Big kids like to have fun, too! Sometimes older children have a hard time getting involved in Easter fun, especially when all the Easter activities feel like they’re designed for little ones. If you’re wondering how you can include the older kids into your family celebrations, these fun tips and tricks will have them smiling from ear to ear this Easter.
Easter Egg Hunt Revamped
While your older kids might say they don’t want to take part in the Easter egg hunt because it’s for “babies”, you can put your own spin on the tradition to make it fun for the kid who thinks he or she has outgrown it. Use glow in the dark eggs and plan a nighttime hunt for your tweens, or simply find harder hiding places that will require some skill and patience. If you still experience some hesitance from your older kids, instead of hiding the eggs, put them in charge. Let the older kids organize the hunt for the younger ones (with a bit of supervision of course). Allow them to find all the hiding spots they want, and be in charge of unleashing the little ones to the yard to discover the colorful egg treasures.
Scavenger Hunts
If the older kids have outgrown the Easter egg hunt completely, consider putting together a fun Easter-themed scavenger hunt that will require a little more thought and effort but inspire just as much fun for the in-betweeners in your family. Start with a clue inside the house, and then move outside to watch your older kids put their heads together and try to determine your riddles. At the end of the hunt, have some gifts for Easter specifically selected for them. Letting them know they haven’t outgrown the celebrations will definitely make your older children grin this Easter Sunday.
A Lesson in Generosity
Instead of focusing on the gifts your child will be receiving this Easter, help them shift their attention to giving instead. This Easter holiday, put together baskets for the less fortunate. Enlist your kids to come shopping with you to find items you’d like to put in your care basket, including deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes, non-perishable food items like energy bars, gloves, and thermal socks. Ask your kids if they have any specific ideas for items that they think should be included. Place the items in reusable bags that the recipients will be able to use over and over again. Once the care packages have been assembled, drop them off at local churches, homeless shelters, and other organizations that will ensure they get into the right hands.
Helping in the Kitchen
If you need another activity to get your older child involved in during the Easter holiday celebrations, enlist them as your sous chef in the kitchen. There are so many fun dessert recipes to try out during this holiday, and you and your child can laugh while getting your hands dirty in the kitchen. Whether you choose to bake a cake and form it into the face of a chick or bunny with the right frosting color and candy decorations, or you pull out the muffin tin and create individual cupcakes topped with green coconut shavings and candy eggs for a nest look, your child will get to pull out their creative side and feel more involved in the holiday. Make it more enticing with a personalized kid’s apron that will have them feeling like a professional chef in no time.
Taking in Nature
Spring is rife with bursting buds, blossoming petals, and vibrant natural settings every which way you turn. Make sure you and your kids take advantage of this beautiful time by heading out for an Easter nature walk to take in the new life happening all around you. If you’re spending the holiday with extended family, form a big crew and take a venture out into the warming weather for some all-inclusive family fun.
Easter can be fun for the whole family if you incorporate ideas that your older children will appreciate. From specialized Easter egg hunts to time spent in the kitchen, helping your tweens and teens enjoy this wonderful holiday will have everyone enjoying their time.
