Easter School Holiday Survival Guide: Activities That Keep Children Busy Without Screens
"Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning" - Mr. Rogers
Easter marks the perfect time to reset, refresh and breathe new life into your home and family routines. While chocolate eggs have become the commercial centrepiece of this spring holiday, there's so much more to explore - especially if you're looking to create meaningful traditions that don't revolve around sugar overload and inevitable tantrums!
As a single mum navigating the teenage years, I've learned that Easter offers brilliant opportunities for family bonding, creativity, and embracing the season's natural beauty. Here are the traditions and activities that have made Easter special in our home, all tried and tested in real British households (including mine!).
Traditional UK Easter Activities Worth Reviving
Growing up in Britain, many of us remember Easter traditions that went far beyond the chocolate hunt. Some of these classics deserve a comeback:
Hot Cross Buns
Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked hot cross buns wafting through the house! I've found baking these traditional spiced treats together creates wonderful memories. My teenager still enjoys the measuring and kneading - though I suspect it's the eating he looks forward to most! Plus, making them yourself means you can control the ingredients and avoid the preservatives found in shop-bought versions.
Egg Painting & Decorating
Before chocolate eggs dominated Easter, decorated hard-boiled eggs were the star of the show. When my boy was younger, we would boil a dozen eggs on Good Friday and spend the afternoon decorating them. One year we tried it with natural dyes from beetroot, turmeric, and onion skins. That was fun! They look gorgeous displayed in a bowl made from twisted willow branches (a 20-minute craft project that lasts for years).
Pace Egg Plays & Egg Rolling
In northern parts of England, particularly Lancashire and Yorkshire, Pace Egg Plays (folk performances with costume) and egg rolling competitions remain beloved traditions. We've created our own mini egg rolling championships in a local park using our decorated hard-boiled eggs. The competition gets surprisingly fierce!
Creating a Spring Nature Connection
Easter coincides perfectly with spring's arrival, making it an ideal time to reconnect with the natural world:
Easter Garden Creation
One of my favourite activities is creating a miniature Easter garden. Using a shallow tray or an old wooden fruit box, we build a small garden scene with moss, spring flowers, twigs, and stones. Adding a small tomb with a rolled-away stone connects it to the Easter story without being overly religious if that's not your family's focus.
Spring Wreath Making
Forget Christmas - Easter is the perfect time for wreath making! We gather willow, forsythia, pussy willow and early spring blooms to create a living wreath for our front door. It's simple enough that even younger children can help, and it brings a lovely seasonal touch to your home. You can even re-use the wreath form after for more seasonal decor!
Dawn Walk & Breakfast Picnic
One of our most special traditions is an Easter Sunday dawn walk. We get up just before sunrise (admittedly, sometimes with considerable grumbling from my teen), pack a thermos of hot chocolate and some hot cross buns, and find a beautiful spot to watch the sun come up. There's something magical about experiencing the world waking up on Easter morning, and it creates a peaceful moment before the day's festivities begin. Don't forget your woolies though!
Family Activities That Create Memories
Beyond the traditional, these activities have become firm favourites in our home:
Spring Cleaning with Purpose
Easter traditionally marks a time of renewal, making it the perfect opportunity for a meaningful clear-out. We set aside Good Friday for our Easter clean - not the mundane dusting and hoovering, but the satisfying sort of deep clean that transforms spaces.
We each choose one area to tackle (my son usually chooses his desk), and we create three piles: keep, donate, recycle. For every bag we donate to charity, we reward ourselves with a small treat or activity. It's amazing how motivating this can be!
Easter Tree
A Swedish tradition that's gained popularity in the UK, the Easter tree (or 'Påskris') makes a lovely centrepiece. We cut branches of forsythia or pussy willow and place them in a vase, then decorate with painted wooden eggs, small ornaments, and ribbons. It brings spring indoors and creates a focal point for gathering.
Easter Memory Box
Several years ago, we started an Easter memory box. Each year, we add something that represents our Easter celebration - a photo, a small craft, or a note about what we did. Opening it each year before adding the new memory has become a lovely tradition that helps us reflect on how we've grown and changed as a family. We're not religious, so this is a lovely tradition that shifts the focus away from chocolate.
Non-Chocolate Easter Basket Ideas
If you're looking to reduce the chocolate mountain this Easter, these basket fillers have been winners in our home:
Seed packets for spring planting
Simple craft kits (we love needle-felting starter sets)
Garden tools sized for smaller hands
Spring-themed books
Colouring books and special pencils
Homemade playdough scented with lavender or lemon
Wooden eggs that can be decorated year after year
Outdoor toys like skipping ropes or chalk
Easter Meal Traditions with a Twist
Food brings families together, and Easter offers plenty of opportunities beyond the chocolate:
Colour-Themed Meals
Some people like creating meals based on spring colours. Their Easter lunch features dishes in various shades of green, yellow, and purple - think spring vegetable tart, saffron rice, purple sprouting broccoli, and lemon pudding. It's a simple way to celebrate seasonal produce and make the meal feel special.
Make-Your-Own Tradition
Last year, we started what I suspect will become a long-standing tradition: everyone gets to contribute one dish to the Easter menu. My son's contribution? Blue pancakes for breakfast. Not traditional by any stretch, but he was incredibly proud, and the memory of those alarming blue pancakes will stay with us forever!
Final Thoughts
Easter offers a perfect opportunity to slow down and reconnect as a family. The traditions that stick aren't necessarily the Pinterest-perfect crafts or elaborate meals, but the simple activities that bring genuine joy and togetherness.
In our house, Easter has evolved from a chocolate-focused holiday to a true celebration of spring, creativity, and family traditions. The moments we cherish most are often the simplest - dawn walks, shared baking sessions, and the inevitable laughter when our egg decorating goes hilariously wrong.
Whatever traditions you choose, make them work for your family, your schedule, and your values. The most meaningful celebrations are those that feel authentic and bring genuine pleasure rather than extra pressure to your already busy life.
After all, isn't making life easier what it's all about?
