With everyone off at the same time, it’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy some memorable Easter activities with the children.
Easter is like a breath of fresh air for family activities. The weather may or may not be good, but it certainly shouldn’t be awful. Nature is now fully awake and frisky after its winter slumber. There’s a four day weekend in which to enjoy it all.
With that in mind, here’s our guide to some of the best things you can do with your children this Easter. Because it’s time, once more, to shake off your winter torpor and embrace the outdoors.
1. Easter in nature
There’s always lots of organised family activities at Easter, from spring nature trails to mini beast safaris. The National Trust is a good place to start your search, but also check out local listings and the ‘what’s on’ pages of parks, museums and country estates in your area. Or what the heck, just go for an epic walk!
2. Easter egg hunts
There may be an organised Easter egg hunt in your local area, but if not just make your own. Simply plan a route, buy or (better still) make your treats, and write some clues. If that sounds like hard work, happily the BBC have done most of it for you! Plan it for the garden or a small section of your local park if the weather is good. If it’s pouring down, just plant the clues and treats around the house.
3. Easter activities with animals
Baby animals are abound in spring so why not treat the children to the sight of new born lambs, chicks, or perhaps something more exotic? Zoos and farm parks will be putting on plenty of activities to woo visitors over the Easter holidays. Chester Zoo, for example, is bringing favourite animal stories to life through dance, music, stories, performance and play, and there’s bound to be something exciting going on at the zoo nearest to you.
4. Forget the eggs (for a while)
You don’t have to do Easter-y things at Easter. It is, after all, a school holiday, which means local galleries and museums will be putting on lots of family friendly events that don’t involve chocolate (well, not much). Jodrell Bank, for example, is a huge radio telescope in the Cheshire countryside, searching the skies for signs of alien life, and this Easter will be hosting the Space Rocks Science Show. In London, the Museum of London will be spending Easter finding out what the city might be like in 50 years’ time. Wherever you are, there’ll be something similarly fun and thought provoking going on for the holidays.
5. Hit the beach
The sea will be freezing but the sand will be all yours. The beauty of beaches at this time of year is that they’re not packed with daytrippers, and you can get a large stretch of even more popular beaches to yourself. It’s unlikely to be warm enough to stretch out with a good book, but let’s face it, the kids wouldn’t let you do that anyway. Instead, use the empty space for a great game of beach football or cricket, hold running races over the hard sand, and build the best sandcastle the world has ever seen. If the beach isn’t too nearby, why not make your very own beach with a Tuff Tray!
6. Don’t forget the chocolate
Your kids wouldn’t forgive you if you did. Easter wouldn’t be Easter without chocolate, which makes it a great opportunity to enjoy some fun (and, whisper it, educational) cooking sessions with your children. Some chocolate treats are easy to make and also make great Easter gifts. If you’re a decent cook, you can even help older children make their very own Easter eggs.