Most of us with children start off excitedly counting down the days until the school holidays start, and then a few days in are praying for school to begin again! Well, the Easter holidays are nearly here. But don’t worry, we’ve got some simple and fun activities to keep children of all ages entertained…

Baking and chocolate

Any excuse to bring yummy food into the office and we are on it here at HQ! BBC Food have compiled a great list of recipes from savoury meals, to edible gifts, to child-friendly baking and more that’ll keep you busy for a while.

  • Easter shaped biscuits are a sure-fire way to light up little faces. Cookie cutters, colourful icing and sprinkles are your best friend (and enemy). Biscuits make beautiful presents when bundled up in cellophane too.
  • The humble chocolate nest is a family favourite. It’s so easy to make that even the most amateur baker can manage. Use any cereal you have (cornflakes, shreddies, rice krispies, shredded wheat) add melted chocolate, butter and syrup, shape into nests, cool then decorate! A word of warning: hard chocolate eggs can be deadly choking hazards to children, so cut them in half or crush them up before filling the nests.
  • Instead of buying boxed Easter eggs, make your own chocolate gifts. Some ideas we love are filling up an ice cream cone with chocolates, making some colourful chocolate bark or creating a chocolate Easter scene jar. There are endless ideas online.
  • Try your hand at baking some of the more traditional Easter foods. Think hot cross buns, simnel cake and Easter biscuits. If you don’t fancy making them, just buy them and enjoy a traditional Easter afternoon tea or elevenses!

Crafts

The Easter fun doesn’t have to stop once you’re all sick of chocolate…

  • Plastic eggs can be filled with miniature toys, glitter, stickers, medals or bubbles which most children love just as much as chocolate anyway! You could even get away with not filling them and simply seeing who can find the most.
  • Secret stones have been very popular in East Sussex and there are lots of dedicated Facebook groups. Children will love decorating them as eggs, bunnies, chicks and flowers, and then hiding them for a non-chocolate hunt.
  • Get crafty with these bunny nose props and masks. You need lolly sticks, pompoms, paper plates and pipe cleaners to make them. Then you can have a photoshoot and turn the images into Easter cards.
  • Make some colourful handprints and fingerprints, wait for them to dry and then use a black pen to turn them into bunnies, chicks, lambs and flowers. They make lovely cards or you can string some together to make Easter bunting.
  • Wooden spoon puppets are really easy to make, and they bring children’s imaginations to life. Wooden spoons, paint, pens, eyes and wool is all you need! Use them to act out stories, make up games and puppet shows.
  • Ever heard of an Easter tree? Find a big branch that you can secure in a pot with clay, foil or pebbles. Paint and glitter it, then add your decorations. Here are some ideas.
  • Painting or dyeing eggs is a lovely old-fashioned Easter activity that you might have done as a child. Enjoy it with your children this Easter. There’s lots of inspiration on Pinterest and you can use foods like beetroot, cabbage and coffee as beautiful natural dyes.