Guest Post: Easter Celebrations: How to Make Easter Fun and Memeorable for Your Children

What do you do when your child's birthday falls around a holiday? 

Do you incorporate the holiday into their birthday party? Or to you keep them separate?

Here's a guest post that shares how to make the upcoming Easter holiday extra special!

Many of the ideas can be incorporated into your child's birthday, as well,

if it is around the holiday!

Easter marks the end of Lent and the beginning of spring. The weather is warm, flowers are in bloom, and birds are chirping a happy tune. What better way to celebrate this joyous occasion than with a party?

(Source)

Forget about celebrating Easter in an overcrowded mall. Hold the bash in your backyard instead, and enjoy the beautiful day. Here are some ways to make this memorable for you and the kids.


Invitations


You can get ready-made invitations from the bookstore, but where is the fun in that? Invite your kids' friends to hop to your house with rabbit invitations. Get sheets of construction paper and trace an Easter bunny outline with a cookie cutter. You can also go online, search for samples, and print them out.


Cut out the bunnies, and then draw the eyes, nose and mouth. Ask your children to get pieces of yarn, and paste them on the cheeks for whiskers. Glue cotton balls at the back for tail. Now, get those colored markers out, and write the party details on the bunny's tummy.


Decorations


Enhance the beauty of your spring garden with colorful decorations. Stick blue and pink balloons in bushes and chairs. Hang homemade party buntings between tree branches and above the pathway to the backyard. Collect dry twigs, or buy a pack in the hardware store. Fashion them into a nest, then add three or four plastic eggs as the final touch.


Menu


Set up a traditional Easter buffet table for the parents. Old favorites include deviled eggs, roast ham or lamb, baked potatoes, asparagus and green beans salad, and carrot cake for dessert.

(Source)

For a kid-approved menu, prepare some cheese and crackers, hot cross buns, and grilled sausages. Skip the pies, cookies, and ice cream for dessert. Since their tummies are already filled with chocolate rabbits and candies, make a fresh fruit tray of cantaloupes, oranges, and strawberries.


Easter Egg Hunt


An Easter party isn't complete without an egg hunt! If the garden is a little wet, put the eggs, chocolates, and small toys inside plastic containers. Hide one golden egg, which means a special prize for the one who finds it. It could be money, a nice toy, or tickets to the zoo.


Consider holding the hunt in two batches, one for the smaller ones and another for the older kids. If a little child has no luck finding an egg, encourage the big kids to share their loot. This is a great opportunity to teach the value of generosity. Don't forget to lay some ground rules, like no shoving or grabbing!


Easter Piñata


Get the kids even more excited with an Easter piñata. No need to go to the store. Here is an easy do-it-yourself guide:

1. Cover a blown-up balloon with strips of old newspapers dipped in glue.
   
2. Let it dry, then do this step again until it is covered with 3 to 4 layers of paper.
   
3. Get some colored Japanese paper and cut them into 1 to 2 inch squares.
   
4. Scrunch up the pieces, and then glue them around the balloon.
   
5. Carve a hole on top and fill it with candies. Then put back the carved newspaper cover, and cover it with colored paper.
   
6. Poke two holes on the upper part of the egg and insert a ribbon.

Voila! You now have a colorful egg piñata, and it only costs less than $3.


More Easter Activities

(Source)

Guess the number – Fill a container with candies or chocolate rabbits and give everyone a piece of paper and pen. Ask them to write their names and guess how many treats are in the jar. The one who comes closest or gets the exact amount gets them all!


Egg-and-spoon relay – Give the kids a spoon and a hard-boiled egg each. Ask them to place the egg on the spoon and hold it in their mouth. The goal is to reach the finish line without dropping them. The first one to cross the finish line first gets the grand prize. Prepare consolation treats for the second and third placers.


Easter arts and crafts – is another surefire hit with the children. Get them to make hard-boiled eggs into works of art with paint, stickers and glitter. Bring out Easter pictures and a tray full of crayons.


Bunny ears – Cut a strip of felt paper long enough to go around their heads. Cut out ears of varying lengths. Let them choose their own pair and glue them on the paper bands. In a few minutes, you will have little rabbits running around the yard!


Easter Sunday represents a time for new beginnings, and a celebration is, of course, a must. Make this occasion more fun and meaningful with these simple and inexpensive tips. And the memories? Priceless.






Jessica Phan is a designer for Balsamhill.com a purveyor of high-end artificial Christmas Trees. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area is perfect for her because she has a wide range of interests, including Art & Design, Fashion, Photography, Painting and Thrift Store Shopping.