3 Cheap and Easy Activities for the Easter Holidays with Danielle Duggins
By Danielle Duggins, parenting and lifestyle blogger. The original blog post can be found here.
Finally, we are allowed out again and, as Spring arrives, the weather is warmer. Rather unfortunately, at the same time, we are all finding our budgets squeezed tighter than they have been for a long time. So, with the school holidays just around the corner, I have partnered with Scholastic to come up with some ideas to help make the holidays engaging while enjoying the great outdoors and keeping costs low. From baking to bug hunting, you are sure to find some Easter activities to inspire your little ones while not having to shell out for expensive days out.
We are also showcasing a few books that are available from Scholastic, as they are great for inspiring ways to make activities exciting, while keeping things affordable.
The Great Outdoors
There are so many wonderful, free outdoor spaces available to us in the UK. If you are lucky enough to live near a beach or wood, or any open spaces, they are a great opportunity to get outside, learn new things, exercise and relax.
If your kids are getting bored of the usual country walks, there are some great ways to make a simple walk more exciting. Many of these ideas for Easter activities can also work in the garden, even if your outdoor space is limited.
- Scavenger hunts collecting leaves, seeds, flowers
- Natural world bingo sheets with tree types, insects, flowers, animal tracks to tick off
- Bird-watching
- Mini-beast Safari
- Making maps
- Collecting shells and rock pooling (if you live near a beach)
- Spending the night outside in a tent
- Creating art with natural elements like leaves, sticks and flowers
- Building dens or other structures and sculptures with natural objects.
If you would like to get some more inspiration, there are a great number of books with wonderful ideas, including Sticks, Stars Dens and Stones – Fun Days Out in the Great Outdoors, available on the Scholastic website.
Drawing Together
Drawing is a great way to get creative and there are so many books and tutorials available to make drawing easy and accessible for everyone. I have been amazed by some of Littlest’s creations. She has been using several art activity and drawing tutorial books to create some true masterpieces such as this whale:
The instructions given are really easy to follow, meaning small kids, big kids and grown-ups can all follow along and then compare their creations. We used Draw with Rob Amazing Animals for the drawings featured but there as many drawing books and YouTube tutorials available for sketching everything from astronauts to unicorns.
Baking with some Extra Pizzaz
Baking is always a go-to cheaper activity to do with kids, especially when we get trapped in the house with bad weather or global pandemics. Although you may all be a bit fed up with the ubiquitous banana bread by now, baking is still a great way to get kids away from screens and learning a life skill. (Also, you get tasty treats at the end!)
One way to make baking even more fun is with a themed baking book. Scholastic has a few available, including the amazing Official Harry Potter Baking Book. Inside, you can find stunning recipes for every ability level. There are simple, everyday treats like cookies and breadsticks but also ambitious cakes and pies to make yourself a feast truly worthy of The Great Hall! The final creations are magical and adults and children alike will have fun making (and eating!) them.
You can also find some great ideas for Easter activities in our Crafts and Seasonal posts. Check them out to find some inspiration for what else you can do and make during the Easter holidays.
Draw with Rob
The internet phenomenon #DrawWithRob is now an incredible activity book for you to draw with Rob at home – filled with drawing and story time fun! As seen everywhere on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, TV, and more, from the creative genius and bestselling author Rob Biddulph!
Sticks, Stars, Dens & Stones: Fun Days in the Great Outdoors
This fun-filled outdoor adventure handbook is packed with unique ideas to help kids discover the great outdoors and get closer to nature. Created with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK’s leading gardening charity, this pocket-sized guide teached kids about different habitats. This gorgeously illustrated handbook is bursting with fun activities, top tips and nature facts to help inspire kids to explore the amazing world around them.
The Official Harry Potter Baking Book
Bake your way through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Inspired by the films, this is the ONE and ONLY official Harry Potter cookbook! Packed with 45 recipes and gorgeous, eye-catching photography, this baking cookbook inspired by the films is a must-have for every Harry Potter fan. From Pumpkin Patch Pies to Owl Muffins, Luna’s Spectrespecs Cookies to Hogwarts Gingerbread, these 45 mouthwatering recipes that will, dare we say … ensnare the senses! Host a Great Hall-inspired feast for your friends or delight in a portion for one.
