Fun Easter Ideas and Traditions When You Have Kids

1. Dyeing Eggs:

We dye TONS of eggs. I have a large wire tree that holds two dozen decorated Easter eggs for our table.  We usually make 4 dozen.  Over the years we have experimented with tie-dye eggs, sparkle eggs, eggs covered in crayon drawings, and eggs decorated with stickers. Last year we used stickers to turn most of our eggs into robot eggs!

I have some tips for dyeing eggs: You don’t need to buy expensive kits. Food coloring and vinegar works just as well. Don’t dye your eggs on Saturday before Easter or your kiddos might go to Sunday service with brightly colored fingers (the dye is hard to get off). Finally, expect that when you are dying eggs with a little boy…. He’s going to want to throw a few into the dye bowl instead of placing them gently, so watch out for splatter.

2.  Resurrection Cookies or “Magic” Cookies:

I love to bake, so this Easter tradition is a new addition for us. I didn’t grow up with this tradition, but I’m excited to do it with my children for many Easter weekends to come! There are lots of recipes for these cookies available online, so I won’t spend a lot of time giving you all the details. There is a special story to go with the cookies that is easy to find for those celebrating in a religious way. If you’re not religious, they’re still a lot of fun to do with the kiddos the night before.

You make these cookies the evening before Easter and put them in the oven. They are overnight cookies, meaning they actually cook while you sleep.  In the morning, Voila! Delicious Easter cookies just like magic!

3.  The Basket:

I don’t like to buy the premade baskets from the store. In fact, we use the same basket every year. We let our son pick it out at the store just before his first Easter. I still remember his chubby little baby hands reaching for the basket with bunny ears!  I always fill the bottom of the basket with green yarn. I’m not a big fan of the plastic green grass that attaches itself to my carpet, so the yarn is a great alternative. Besides, it’s reusable! We’ve been using the same green yarn since his first Easter. I like to put books, novelty toys from the dollar store, and a few candy items in his basket. I always try to choose one fun Easter craft and a chocolate bunny too! He’s not a big fan of the chocolate bunny, but I put it in there anyway because it’s the one thing my husband and I both remember from our childhood baskets.

4.  The Egg Hunt:

To be honest, I don’t remember much about our baskets, because I usually dumped it into a grocery bag as fast as I could. After all, I needed a big empty basket for one of my most favorite childhood Easter traditions: the egg hunt. The egg hunt is the reason I make so many dyed eggs.  I love hiding them all over the yard for the kiddos to find! In keeping with our family tradition, we always choose one egg to be the money egg. This egg is unique. You get a prize for finding the most eggs, but you get money for finding the money egg. It’s a fun tradition that has the kiddos scrambling to find all the eggs in hopes that one of their eggs will be the magic money egg.  I love it!

5.  Photos:

Now that I’m a mom, this is quickly becoming one of the most important parts of the day for me. I’m not sure if everyone does this, but it’s tradition in our family. There are photos of families in Easter Sunday attire standing in front of their homes going back 5 generations. It’s an obligatory photo that now holds such a special place in my heart! There is one of my husband and I in front of our first home, one with my son on his very first Easter, one with me pregnant and glowing…. They’re so beautiful and special to me. I look forward to taking on every year. This year will be special too, because I’m pregnant with baby two. Next year, I will point to this photograph and say “Look, there you are in Mommy’s tummy.”

I hope my list inspired you to try some new things this Easter. I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with your family. I’d love to hear all about your own Easter traditions. I believe, traditions are what make the holidays so much fun!

Written by: Sara Parise