw them away when you are done for easy clean up.

Resources

• Easter Crafts