With the Easter holidays fast approaching I thought I would put together a few play activities with a spring/Easter theme. Now spring is here it’s lovely to get outside but we all know with April arriving there is certain to be some rainy days so we always need a bank of play ideas to keep the little ones occupied. Most of the items used in this blog come from The Works, Hobbycraft, Flying Tiger or Poundland.

1. HOP LITTLE BUNNY HOP HOP HOP: This activity is perfect for getting them bouncing over the house. I made foam ‘bunny’ feet to tie on to her feet and then put numbers on Easter eggs. I hid the eggs and then called out numbers and Emilia had to find the egg and jump on it the right amount of times. This is perfect for entertaining them when stuck inside.2. FEATHERY CHICKS: This is great for fine motor skills. I stuck chicks into plastic cups and numbered them. Emilia then had to count out the right amount of feathers to match the check. 

3. NESTING EGGS: Another counting/ fine motor activity with numbered nests. We used the scoopers from ‘Learning resources’ to move and count the eggs into the nests. Emilia then continued to play with the chicks making beds and nests for them.

4. EGG FILLING: This is a classic Easter activity using fillable eggs that you can get in most shops. I numbered the top and put dots on the other other side to be matched together. I also added small numbers and beads that could be counted out to add to the number recognition and 1:1 correspondence.

5. CHICK PLAY DOUGH TRAY: If you follow me on Instagram (@myteachermummyandme) you will know we do a lot of play dough. Check out my play dough blog for all the benefits to it. So here is a lovely chick themed tray to be explored allowing for imaginative play.

6. CHOCOLATE NESTS: Now this is a totally classic activity to do just before Easter. Let’s be honest what child doesn’t enjoy a baking activity that involves making sweet treats. This is perfect for talking about melting and cooling and for fine motor skills too.

7. EGG COLOUR SORT: A simple activity for the little ones. I chose to use our Learning Resources scoopers to add a fine motor element too. These small glittery eggs were from the works and would make a great addition to a sensory bin too.

8. EGG BLOW CROQUET: A quick but fun set up. I made arches using foam, numbered them and then set up a course using playdough but the kids will enjoying making it too. Then the egg needs to be blown round the course using a straw. Why not put a chocolate treat at the end of the maze as a prize too.

9. CARROT COUNTING: Emilia loves rice play and often activities I set up like this one enable her to play imaginatively after, with a whole Peter Rabbit scenario played out. I added carrots and stalks with numbers on to count out using tweezers so great for number recognition.

10. THE GREAT EGG DROP: I couldn’t write an Easter blog without including this idea. One of my favourite memories as a child was our Easter Sunday celebrations with my cousins and one year we had an egg drop challenge out of my Granny’s window so total credit I’m sure goes to one of my fab Teacher Aunties for this one. Presenting the children with different materials to try and make the egg land safely and unharmed is a great STEM activity for children of all ages.

We will be sharing these activities and doing loads more Easter fun on Instagram throughout April so follow #Easter_play and join in with your ideas too! I look forward to seeing what they get up to.