Kids Cracking Up? Here’s How to Keep Them Entertained This Easter

It’s that time of year again – an extra hour of daylight has been generously bestowed upon us, the biting winter weather is well and truly dying down (well, for the most part) and Easter is only around the corner. As well as an avalanche of chocolate and a flurry of family gatherings, it’s also, of course, the school holidays. For parents, it can be tiring contemplating how to fill each and every hour, especially during that second week. So, we’ve compiled a list of activities that may help kill an afternoon or two…or three. Get cracking!

Getting Crafty

There are endless little arts & crafts projects the kids can take on over Easter. If you want to keep it simple, how about some egg decoration? Grab some paints, brushes, glue and glitter and make use of any scraps of crepe paper, cardboard or bubble wrap that might be lying around the house. Lay it all out and let the kids’ creativity run wild and free! And once you’ve all had your fill of these beautifully decorated masterpieces taking centre-stage around the house, why not crack the shells in half and make mini flower pots? Environmentally friendly and pretty!

Craic in the Kitchen

If there’s one thing most kids can get on board with, it’s baking. No doubt helped by the prospect of a sweet treat at the end of it! Once again, this doesn’t need to break the bank or be overly complicated. Have a jumbo-sized pack of puffed rice in the cupboard that needs using? Perfect. A handful of chocolate buttons, a tablespoon or two of butter, some miniature marshmallows, and we’re away.

Whether it’s these, a batch of cookies, or an oven full of cupcakes, all can be baked in and around 30 minutes or less. But the real fun to be found is in the decorating. Marshmallows, icing, sprinkles – give your little ones full creative license. Whether it’s spelling out their names, crafting the outline of bunny ears or even going fully avant-garde, they’ll probably have had so much fun baking they’ll forget to ingest the end product when the time comes. Probably.

The Hunt

Easter is that rare time of year when we as adults can revert back to our childhood and join in on one of the simple pleasures again – the Easter egg hunt. While there are a number of organised hunts you can participate in, sometimes it’s much easier to just create your own. To build excitement in the run-up, why not get the kids to decorate their own baskets? Do your kids have any neighbourhood friends? Get them involved too - the more the merrier.

When the day comes, you’ll have as much fun as anyone sneaking around corners of your garden hiding the goods. If your garden isn’t big enough, no worries – head over to your local park and give the kids a realistic area to search within. There are no real losers in an Easter egg hunt, but for extra buzz, why not include a competition element? Your only issue will be you already know where all the eggs are, so you can’t join in!

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Copyright Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. 1995.