Meaningful Easter traditions create memories that last a lifetime. Start a new Easter tradition with this list of fun things to do on Easter. This article also includes the history and origins of Easter traditions and symbols commonly associated with Easter such as Easter Eggs, Easter Baskets, and the Easter Bunny.
Related: Meaningful Christmas Family Traditions for A Magical Holiday
Our fondest memories consist of the experiences and traditions that we enjoy with our family and friends. Families that share traditions report a stronger connection and bond than families that do not have established rituals, traditions, and rhythms.
Create memories with by starting any of these Easter Traditions with your family. Remember, this is not a must-do list, but a can-do list… If it’s not fun don’t do it!
Related: Spring Bucket List Seasonal Activity Guide
Easter Traditions and Fun Things to Do on (or before) Easter
Start a new Easter tradition this year. Pick and choose anything from this collection of fun things to do on Easter.
After this list of Easter traditions, we have a section on the history and origins of common Easter symbols filled with information that might surprise you.
If you have ever wondered; why is there an Easter Bunny and Eggs, or, why do we have baskets on Easter? We have uncovered some interesting information about Easter traditions to share with you in the next section.
Related: Thanksgiving Traditions and Fun Things to Do on Thanksgiving
1. Make and Decorate an Easter Tree
Easter Egg trees are an Easter tradition that originated in Germany that our family loves. Originally Easter egg trees were decorated with hollowed out eggs outside. Today, Easter trees are decorated both inside and outside of the home with eggs and many other types of Easter ornaments.
We like to use our Easter Tree as a centerpiece on our spring nature table in the weeks before Easter, and as a centerpiece on the dining table for Easter dinner. It has become a favorite Easter tradition cherished by our whole family.
Our family loves decorating seasonal trees to put on our nature table and Easter is no exception. When Easter is over we love to turn our Easter Tree into a butterfly tree that we keep up and continue to decorate with various ornaments, nature finds, and crafts that we make throughout the summer.
Next, we make a Thankful Tree in the fall for Thanksgiving, and finally, we are big fans of decorating a Christmas Tree as a family Christmas tradition.
Learn how to make your own here—>How to Make an Easter Tree
More Seasonal Tree DIY Decor
- How to Make a Butterfly Tree
- Make a Thankful Tree with Real Leaves
- How to Make a Thankful Tree with Clay Gratitude Leaves
- Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make
2. Get Creative with DIY Easter Ornaments
Since we are big fans of decorating trees, including our Easter Tree, we have rounded up an awesome collection of Easter Ornaments including toilet paper roll birdhouses. Making Easter ornaments is a fun Easter tradition for kids and families.
3. Read Children’s Easter Books with the Kids
Reading Easter books with children is an Easter tradition many parents and educators enjoy. Our favorite Easter Books are listed below.
You may also enjoy this gorgeous collection of spring books for kids.
Happy Easter, Mouse! (If You Give…)Llama Llama Easter Egg
Happy Easter, Pout-Pout Fish (A Pout-Pout Fish Mini Adventure)
Marshmallow
Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure
God Gave Us Easter
The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story: Stickers Included! (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights)
The Story of Easter
The Story of the Easter Bunny
Duck & Goose, Here Comes the Easter Bunny!
Biscuit’s Pet & Play Easter: A Touch & Feel Book
Ollie’s Easter Eggs (Gossie & Friends)
The Easter Egg
How to Catch the Easter Bunny
4. Make Easter Crafts and Create Easter Art
Creating holiday arts and crafts was one of my favorite Easter traditions as a child–and it still is!! All you need to do is have a look around this website to realize that–lol! Spend time with your children over the holiday break making Easter crafts, and creating art, with some of the fun ideas listed below.
- Easy Bunny Craft
- Watercolor Surprise Easter Egg Art
- Easter Art Projects for Kids and Adults
- Homemade Easter ornaments
- Decorated Wooden Easter Eggs
- Easter chicks Egg Decorating Ideas
- Wooden Easter Egg Decorating Ideas
- Baby Chick Craft Ideas (photo below)
5. Decorate Easter Eggs
Painting and decorating Easter eggs is one of the most common Easter traditions observed today. You can decorate hard-boiled Easter eggs and/or wooden Easter eggs with the kids to use on Easter Egg Hunts and in Easter Baskets. Children love to decorate eggs as much as they love to hunt for them.
Decorated Wooden Easter eggs have the advantage of being stored away in the easter box and used year after year. You can even make keepsake heirlooms to pass down from one generation to the next.
We use our Easter Chicks in Easter baskets and egg hunts every year and they are still as wonderful as the first year we made them. My daughter loves finding them in the backyard. Their cute little faces peeking out at her when she finds them make her squeal with joy!
We have figured out a fun and easy way to color natural brown eggs for Easter. Click the link to learn how we did it! You may also like these Easter egg decorating ideas.
6. Make and Reuse Easter Baskets with Recycled Materials
Turn trash into a treasure that the kids will LOVE with upcycled Easter Baskets! Making Easter baskets out of recycled materials is a fun, and eco-friendly, Easter tradition for kids and families.
Use recycled materials such as paper, fabric, sweaters, milk jugs, juice cartons, cans, bottles, plastic bags, and even stuffed animals to make your own recycled Easter baskets.
7. Take a Picture with the Easter Bunny
Another common Easter tradition is to take a picture with the Easter bunny. Many families head out to stores, malls and Easter Parties in order to check this family Easter tradition off the list. Convince someone in your family to dress up this Easter, or, find an Easter Bunny event near you.
Rubie’s Costume Adult Deluxe Bunny Costume With Mascot Head,White,One SizeForum Deluxe Plush Bunny Rabbit Mascot Costume – Pick Size (Large, White)
Newborn Baby Photography Prop Boy Girl Photo Shoot Outfits Crochet Knit Cute Christmas Bunny Hat Photo Props Easter Costume
Winsummer Baby Boy Girl Rabbit Romper Newborn Knitted Bunny Jumpsuit Outfit Easter Clothes Props Costume (3-6M, Brown)
Baby Boys Girls Easter Bunny Long Sleeve Bodysuit Cartoon Animal Rabbit Hooded Romper With Fur Ball(0-6M, Grey)
Soft-Touch Bunny Ears (white & pink) Party Accessory (1 count) (1/Pkg)
8. Leave a Carrot out for the Easter Bunny
Another Family Easter tradition that is super fun for children is leaving a carrot out for the Easter bunny. It’s so much fun to wake up to a half-eaten carrot and Easter Baskets. Don’t forget to have your kids leave a carrot out before bed the night before Easter.
My friend Penny over at Mother Natured has come up with a fun new treat idea for the Easter Bunny that the kids can leave out with, or instead of, a carrot. You can find her homemade magical Easter bunny food HERE!
9. Give and Enjoy Easter Baskets
Another family favorite Easter tradition is giving and enjoying Easter baskets!
Easter baskets, and, what is commonly placed inside them, have become an Easter tradition many families enjoy. We always make sure to include a chocolate bunny
or a chocolate egg
in our Easter baskets as a tradition in my family.
After chocolate bunnies and eggs, jelly beans
and peeps
are next on the list for favorite traditional candies to put in a child’s Easter basket.
More items you can include in a child’s Easter basket is a book, art materials, and natural Easter toys.
Related: Easter baskets ideas children will love!
11. Go on an Easter Egg Hunt
An Easter egg hunt is another fun Easter Tradition that children enjoy. Easter egg hunts rank right up there with Easter Baskets when it comes to what children love the most about Easter.
How to have an Easter Egg Hunt
- Hide decorated hard-boiled eggs, wooden Easter eggs, or eggs filled with toys and treats
in your backyards or local park. - Invite children to go on an Easter egg hunt to find the hidden eggs.
in your backyards or local park.Psst… we go on egg hunts all year long and they never get old. Need a minute to get dinner done? Hide some decorated wooden eggs in the backyard and that should give you some time. My daughter LOVES it!
Looking for a new Easter egg hunt idea? Play Party Plan has found 10+ fun Easter egg hunt ideas that you can find HERE.
12. Enjoy an Easter Parade
Many towns and cities host an Easter Parade to celebrate Easter. Check your local listings to see if there is a parade in your area.
12. Have a Traditional Easter Dinner with Your Family
Enjoy a traditional Easter Dinner with your family as part of your celebrations. A feast filled with traditional Easter menu items and homemade recipes is a treat the whole family will enjoy making and eating together.
We always like to head to our local farmers market the week before Easter to gather fresh seasonal foods to prepare and enjoy for Easter. Try any of these traditional Easter dinner recipe ideas.
- 20 Most Popular Easter Dinner Recipes | Food Network
- Top 25 Traditional Easter Dinner Ideas | The Spruce Eats
Faith-Centered Easter Traditions
1. Wake with “He is Risen”
In some households, a traditional Easter greeting is the first thing said on Easter morning. The head of the household speaks the words “He is Risen” or “Christ is Risen” to which everyone else replies, “He is Risen, Indeed!”
This traditional Easter greeting is also commonly used by churches and their congregations.
2. Bake Resurrection Rolls
Make and bake resurrection rolls as a fun way to share the story of Easter and the resurrection of Christ with your children. Learn how to make this traditional Easter treat over at Yummy Healthy Easy
3. Tell Children the Story of Easter with Resurrection Eggs
The Easter Story Egg or Resurrection Eggs can help you share the story of Easter with your children.
4. Go to Church on Easter Sunday
Take your family to join your community at your local church on Easter Sunday.
History and Origins of Common Easter Symbols and Traditions
Have you ever wondered about the origins of the symbols commonly associated with Easter in America today?
If you have ever asked; why is there an Easter Bunny and Eggs, how did the Easter bunny come to be, or why do we have baskets on Easter?
Read on… we have uncovered some interesting information to share with you!
History of Easter Traditions and Symbols
The early Christian monks believed that allowing the pre-Christians to continue to honor their traditions and symbols would encourage more of them to convert to Christianity. They feared that people would rebel and hold on to their old beliefs if they were not allowed to carry out the traditions that were important to them.
This is why many of the rituals and customs that are associated with the Spring Equinox have become a part of Easter celebrations today. Easter traditions such as Easter baskets, colored or dyed eggs, and even the Easter Bunny became a way to continue to honor the rituals and traditions that the masses found most meaningful.
Why is there an Easter Bunny and Eggs?
Many people living in America today wonder what Easter has to do with Easter Bunny, and, what Jesus has to do with Easter eggs.
Some people believe that the Easter egg is a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and, the egg represents the womb from which Christ is reborn.
Others believe that eggs came to be associated with Easter because they were forbidden during Lent. Boiling eggs was a way to keep them through Lent so they wouldn’t go bad. In this view, decorating eggs and eating them for Easter was a part of celebrating the completion of penance and fasting.
Another reason people think that the egg came to be associated with Easter arises from pre-Christian spring equinox celebrations where the egg is said to represent fertility and rebirth. The spring equinox is also called the vernal equinox and has been celebrated as a time of renewal and rebirth since long before Christ was born, or reborn.
As Christianity grew in Western Europe, the Catholic church adopted many pagan customs that their new congregants held dear. Many cultures celebrate spring festivals and holidays–like Easter and Passover–on or near the time of the spring equinox.
How did the Easter Bunny Come to Be associated with Easter?
The Easter bunny, also known as the Easter Rabbit or Hare, is an Easter Tradition that originated in Germany.
According to legend, the Easter bunny would visit on the evening before Easter. It was a common Easter tradition for German children to leave a carrot out for him as a way to thank him for delivering baskets filled with goodies.
Like the egg, the bunny was also a symbol of fertility for the pre-Christians. The rabbit, or hare, was also associated with Eostre, the goddess of fertility and rebirth in the Pagan tradition. Both the spring equinox and Eostre were celebrated in the early spring to honor rebirth and new beginnings.
Pagans held a huge festival for Eostre on the same day that Easter falls today–on the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls after the spring equinox. I know it’s a mouthful, but it still is the date chosen to be “Easter” to this very day.
Related: Spring Vernal Equinox Celebration Ideas
Why do we have Baskets on Easter?
Easter baskets originated in Pagan spring rituals and traditions. Eggs and seedlings were considered to be a symbol of rebirth, therefore, baskets filled with eggs came to symbolize new beginnings and fertility. Esotre carried a basket of eggs as a symbol of fertility, and people would gift baskets of young seedlings as an offering to her.
Since Easter is celebrated on the same day that the pre-Christians celebrated Eostre, Christians reinvented many of the traditions associated with Eostre and the spring equinox and included them in their Easter Traditions.
Related: Easter Basket Ideas for Kids
Family Easter Traditions
Start a new fun Easter tradition this year with your kids and family. Family Easter Traditions create memories that last a lifetime.
For more information about Easter symbols and traditions, including more about how the Easter Bunny came to be associated with Easter, pop over to read this article by HISTORY.
Don’t forget to have a look at this awesome collection of Easter Art Project Ideas and our spring bucket list for more fun things to do on Easter and during the spring.
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Holiday Family Traditions
- Thanksgiving Traditions and Fun Things to Do on Thanksgiving
- Fun Family Christmas Traditions for a Magical Holiday
If You Liked Easter Traditions, You May Also Like
- Spring Vernal Equinox Celebration Ideas
- Homemade Gift Ideas Kids Can Make
- Flower Art Project Ideas
- Outdoor Activities for Kids
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