Screen Free (ish) Sundays: 5 Fun Activities to Do with Your Kids on Easter Sunday

Easter is just a hop away — so let’s think outside the basket for Easter crafts and games that the whole family will love to play! After the Easter egg hunting ends, there is still plenty of fun to be had with these screen-free activities on Easter Sunday.

Bunny Sensory Bag

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This sensory bag puts a fun spin on the regular Easter coloring activity. With just a few items, kids can make a squishy and soft bunny that is egg-stra special.

What You’ll Need:

• Gallon-sized plastic bag
• 3/4 cup of hair gel
• 3/4 cup of water
• Cotton balls
• Colorful pom-poms
• Black and pink permanent marker
• Duct tape
• Rubbing alcohol (optional)

What You’ll Do:

1. Dab a little rubbing alcohol over any labels on the plastic bag to remove any of the printing. Then begin by using the permanent markers to draw a bunny and Easter eggs on one side of the plastic bag.
2. Next, add the hair gel, water, a handful of cotton balls and a few pom-poms into the bag. Before sealing, squeeze out as much air as possible, and use duct tape to secure the opening of the bag.

3. Have kids push the cotton balls inside the outline of the bunny, and the pom-poms into each of the eggs. When they are done, they can squish the bag up, move everything around and create new bunny masterpieces. 

    

Egg Catapult

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When the kids have finished Easter egg hunting, put those plastic eggs to work by making a high-flying egg catapult. This game is egg-cellent!

What You’ll Need:

• 7 craft sticks
• 6 rubber bands
• Plastic spoon
• Plastic eggs
• 3 baskets or buckets

What You’ll Do:

1. To make the catapult, stack 5 craft sticks on top of each other and secure both ends with rubber bands.
2. Next, stack the remaining 2 craft sticks on top of each other and secure one end with a rubber band.
3. Open the 2 craft sticks — on the side without the rubber band — and slide the stack of 5 sticks in between. Lay the plastic spoon on the top craft stick and secure both ends of the spoon to the craft stick.
4. Finish by crisscrossing the final rubber band around the middle of the catapult.

How to Play

Line up the buckets — these will be your targets — and lay your catapult in front of the first bucket. Load an egg onto the spoon, pull the spoon back and let the egg fly. Have kids take turns as they try to get their eggs to land in each of the buckets.

Extend the Fun

Make this game a fun counting activity by seeing how many times your family can keep the eggs landing in the target, or by giving each bucket a point value and counting by ones, twos or fives. Older kids may want to up the ante by moving the catapult farther away. Let them get creative and see if they can launch the catapult with their feet or even their elbows.

Peeps Slime

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Did you know that you can transform an Easter treat into a taste-safe slime? Kids will love seeing how a Peep becomes a stretchy and squishy STEM experiment they can play with.

What You’ll Need:

• 5 marshmallow Peeps
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 5 tablespoons of cornstarch
• Microwave-safe bowl
• Plastic Easter egg

What You’ll Do:

1. Place the Peeps and one tablespoon of coconut oil into the bowl and pop into the microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Give the mixture a stir and add the cornstarch, stirring after each tablespoon. Once the mixture has cooled, kids can knead the slime with their hands and start playing.

This slime recipe is great because it’s easy to correct if the consistency is off. Too dry? Add more coconut oil. Too runny? Add more cornstarch.

Store the slime inside the plastic egg until your kids are ready for another round of slime play.

Bunny Races

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Looking for Easter games that will keep your kids hopping and happy? Bunny races are very easy to stage — you probably already have everything you need to get started — and they will get everyone egg-cited to play.

What You’ll Need:

• Egg carton (paper or foam works best)
• Crayons or markers
• Scissors
• Glue or tape
• Straws

What You’ll Do:

1. Start by cutting out the individual egg cups from the bottom of the carton but save the top for later.
2. Using crayons or markers, draw a bunny face on the egg cups. Make sure the bottom of the egg cup is at the top and the open side is down.
3. Cut out bunny ears from the top part of the egg carton and attach the ears to the back of the egg cup with glue or tape to finish your bunny.
4. Line up your bunnies on a flat surface, such as a table or the ground. 
5. Using the straws, blow on the back of the egg cups to make the bunnies slide across the surface. The first bunny to cross the finish line wins!

Jelly Bean Jewelry

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If you need Easter crafts that transform your kid’s basket of goodies into art, you’ll love jellybean jewelry. Children can get creative and make delicious fashion statements in the form of bracelets, necklaces, rings and more!

What You’ll Need:

●    Large jelly beans
●    Strong thread, fishing line or jewelry cord
●    Extra-large plastic needle or large needle
●    Scissors
●    Ribbon (optional)

What You’ll Do:

1. Start by cutting your thread two times longer than you want your jewelry to be when it’s finished.
2. Thread your needle and double knot one end of the thread.
3. Take the needle and press it onto the side of a jelly bean and slide it all the way through. Repeat until you have filled the thread with jelly beans
4. Tie the ends of the thread into a knot and, if you would like to add an extra pop of color, tie a piece of ribbon around the knot to finish off the jewelry.

Tip: Plastic needles work great for younger kids, but older kids may want to use regular needles for this craft. If the needles start to get sticky, a little coconut oil will clean the mess right off so kids can get back to making their jewelry.