Easter is such a fun time for arts and crafts, with all sorts of Easter treats to make. Here are some art and craft ideas for the whole family to enjoy.

So pull out that craft box, and let's get busy!

Half a Dozen Eggs

Everybody loves getting chocolate eggs at Easter, but they don’t have to be enormous to be special. Instead of buying one huge egg, why not decorate a normal egg carton and fill it with 6 small eggs instead. You could simply paint the egg carton with your favourite colours, or add all sorts of special embellishments like glitter, stickers, and sequins.

Easter Baskets

Cut the bottom off a plastic soft drink bottle to make a small bowl. Cut a narrow strip of plastic from the remaining bottle, and then staple it across the top of the basket to form a handle. Use paints, paper, glitter and stickers to decorate your basket, and fill it with your Easter treats.

Painted Egg Decorations

Poke a hole in each end of an egg shell using a thick needle, and gently blow the egg out into a bowl. You are left with a hollow shell which you can wash out, and very gently paint. Once painted, thread a length of nylon through the holes, and attach a button to one end to hold the nylon in place. Hang the eggs around your verandah or in your garden, so the Easter Bunny knows where to come.

Dyed Eggs

Revisit the traditional version of Easter Eggs, and decorate ordinary eggs using food-safe dye or colouring. Start by hard boiling the eggs, and set them aside to cool. Once properly cold, decorate the eggs using a white wax crayon.

Once you are happy with your designs, paint the egg with food colouring and a soft brush. The dye will penetrate the shell, leaving white patterns wherever the crayon has been used.

Eggshell Plant Pots

Incorporate both the egg and spring traditions by making these great eggshell plant pots to put on your windowsill.

Start by soft boiling an egg, then cut off the top and gently scoop the egg out from the inside. Carefully wash out the shell and decorate it using paints or crayons. Glue a small piece of cardboard to the bottom so the egg can stand upright, and then half fill the eggshell with potting mix. Scatter in a teaspoon of grass seed or a couple of bean seeds, and let the magic begin.

Thumbprint Chick Cards

Make a great Easter card by turning your child’s thumbprints into cute Easter chicks. Simply pour a little yellow paint onto a saucer, and then have your child gently dip their thumb into the paint. Press their thumb all over the card to make lots of chick bodies, and then fill in the beaks, eyes, and legs using a black or orange felt pen.

Older children will enjoy drawing speech bubbles from the chick’s beak to share ‘Happy Easter’ messages.

Easter Egg Piñata

Blow up a balloon as big as you can, then use strips of newspaper and wallpaper paste to paper mache all over the outside. Make sure you use several layers of paper so that the egg holds its shape, and set it aside to dry.

Once the paper mache is completely dry (this may take a day or two), carefully slice the knot off the end of the balloon so that the air escapes gently – not in one sudden pop! Paint the paper mache egg in bright Easter patterns, and thread a ribbon through the top so that it can be hung from a tree. Finally fill your Easter Egg Piñata with chocolate treats through the hole left by the balloon, and you’re ready to play.

Patchwork Eggs

Cut up small pieces of fabric scraps and glue them onto a polystyrene egg using PVA glue (you can get these at a craft store). Run a piece of ribbon or braid along all the joins, and pin it into place using sewing pins with brightly coloured ends. Leave the pins in place as decorations, and spray the egg with several coats of clear varnish (available from craft stores).

You can either attach a loop to the eggs and hang them as decorations, or put several patchwork eggs in a bowl and use them as a centerpiece at your Easter meal.

‘Goddess of Spring Time’ Easter Crown

Cut out a crown from coloured cardboard and decorate it with paper flowers, or cut out photographs of flowers from magazines and glue them on. Twist green pipe cleaners around the crown to make vines and leaves, and then sprinkle it with glitter to give the crown a touch of royalty. Let your child wear the crown for a day in honour of the ‘Goddess of Springtime’ and the original Eastre festival.

‘Please Stop Here’ Sign

Transfer one of our downloadable templates (see below) onto heavy card, and have your child decorate it using paints, felt tips or crayons. Thread some coloured ribbon through the holes, and hang it on your letterbox or over your door handle so Easter Bunny knows where to stop.

Easter Flower Pots

Daffodils are the traditional Easter flower because they symbolise spring, and the original spring festival of Eastre. While daffodils don’t bloom in New Zealand at this time of year, you can still incorporate them into your Easter celebrations.

Paint a terracotta flower pot in a single colour (white may be best), then use this downloadable template (see below) to stencil on some bright yellow daffodils. Either fill the pot with soil and a bag of bulbs, or use it as a gift box for Easter Eggs and chocolate treats.

Happy Crafting!

Downloadable templates

Easter Bunny Please Stop Here signs:
    Egg Shape
   Carrot Shape
    Bunny Shape
   
Daffodils for Easter Flower Pots sign.

---

Article Published February 2007, Kerri Tilby