Entertaining the kids at Easter, without blowing the budget
Another Easter with lockdown restrictions, staying home and staying safe. Thankfully though, this time we are little more clued up at finding ways to entertain our families.
There are still plenty of Easter traditions to enjoy at home, as well as activities to make the Easter holidays a success. Many of these things don’t have to cost a lot either, if anything at all. And remember, there are also going to be days when the kids just want to stay in their pyjamas all day, watch Easter films and tuck into their Easter eggs!
The idea is to mix it up a bit, remembering that children are usually happiest with the simple things in life and that their favourite thing to do is to spend time with their family.
Here are some Easter lockdown ideas for you to try at home:
Have an Easter Egg Hunt – why not hide small chocolate eggs, or other small Easter toys around your house and/or garden. Each egg can have a clue that will lead them to the next egg, with the final one being their big chocolate Easter egg! Some example clues you could use … your toy trains are kept in this place, you put these on your feet to splash in puddles, the place that your outdoor toys are kept? For older children, you may want to ramp up the difficulty and send them to look in different places. You could even ask the children to do a small task when they find the egg, like doing ten star jumps or singing a nursery rhyme.
Bunny Hop Sack Race – this is really just a take on the traditional sack race but with an Easter twist – by adding some bunny ears! And don’t worry if you don’t have a sack, just use a pillow case.
An Easter ‘Egg & Spoon’ Race – this can be done using fresh eggs – either hard boiled, or if you’re brave, uncooked! You could also use a smallish ball if you don’t want to use eggs. To make it a bit harder for any big kids you have you can also get them to hop on one leg between the start and finish line!
Build a den – this is a great activity and can be done inside or outside, depending what weather we have. Where possible, try to get your child/children to help build the den, or at least come up with the ideas so they use their creativity and problem-solving skills. If the den is being made outside you can use garden chairs and tables, sheets, pegs, even clothes driers and table cloths. For inside the dining table is a good start, or the sofa!
Have a picnic at the park – family picnics can be great fun and a local park is the perfect venue if you want to get away from the house, or if you don’t have a garden. Make sure you pack some tasty food to keep the family happy. Top tip: make or buy finger food and then you don’t even need to take any plates or cutlery. Lastly, don’t forget a football, or a bat and ball for a game of rounders. Oh, and don’t forget the hand sanitiser either!
Send them on a scavenger hunt – this one is a big hit amongst all ages. You can even download and print one of the many free scavenger hunt lists available online. The ideas are endless – bugs, garden objects, different types of materials, household items, anything you want really. When they’ve found everything on their list, the kids could win a small prize maybe, or the last item could be a treat of some kind.
Turn your backyard or garden into an obstacle course – this is a good one for encouraging physical movement, thinking and problem solving. Use items found in your garage or house to create fun obstacles – for example, brooms, hula hoops, balls, sticks, buckets and even water. This is bound to be a hit and result in lots of laughter. Even the adults could have a go!
Painting stones – this activity comes in two parts; the first is to find the stones. The kids could search in the garden if you have one, or they could extend their search and look for them when they’re on a walk one day. As it’s Easter they may want to collect round pebbles so they can paint them to look like Easter eggs, however, any will do. Once the stones are washed and dried they can start on their masterpiece! Acrylic paints and permanent markers work best, and they need to add a varnish if they are to stay outdoors. Maybe they can leave them in places for people to find when you are out on a walk too – which will definitely put a smile on someone’s face.
Talking of eggs, if you’d like to grow your very own nest egg then think about starting a savings plan! Here at Salford Credit Union we have all sorts of savings plans available to our members which could help you save for an important occasion, a large purchase, or even thinking ahead to Christmas. Take a look on our website and see how Salford Credit Union can help you – saving can actually be quite easy once you get into the habit.
