Easter Egg Decorating Ideas and Tips

Easter comes early this year! In no time Lent will be over and it will be time to celebrate new life. What better way to involve kids of all ages than to decorate Easter Eggs. I've included different techniques to suit different patience and mess tolerance levels.

Before decorations can start, the eggs need to be prepared. There are a couple ways to accomplish this. Boiling is probably the most foolproof. Cover the eggs with 5 parts water and 1 part vinegar in a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat and let stand covered for half an hour. Eggs can also be blown, leaving them rather more delicate than the hard boiled preparation. The yolk needs to be broken so shake it first, without breaking the shell. Poke a hole in the top and bottom of the egg with a small nail and gently blow on the egg until it is empty.

To get richer colored dye baths, mix desired food coloring with 1 cup warm water and ¼ cup white or cider vinegar. Bend a wire coat hanger into an egg shape with a handle to use for dipping eggs and use a cardboard tube cut into small sections to hold the dyed Easter eggs as they dry.

Sponge Stamped Easter Eggs

Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut dollar store kitchen sponges into fun shapes, stars, flowers, diamonds, triangles, etc. Dip the sponges in tempera paints and stamp patterns on the eggs. This can be done on eggs that have already been dyed and dried or plain white eggs. Make sure to use a different sponge piece for each color of paint to keep the colors separate. For a messier activity, try using fingerprints as stamps.

Crayon Wax Dyed Easter Eggs

This is a great way to use up old crayons. We used to have a drawer full of these as a kid and there are only so many crayon candles that can be made. Use hard boiled eggs and keep the eggs warm until right before each one is decorated. They can be left in the water or in a heated crockpot to keep warm. While the egg is still hot, hold it with a paper towel and draw on the shell with a crayon. The hot egg will melt the wax and smooth out the color as it is applied. This is the easiest clean up of any Easter egg dying adventure I have attempted.

Leaf and Flower Patterned Dyed Eggs

A twist on the traditional Easter egg dipped in dye and stencil techniques, this activity is best for older kids with good manual dexterity. Gather small leaves and flowers that would fit neatly around an egg. Ferns, parsley, small wildflowers and herbs will work well. Cut a small pair of nylon leggings into 3" lengths. Coat one side of each leaf thinly with vegetable oil so it adheres to the egg and keeps dye out. Lay it around a hard boiled egg. To hold the leaf in place pull a stocking length over the egg, stretch both ends to twist together, on the opposite side as the leaf, and tie or fasten with a small rubber band. Let the bundled egg soak in a dye bath for 5 minutes. Remove from bath, gingerly remove nylon and leaf, and let dry completely before touching.

Happy Easter and hope these ideas bring joy to you and your family!