15 Easter Activities for Dads and Kids

Updated: 21st February 2024

With a couple of weeks off school, Easter activities are a great way to spend some time doing something different with the kids.

Easter is like a breath of fresh air for family activities. The weather is warmer and brighter, and nature has woken up from its winter slumber. And while the kids' attention might be focused on when the Easter Bunny is going to deliver a basket load of easter eggs, there's still plenty of time to fill with fun Easter activities.

Most of us will get at least a four day weekend in which to enjoy it all, but if you take time time off while the kids are off from school, then you've got plenty of time to get all these Easter activities ticked off.

With that in mind, here’s our guide to some of the best things you can do with your children this Easter. 

Every product on DaddiLife is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, but this never influences our product choices.

What is Easter?

Easter is a Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Taking place over three days, it begins on Good Friday, the day that Jesus was crucified by the Romans and culminates on Easter Monday.

Easter Sunday is the focal point of the celebration, as Mary Magdalene and some of Jesus' disciples visited his tomb to find it was open and Jesus' body was not there. Because it is the focal point of the religious celebrations, it is also the most common day for modern Easter activities.

Easter Monday is also considered to be a day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus because, while the empty tomb was discovered on the Sunday, news spread and celebrations began on the Monday.

When is Easter in 2024?

You've probably noticed that the date of Easter changes every year. That's because Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the spring equinox.

In 2024, Good Friday falls on Friday 29 March with Easter Sunday following on Sunday 31 March. Of course, that means Easter Monday is on 1 April.

The 15 best Easter activities to do with your kids

1. Go on an organised Easter egg hunt

There's always plenty of organised family activities at family attractions any time the kids are off school, and Easter is no different. From spring nature trails to minibeast safaris, you can usually find something Easter-themed.

And the best part, the kids will usually win a particularly tasty egg-shaped treat as a prize once they completed the hunt!

Check out local listings and the 'what's on' pages of parks, museums and country estates in your area, as well as platforms like Facebook. They're always a great source of fun for the whole family.

2. A traditional easter egg hunt at home

Even if you're heading to an organised hunt in the local area, you can't not do one at home!

You could do this in the garden or a local park**, or if the weather isn't very good or you don't have the space nearby, you can always do an indoor one.

If you're doing an egg hunt with little ones, it's best to hide eggs in relatively easy-to-find places and just let them search with their Easter baskets in their hands. Easter egg hunts typically involve a range of clues to find the next egg, so you can start to introduce some simple clues as they get older. For older kids, try to make the clues a little more challenges.

If you need some more help organising your Easter egg hunt, the BBC has some more tips for you.

**A word of warning on doing your Easter egg hunt in a local park - we did this one year for our two kids and their cousins. The trouble was, some people assumed the eggs were free to pick up.

3. Easter crafts

Getting the art supplies out is a great activity for any time of the year, but it's especially fun at Easter.

Make Easter bonnets

A staple Easter craft activity for many, many years (and your kids may well come home from school with one!). You can be as simple or extravagant as you like.

Check out Pinterest for some inspiration!

Easter colouring

Whether you've got some Easter-themed colouring books left over from last year, you head out to buy some new ones, or download some printables from the internet, colouring is a simple Easter activity but one that's plenty of fun.

Painting eggs

Painting eggs is arguably the traditional Easter crafts activity. You can either use plastic easter eggs or real eggs. If you're using real eggs, you'll need to remove the egg whites and yolk first. Again, the BBC has some great tips on how to do this.

Other Easter crafts

There are no shortage of other brilliant ideas for Easter-themed crafts. You could make a Easter egg garland, or make bunnies from different craft materials. This is your opportunity to get super creative

4. Nature scavenger hunts

As much as the kids' minds might be totally focused on chocolate eggs at Easter, it's also a time for getting outside and enjoying nature. Whether it's something run by a local organisation or something you do yourself at a local park, you can let the kids hunt for things like leaves, sticks, insects, birds and other animals.

5. Easter baking

Picture the scene, the sun is shining on a beautiful spring morning, the birds are chirping as the flowers bloom. You gather the kids around the kitchen table to bake some delicious sweet Easter-themed treats so that by the time they're finished playing some fun Easter games outside, the treats are out of the oven and ready to try.

We're picturing carrot cake muffins, corn flake cakes, Mini eggs hot cross buns, Easter egg biscuits, cheesecake-filled Easter eggs. Anyone else hungry?

6. Easter activities with animals

Easter is obviously closely linked with the concept of new life, and so, taking place at the height of spring, one of the best ideas you could possibly think of is to head to the local farm or zoo. Not only will they undoubtedly be laying on fun Easter activities of their own, but your children will get to see a whole load of adorable baby animals. If you're lucky, you may even get to see one being born or hatching!

7. Tell some Easter jokes

It's amazing how much time can be eaten up by telling some brilliantly corny dad jokes - but rather than hitting your kids with the generic jokes, it's the perfect time to bust out some Easter jokes that will have every-bunny cracking up.

8. Go on a day out

Planning some Easter activities doesn't have to revolve entirely around Easter. With sometimes up to two weeks worth of time to fill, it's a great opportunity to do some other things like go on a day out with the whole family.

Wherever you are, there will certainly be plenty of attractions nearby offering a great option to keep the family entertained over the Easter break.

Every product on DaddiLife is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, but this never influences our product choices.

9. Go carrot picking

'Pick your own' fields have grown in popularity in recent years. They do tend to focus on fruit, but there are certainly ones that grow vegetables as well, and given that carrots are typically harvesting all year round - it's a great time to head out and pick some carrots for Easter.

They may even be laying on their own Easter scavenger hunt, but it sounds like a great opportunity to get the kids to bunny hop their way around the farm or field, and even make it into a race.

10. Play egg bowling

If you're looking for some exciting Easter games to play, look no further than 'egg bowling'. Most of us have probably get a set of bowling skittles in a cupboard, garage or shed somewhere.

Well, rather than playing the conventional way, you can easily add an Easter spin to it by playing with eggs rather than a bowl. Just buy a pack of cheap plastic eggs and watch the mayhem!

Or, you could make your own bunny-themed bowling pins, like Handmade Charlotte here.

11. Go camping

Easter is a wonderful time to get out into nature and spend time with family. So why not head out on a short camping holiday?

If it's your first time, many parents choose to stay relatively close to home so that they can easily abandon it if it does go terribly.

Check out our guides on camping with children and buying a family tent.

12. Go on a hike

Of course, you don't have to sleep under the stars to explore and reconnect with nature. Hiking is a fun way to spend time together in the great outdoors. Whether it's a flat nature trail, the woods, the beach or rolling hills, you can get out even if you're dealing with toddlers.

13. Bunny hop races

Players race to the finish line as bunnies doing the bunny hop with the winner(s) getting a special prize in the form of, you guessed it, a special egg!

Depending on the age of your kids and how many kids you've got involved, you could split them into teams. Don't forget to get the kids to don a pair of bunny ears!

14. Play Marshmallow Wars (aka Peep Wars)

A popular game in the US, where it gets its name from the use of Peeps Marshmallows, Peep Wars sees players place a line of marshmallows at the edge of each end of a table. Using plastic easter eggs, players take turn trying to knock the other's marshmallows off the table. If one of your marshmallows is knocked off the table, you eat it (just make sure you're playing on a clean floor....)

Think of family-friendly version of beer pong!

15. Watch an Easter film

The Easter fun doesn't need to stop just because the sun goes down. Grab the snacks (maybe some Easter treats you made earlier!) and settle down in front of the TV to watch a family-friendly Easter film together.

There are plenty to choose from; Peter Rabbit (and Peter Rabbit 2), Hop, The Dog Who Saved Easter and Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade are just a few suggestions from us!

FAQs

Why does the date of Easter change every year?

Easter takes place on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the spring equinox. The spring equinox itself changes each year because it is the day on which the sun's light shines on the equator while the Earth is not titled towards or away from the sun - which results in almost 12 hours of daylight almost everywhere on Earth.

What has the Easter bunny got to do with Easter?

The Father Christmas of Easter, the Easter Bunny is the symbol of the materialistic side of Easter celebrations. The Easter Bunny is the one who delivers an Easter egg to girls and boys (and mums and dads, of course) by hiding them around the garden or around the house.

The exact origins of rabbits' association with Easter are a bit of a mystery. Some people believe it's because they're known for rampant breeding and strong fertility, therefore creating a strong connection with Easter's symbolism of new life. Others, however, link it to the Festival of Eostre, a Pagan goddess of fertility whose symbol was a rabbit.

What are the best Easter activities?

The best Easter activities do two things.

Firstly, they're fun. It's as simple as that. Secondly, they bring the family together. Whether it's Easter games to play in the house or heading out in nature, it's all about doing it together. 

What are your favourite Easter activities to do with the kids? Let us know in the comments!