Easter is coming. It’s getting warmer, nature is awakening, and most kids are looking forward to the Easter Bunny and other Easter traditions. Easter articles have been available in stores for several weeks. But, besides the usual candy and chocolate Easter Bunnies, what else is a nice surprise for kids on Easter? Here are some great Easter gift ideas for kids and tips for fun Easter activities with your family. In addition, you’ll find a few ideas for the First Holy Communion, Confirmation or other important events where you may be looking to fulfill a special wish.
Before Easter: Egg Art
Many kids start to look forward to the holidays a long time before Easter. They love to be involved in the preparations and are incredibly creative helpers. Baking or selecting recipes for the Easter menu are activities which they enjoy. Maybe they can prepare your table decoration and write or design your place cards, for example. However, what many kids like the best is dyeing Easter eggs, for that’s how they can actually help the Easter Bunny. They know that it’s impossible for the Easter Bunny to manage that task alone for all the kids in the world. Some people blow out the eggs before decorating them in order to reuse them in the following years. However, I find it easier to use hard-boiled eggs and dye these, especially when younger kids are involved. Only boil as many eggs as you’ll eat within about 10 days, say three to four eggs per person. You can buy Easter egg dye into which you dip the eggs, or you can decorate the eggs with markers, colored pencils or water color. For hard-boiled eggs, however, it’s safest to use food-grade dyes. Kids love to put stickers on the dyed and dried eggs, for example to give them funny faces.
Easter Egg Hunt Outdoors
An Easter egg hunt is the key ingredient for the perfect Easter party. If you have a garden, you can hide the Easter eggs, candy and maybe even some small gifts outside between flowers, bushes and trees. But a trip to the park or going hiking are also great opportunities for an Easter egg hunt, even though hiding the eggs needs a bit more organization. Don’t forget to bring Easter baskets for your kids to gather their “prey.”
Gift Ideas on a Budget
What makes the Easter egg hunt exciting for kids is when, in addition to Easter eggs and candy, they also find a few other little gifts. You don’t have to spend much on those; it’s the idea that counts.
Sidewalk Chalk
Sidewalk chalk is an inexpensive gift which can keep kids busy for hours. They will cherish most if you join the activity and draw together with them. Sidewalks, the pavement in the park, your patio or balcony—kids are quick at finding places that can be decorated. Tip: Make sure they’re wearing their playclothes, since sidewalk chalk projects are really messy. That also applies to parents, by the way. 🙂
The First Earrings from STUDEX
Many kids are longing for their first earrings, and Easter is a great opportunity to make this wish come true. Get a gift certificate for ear piercing from a local store or create your own gift certificate. Many STUDEX partner stores offer gift boxes with the first earrings for kids. The piercing earrings need to remain sealed in their sterile cartridge until piercing, of course. The gift box also has room for additional earrings for later. With STUDEX, ear piercing is included in the price of the piercing earrings. Depending on the material you choose, a pair of piercing earrings costs around 30 Euros.
For kids with pierced ears, the hypoallergenic earrings of the Sensitive by STUDEX collection are a beautiful gift. They are priced between 15 and 30 Euros per pair, depending on the design you choose. The cute daisies, which are available in various color combinations, are the perfect choice for Eastertide.
Spring break or the Easter holidays are a great time for having your kid’s ears pierced because then you usually have a little more time to take care of the newly pierced ears and to familiarize yourselves with the important aftercare procedures. By the time your kids go back to school or kindergarten, you and your kids will be real aftercare experts and cleansing the ears twice per day will be part of your daily routine.
Petting Zoo
For many kids, a visit to the petting zoo is their first opportunity to see—and even touch—a real Easter Bunny. They can also pet little lambs, baby goats and other animals. Many zoos and wildlife parks have a petting zoo area where children are welcome. Bring your family or friends to make the visit an event that your kids will remember for a long time.
Little Things Mean Great Joy
How to encourage kids to also eat a healthy snack instead of just candy? With love for detail. These yummy looking sandwiches will certainly catch your kids’ attention. Sliced cheese and cottage cheese are decorated with chives, olive rings, radishes and other veggies or fruits. Ham or other breakfast meats are great alternatives, of course. Just use your imagination.
Make a Wish Come True for the First Communion, Confirmation or Other Events
For important events, such as the First Holy Communion or Confirmation, it is the greatest joy to make a gift that children will remember for a long time. Besides a watch, a bike or inline skates, the first earrings probably rank first place on the list of gifts which kids will treasure the most and throughout their lives.
Image credits
Header image: © freestocks/Unsplash; image #1: © pressmaster/Fotolia; image #2: © lunamarina/Fotolia; image #3: © ChrisArt/Fotolia; image #4, daisy earrings: © STUDEX of Europe GmbH; image #5: © MAK/Fotolia; image #6: © teresa/Fotolia; image #7: © karelnoppe/Fotolia