The Craftiest Workshop

There are lots of ideas for Easter programming for children both secular and religious.

Themes like the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs, the cross and new life come to mind.

BOOKS

Don’t Push the Button An Easter Surprise by Bill Cotter

This book requires reader participation.

You can incorporate colour recognition and counting.

Easter Eggs for Anya by Virginia Kroll and Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport

This is a lovely story about a Ukrainian Easter tradition.

God Gave Us Easter by Lisa Tawn Bergren and iIlustrated by Laura J. Bryant

The message is a little deep for younger listeners but a nice story about the true message of Easter.

How to Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace and illustrated by Andy Elkerton

A very colourful rhyming story with elaborate Easter Bunny traps.

Looking for Easter by Dori Chaconas and illustrated by Margie Moore

A lovely story with bunny searching for Easter and he asks all his animal friends. They each give him something that they think is Easter and in the end bunny finds the true meaning of Easter.

The Easter Bunny that Overslept by Priscilla & Otto Friedrich and illustrated by Adrienne Adams

Although this book has the 4th of July (American), I still like the story.

This Little Bunny by Ally Fronis and illustrated by Sanja Rescek

A good short book for young listeners that enjoy “This Little Piggie”.

SONGS

Five Little Bunnies

Five little bunnies hopping on the floor (hopping action)

One hopped away, (hopping fingers)

And then there were four (take one bunny away)

Four little bunnies hid behind a tree, (hide face in hands)

One climbed up, (climbing action with hands)

And then there were three (take one bunny away)

Three little bunnies wondered what to do? (tap head as if to think hard)

One went to sleep, (pretend to sleep)

And then there were two (take one bunny away)

Two little bunnies went to have some fun (last two bunnies jump up and down)

One hopped down a hole, (make a diving action with hand)

And then there was one (take one bunny away)

One little bunny paddling in the sea, (make last bunny go up and down as if over waves)

I went and picked him up, (pick up bunny)

And he came home with me! (cradle bunny in your arms)

Song of the Easter Bunny

^{(tune of “She’ll be coming Round the Mountain”)}

^{Use an appropriate action for each verse}

He’ll be hopping down the trail when he comes (sing twice)

He’ll be hopping down the trail (sing twice)

He’ll be hopping down the trail when he comes

He’ll bring me lots of candy when he comes (sing twice)

He’ll bring me lots of candy (sing twice)

He’ll bring me lots of candy when he comes

He will fill my easter basket when he comes (sing twice)

He will fill my easter basket (sing twice)

He will fill my easter basket when he comes

CRAFTS

Easter Egg wreath

Cut the middle out of a flimsy paper plate. Cut enough eggs to cover the circle. I used smaller eggs because the scrap fabric pieces I had were smaller. I cut eggs out in white paper first then glued cut out fabric onto the paper. Kids could just colour or paint the eggs and then glue them on. I added a material bow to finish it off.

Cotton ball Bunny

Anyone that knows me, knows that touching cotton balls make my skin crawl. Any kids with sensory issues may not like this craft. Cover a paper plate with cotton balls then add pipe cleaners, pom pom, googly eyes and paper ears.

Button Easter Egg

I cut out an egg shape then wrapped it in yarn…this gives it a softer effect. I added different spring coloured buttons.

Clothespin cross

Remove the spring from 12 wooden clothes pins. Set aside 5 halves for Jesus. Paint the rest brown or gold. Glue onto construction paper and then cut around it.

ACTIVITIES

Eggs-er-cise

Materials needed

12 plastic hollow eggs, 2 six sided dice, 12 small pieces of paper

Rules

12 eggs get hidden around a room.  In each egg is a piece of paper with an action on it.  When an egg is found, everyone comes to the center. The person who found the egg rolls two six sided dice.  Whatever number is rolled that is the number of times everyone must repeat the action found inside that egg.

Example:  Susie finds a purple egg.  Everyone comes to the center.  Susie rolls a six on the dice and reveals the action “pencil roll”.  Everyone must lie on the floor like a pencil and roll over six times.

Actions: print out or write these actions on small pieces of paper and place inside the eggs.

 Front Roll – Jumps Backward – Jumping Jacks – Forward kicks – Punches – Push ups – Sit ups –

 Spins – Giant steps forward – Squats – Pencil rolls – Bunny hops

Magnets

At Easter you can often find metal eggs or bunnies that are filled with chocolate. Keep these to create an Easter themed magnetic playset. I added a few magnetic animals/fish, magnetic letters, some magnetic bingo chips, magnetic horseshoes and bingo wands. I have two metal chocolate containers that I keep my magnets in.

** as always with magnets and small parts, close supervision is required. As I was setting this up for a picture, I recalled how much I enjoy playing with magnets.

SENSORY

Shaving cream Egg dying

Add shaving cream to muffin tins and add a few drops of different food colouring. Place an egg into the shaving cream and have children carefully move it around using a spoon. Less messy way to dye eggs.

Easter eggs in water bin

At the end of your Easter programming, why not have a water table/bin and give all the plastic Easter eggs a wash. The children will enjoy filling the egg halves with water and dumping them out. You could add some strainers, sponges and scrub brushes.

Easter Playdough

Easter Playdough

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 Tbsp cream of tartar

1 Tbsp veg oil

1 cup water

Food colouring (2-3 drops of one colour to make pastel)

Mix the dry ingredients.

Mix the wet including 2-3 drops of food colouring.

Add wet to dry. Cook until ball forms over med heat.

Remove from heat and let cool.

If too dry, add a few drops of water, if too sticky add a bit of flour.

New Life

Another great activity would be to have each child plant something. Use empty yogurt containers, applesauce cups or egg cartons. You could have them plant a sunflower, bean or pea seed. If you are a gardener, offer seeds that you harvested from the year before so it doesn’t cost you anything.

Whether you are programming for a class, preschool, Sunday school or Easter break camp, I hope you have found something that you might want to use in your programming for Easter.