6 Fun Easter Activities for Preschoolers

Easter is the quintessential spring holiday. The colorful decorations, budding flowers, and adorable bunnies are symbols of rebirth and new life. They’re also the perfect images to capture kids’ imaginations. There are so many wonderful activities preschoolers can take part of from neighborhood Easter egg hunts to egg coloring.

We want to give you some other options to help keep your little ones busy during this festive season, make use of some of those plastic eggs (is it just us or do they multiply overnight?), and practice some skills for school.

Here are 6 fun Easter activities you and your preschooler can enjoy together.

Egg Stacking

While there likely is a challenge out there to stack real eggs, in this version, you’ll use half of plastic eggs. It’s a super simple, yet surprisingly engaging game for preschoolers. Have your kiddo see how many plastic eggs they can stack before their tower falls down. This game will teach them a bit about physics and balance.

If you have time to sit with them as they play, practice counting. You can ask simple addition questions like how many will you have if you add one more? Simply talking with your tot as they play is a great way to improve language skills and introduce math vocabulary.

You could also challenge your child to stack the eggs in a way that creates different color patterns. You may need to talk about what a pattern is first. Don’t hesitate to give them a few minutes to try to figure it out! You could start by creating a pattern, discuss what you did, then see if they can imitate something similar!

Easter Egg Memory Game

This is another game that makes use of plastic Easter eggs. We prefer using just half an egg but if you wanted to practice fine motor skills (and you have a bit more time), you could use the entire eggs. In addition to Easter eggs, you’ll need several small objects you could hide under a half egg (or inside the full egg). Some items to consider: small crackers (like Goldfish), coins, stickers, marbles, or even letters/numbers written on cardboard squares).

Find a flat surface with plenty of space and arrange the objects into a grid pattern. Cover each item with a half egg. Then play a classic memory game. Each player lifts two eggs to try to find a match. If you uncover a match, you get to go again. If you opt to hide objects in a whole egg, kids will have to take the extra step of opening the egg to reveal what’s inside, then put it back together to replace it back on your game board.

We love this game because you can make it as quick or as long as you like. Simply add more objects or take a few away to extend or shorten your game. Just be sure every object has a match!

Easter Story Time

Toddlers love telling and hearing stories. Encourage them to grow their active imaginations with an Eastertime story game. We realize it can be a lot to ask young kids to come up with an idea on their own and create a cohesive story, so for this activity you’ll help them get started.

Give your toddler a few events or characters. Help them build a story around those events or characters. You can either record them telling their story on your phone or serve as their scribe and write down what they say.

Another fun option is to have your child draw the story first, then use the drawing to tell the story. Alternatively, you could tell the story and have your kids draw it out. This will help improve their listening skills!

Texture Eggs

This activity is a twist on the classic Easter activity — coloring eggs. Instead of coloring eggs, give kids various materials to decorate their eggs. Ribbon, stickers, glitter glue, or scraps of fabric are all interesting mediums to try. If you have a few googly eyes, glue, and pipe cleaners, you can make cute egg “people”!

If you have kiddos who love tactile activities, break out the finger paints! Who says decorating eggs has to include vinegar and food coloring?

Weave a Basket

Admittedly, you may not be able to craft a full basket (without adult help), but this is more of a “the journey is the destination” kind of activity. Just the act of weaving strips of paper is fun for kids!

You’ll need strips of construction paper (roughly the same size), glue and a stapler or tape. Show kids how to weave the strips of paper under and over strips of paper lay out perpendicular to the strip they are weaving. Use two different colors to help them see the difference. You may have to gently tape the anchor strips down, so they do not move as they are weaving. You can also tape the end where they started in place.

To assemble a full basket, create five squares of woven paper, and attach them with a staple or tape. One square will serve as the bottom. The other four squares will be the sides. Fold the four sides up and staple or tape those together to make a cube (with no top). Add another strip to two sides as a handle!

Create a Rock Garden

If you’re having guests for the holiday, this is a wonderful way to include adults and kids of all ages. Before the big day, collect enough rocks for each guest. Set out a table with paint, brushes, water cups and the rocks.

Everyone should be free to write or draw whatever suits their fancy. When they’re done, find a good space in your yard (around trees, walkways or a flower garden are some obvious choices). Even your littlest ones can arrange the rocks and they’ll look beautiful. The best part is that the garden will last for years. You can keep adding to it or revisit it annually!

Happy Easter!