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The Easter holidays are just around the corner and while not everyone wishes to celebrate the religious element of the period, it’s always great to spend some extra time together doing fun things. We know that holidays mean planning budget friendly activities for family members of all ages, which can be a tricky thing to do! With this in mind, we’re sharing a few of our favourite Easter activities for kids – why not try them out with your foster children this Easter?
Easter egg hunt
Little ones love an Easter egg hunt, particularly if the eggs in question happen to be of the chocolate variety. It’s one of those great outdoor activities for kids that can be moved indoors if the weather demands it, and there’s no need to exclude older children from the fun. If teens and slightly older kids feel like they’re too old to take part in the hunt, could they be persuaded to get involved in the planning instead? The best Easter egg hunts involve rhyming clues and decoys too, so you could ask older children to help out with this creative element.
Baking
There are so many traditional Easter recipes – from hot cross buns and Simnel cake to the classic lemon drizzle loaf. On a rainy day, why not choose a few favourites and organise a home baking session? You don’t need to stick to old school Easter recipes and may find that you’d prefer to muster up something more modern like a Crème Egg brownie or cupcake instead. If you’re not a very confident baker you can still get involved, just start out with something simple like Easter nests made from cereal and chocolate and decorated with mini chocolate eggs. Try searching ‘Easter baking’ on Pinterest or head over to BBC Good Food, which has some great family friendly recipes.
A visit to the farm
Easter celebrates the new life of the spring season and what better way to see it close up than by paying a visit to the farm? If you live in the city you might be surprised to discover you have a city farm in your midst. Many cities have at least one now, so ask around or research online to see if you have one close by. Many farms charge a lower family admission fee or none at all and they often have cafes and farm shops attached, which works out extra convenient when tummies start to grumble! This time of year is perfect for visiting places like this as children get to see the baby animals and learn about them in an interesting environment full of sights and of course, smells!
Bulb planting
Lots of lovely flowers start to come into season at the start of spring, which makes it a good time to get children interested in gardening. Whether you’d like to focus on flowers, fruit or vegetables, why not organise a planting session and allow the kids to follow the full journey of the life of a plant? Start out with a trip to the garden centre, giving children a budget for seeds or plants and allow them to choose their own. Once back at home you may want to plant them in the garden or decorate individual pots. As they grow you can involve each child in tending to the plants they individually chose.
The spring clean
The history of the spring clean stems from times gone by when people kept their houses closed up over winter, leading to debris from coal and wood covering things with a layer of dust. Now, a day spent dusting and hoovering is perhaps few kids’ idea of fun. That said, you could take the opportunity to talk them through the tradition and to suggest a clear out of any old toys or clothes they don’t use anymore. Afterwards, you might like to take the items to the charity shop together and perhaps choose a treat as a reward.
What sort of activities do you have planned with your foster children for the Easter holidays? Have we missed out any of your ‘must dos’?