Australian Easter activities are fun for all ages, from Easter craft ideas to games. Even better is marking the Easter holiday with an Aussie twist. While the history of the Easter bunny stems back to Germany, Australians are encouraged to celebrate bilbies - a threatened native species - at Easter time. There are other ways, too, that you can add an Aussie spin to your festivities.
Australian Easter Activities for Kids
Aussie Easter activities for children abound. These are great choices for Aussie kids.
Aussie Easter Crafts for Kids
Some of the best Easter activities for kids involve simple Easter crafts.
- Felt Easter Ornaments: For a fun Easter activity for pre-schoolers and school kids, help them make felted Easter eggs, using wet or needle felting. Other ornaments can also be made out of felt like Easter bilbies and baby chooks.
- Hanging Easter Eggs: Create an Easter egg tree by decorating a houseplant, like an Albany Woolly Bush (Australia's answer to the Christmas tree). Hang it with decorated blown eggs or even chocolate eggs. Plastic eggs also work well, as they have holes to let the air out when you join the halves together - perfect for hanging with decorative string or wire.
- Easter Bilby Tracks: Make magical Easter bunny (or bilby) paw prints with the kids, leading to your Easter party. Find free Easter printables online, like this one from Tidbits & Twine. Use the cut-out to make 'tracks' out of flour, glitter and baking soda, or chalk. Pre-schoolers will particularly love this.
- Plastic Easter Egg Craft: Create a plastic egg garland for the mantelpiece, adding gumnuts for an Aussie spin. Or use them to craft a front door wreath, shaped like a bilby.
- Easter Bunny (or Bilby) Softies: This bunny craft involves creating cute rabbits, or bilbies, out of odd socks. Making an Easter bunny sock toy doesn't require a lot of sewing. Just cut down the centre of the sock to create 'ears', re-stitch the fabric, stuff its body with rice, and decorate.
- Easter Pom Pom Adornments: Help your kiddo make wool pom poms, turning them into fluffy eggs or bilbies (just add a longer, felt nose to this bunny design). It's a great idea for sharpening their fine motor skills too.
Aussie Easter Games for Kids
There are also many fun Easter games for the kids to enjoy with an Australian twist.
- Scavenger Easter Egg Hunt: Egg hunts are the most popular Easter activity and come in many variations. Why not turn yours into a clue hunt, where each egg reveals a clue, leading your littlie to their next egg? Clues could be related to an age-appropriate Aussie theme like famous Australian places, Southern Hemisphere constellations or famous Australians.
- Easter Egg Decorating Contest: Set up a decorating station, where the kids can adorn hard-boiled eggs with paint, glitter and more. Or for some Easter science fun, use a baking soda and vinegar reaction to dye the eggs. Then hold a vote for the best design. Designs could include bilbies and other native wildlife.
Australian Easter Activities With Toddlers
Easter can be just as much fun for those who haven't yet reached preschool. Help your youngsters celebrate the Easter holiday with these Easter activities for toddlers.
Aussie Easter Crafts for Toddlers
There are oodles of Easter-themed arts and crafts projects you can do with your tot.
- Easter Colouring Pages: Let them colour to their heart's content with these original Easter pages; download and print them for free. The Aussie lamb pic's particularly cute. You could also try some of these bilby colouring pages.
- Easter Playdough: Little hands will love getting stuck into making playdough Easter bilbies, with the aid of plastic Easter eggs, cookie cutters, and egg cups.
- Easter Sensory Activity: Give a fizzing Easter sensory bin a go. Your toddler will have a blast using medicine droppers to drop vinegar onto baking soda and seeing the reaction it creates - another great one for honing their fine motor skills before kindergarten.
- Hot Cross Bun-Making: Easter can be a difficult concept to explain to small children. One way to impart the tradition's history is to combine it with a fun Easter activity like making hot cross buns. If your little one love Vegemite, try this Vegemite hot cross bun recipe. Holidaying? Go on a mission to find the best hot cross buns in town instead.
- Easter Basket-Making: Help your toddler decorate an Easter basket in time for some Easter egg activity fun. For Easter grass lining, supply them with green pom poms or craft paper. Add some bilbies, and you've got a great Aussie Easter basket.
- Easter Chick, Egg and Bunny Craft: Create cool Easter critters using simple items like paper plates and toilet rolls. Your little ones will love seeing their masterpieces displayed at home.
Aussie Easter Egg Hunt for Toddlers
Toddlers don't have to miss out on the fun of an egg hunt. Why not give theirs a theme that suits their interests, from mermaids to Aussie animals? Instead of chocolate Easter eggs, you could gift them other basket fillers, like monster trucks and mini Vegemites.
Australian Easter Activities for the Whole Family
Make yours the best Easter yet with some fun family Easter activities. Whether you're decorating an Easter tree together or sharing in easy Easter craft, there are plenty of Easter ideas to try.
Easter-Themed Scrapbooking
Into scrapbooking? Honour the Easter holiday by designing an Easter scrapbook page together. The whole family could help to put together a page. Or each member could make their own page, putting them together as one special scrapbook. Download these four free Easter printable paper designs to get started.
DIY Resurrection Eggs
Place 12 plastic eggs in an egg carton. Inside each one, add a symbol that represents a part of the Easter story, such as a cross for when Jesus is crucified. Open the hollowed eggs during holy week, reading about the biblical events each represents with your children.
Easter Dining
Sharing Easter meals at home - or away - is another way that makes the Easter long weekend 'egg-stra' special. Cook together or join in crafting Easter table decorations. A seafood feast can help to observe the traditions of Good Friday. Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon can make for an ideal Easter brunch. And for Easter Sunday lunch, many Aussies, of course, enjoy tucking into roast lamb. Alternatively, enjoy some backyard fire-pit cooking, with such food as damper, s'mores, and baked potatoes.
Aussie Easter Games for Families
Try these Easter games on for size, suited to the whole crew.
Easter Egg Rolling Race
Feed your competitive spirit with this Easter tradition. Decorate a hard-boiled egg with textas or paint. Then compete in getting yours over the finish line first by rolling it with a wooden spoon.
Adult-Friendly Egg Hunt
A traditional Easter egg hunt can be a popular, fun Easter activity for the whole family on Easter morning. Get the kids to also hide Easter basket treats for the grownups, like pot plants, gourmet choccies, and ceramic Easter ornaments. If you all don bunny (or bilby) ears throughout, it'll only add to the fun.
Easter Activities Are for All Aussies
Whether you're looking for Easter activities for toddlers, bigger kids or the grownups, there are family Easter activities to suit all. The only challenge will be deciding just which ones to go with.
