Easter is coming, and while it holds special significance for many, it usually means chocolate to kids. However, there are things you can do leading up to the holiday (and during it) that don’t involve filling their faces with treats. While a bit of chocolate won’t hurt, there are a number of ways to make Easter a little less sugar-coated, while also having fun with the entire family.
Here are seven suggestions to make the holiday healthier…
1. Swap the Chocolate for Chalk
SuperkidsNutrition.com says instead of hiding countless chocolate eggs around the house (and forgetting one behind the couch that ends up melting and making a mess or gets eaten by the dog), you can add a bit more color to the hunt.
Replace the chocolate eggs with egg-shaped chalk, and once all of the pieces have been collected, you can host a bunny-drawing contest outside (weather permitting). The site doesn’t suggest this, but we say that perhaps you could also hide one or two treats as a compromise.
2. Make Egg Art
Egg decorating is a traditionally part of many European cultures, and while the decorating can get very intricate, you don’t have to make it too fancy to entertain the kids. FamilyEducation.com has some suggestions to decorate with kids in mind.
For example, it explains how to create temporary tattoo eggs using easy transfers or even stickers, or even turn the eggs into baby chicks using yellow dye and a few feathers! The ideas are easy, don’t require many supplies and are mostly toddler-friendly.
3. Add Exercise to the Hunt
SuperHealthyKids.com has an alternative idea for the traditional Easter egg hunt. Try placing pieces of paper inside plastic eggs. Each piece of paper will require the child to do an exercise (for example, 10-pushups) and will give a clue about where to find the next egg.
Other simple exercises you can place in the eggs include jumping on the spot for a minute, touching knees to nose, stretching, doing a fun dance, or performing some jumping jacks. Don’t make them too difficult, but keep them fun. You can volunteer to do the exercises with them when they come across each egg.
4. Roll the Eggs
Apparently Easter egg rolling is “one of the oldest traditional games,” according to NetMums.com, but you may have never tried it at home. The activity involves one hard boiled egg (per child) and a start and finish mark.
Line up the young participants on their hands and knees and try to get them to roll the egg from the start line to finish using only their nose. The winner is the one who can accomplish this without using their hands. The younger the participant, the shorter the distance should be between start and finish, suggests the site.
5. Join an Eggciting Relay Race
You’ve probably tried the egg spoon race at some point, but this variation can involve the whole family. It involves 2-teams, divided into 2-groups, starting from Point A and Point B, explains TheSpruce.com. The first player’s job is to carry an egg in a spoon between the two points, who then hands it off to their teammate at the other point. Then the recipient has to carry it to the next teammate back at Point A.
If you drop an egg along the route (hard-boiled may be better for this reason), the player has to go back to the starting point. Whoever gets through all the players on their team first wins the relay.
6. Toss Some Eggs
TheSpruce.com also suggests another fun game that can involve family members of all ages. Pairing younger players with older players, toss the eggs between the two—if the egg is caught successfully, that team continues, and takes a step backward to extend the space between them.
The last team with an unbroken egg wins. The site says to use raw eggs (in which case you’re going to not want the kids to wear their Sunday best), but we say go for hard-boiled eggs…or at least take the activity outside.
7. Make Snacks for the Bunny
Just like Santa likes his milk and cookies, the Easter Bunny likes to nibble on veggies while he’s dropping eggs at each house. Or, at least that’s what you can tell the kids as you’re preparing some healthy snacks like vegetable shreddies or savory muffins, suggests OneHandedCooks.com.
Both of these recipes are not very difficult to make (with the help of the kids), and the Easter bunny is sure to love them (you). Also, you may even convince your little ones to try some to make sure they’re tasty enough for their little visitor.
