Five Easter Crafts for Elementary School Children

There is no doubt the Easter bunny is coming soon. The only question is what color will he be; gray, white, or brown? Having worked at an elementary school for some time I went through the trials and errors of crafts for children in the grades of K-5. Below are some of my favorite Easter bunny crafts for children of these age groups. The best thing is most of the supplies needed can be used in more than one craft.

Little Egg Easter Bunnies

These cute little bunnies are great to exchange with friends. You can ensemble in under 5 minutes which gives you enough time to make more than one!

You will need:

plastic eggs for the body

googly eyes

glitter for the nose

pipe cleaners for the whiskers

cotton balls for the ears

hot glue gun and regular glue

craft sticks (optional)

jellybeans for an inside treat

Heat up the hot glue gun. Let the children pick out their favorite colored plastic egg. Glue eyes on the top portion of the egg. Put a dot of your favorite glitter right below the eyes (right above where the egg separates). Have the children pick out the color whiskers they would like for their little bunny friend and then using the hot glue gun glue the whiskers next to the glitter nose. Have the children slightly pull apart the cotton balls until they resemble long floppy ears. Using the regular glue the children can glue them on the top portion of the egg. (If you have decided to use craft sticks then cut one into two equal halves. Let the children decorate them and then hot glue them on the bottom of the egg as bunny feet). When the little egg Easter Bunny has dried add jellybeans and exchange with friends.

Bunny Clothes Pins

These adorable little bunny clothes pins are reminiscent of the reindeer millions of children make during the Christmas season. This is a great activity because it is all "hands on" for the children.

You will need:

wooden clothes pins

small pompoms

small googly eyes

paint: white, brown, or gray

permanent black or brown marker

glue

Let the children pick what color they want their bunny to be. Have them paint it and while it is still wet carefully place the small googly eyes on the largest surface in the center. If you are holding the clothes pin the "legs" should be facing you. The kids are going to work on the flat surface. Once the eyes and the rest of the paint has dried let the children place a small pompom under the eyes for a nose. With with the black or brown marker they can add there own whiskers. Project complete!

Easter Bunny Bags

This is a great idea if you are having a party where you will be collecting candy or an Easter egg hunt and you need a place for the eggs.

You will need:

brown paper lunch bags

large googly eyes

glitter

white and pink foam for ears

ribbons

pip cleaners

markers or crayons

glue

Place the bag so the bottom fold is facing the child. Glue the large googly eyes about an inch from the top of the bag. Cut out the white foam in a shape of a rabbit ear (2 pieces) then cut out a smaller replica using the pink foam. Glue the pink into the white foam and glue entire piece on the top of the bag. Cut a ribbon of your choice of color and tie it. Glue it onto the "neck" of the bag as if the rabbit were wearing a bow tie. Make the nose out of glitter right on the tip of the back (over the crease) and glue on the pipe cleaner whiskers. Let the children (with the markers and crayons) decorate under the ribbon of the "neck" of the rabbit as if he were wearing a shirt. Once dry have an Easter puppet show.

Bunny Bookmarks

These are great for reading and gift giving to mom or dad.

You will need:

craft sticks

paint (whatever color you want your bunny to be)

small googly eyes

small pompoms for the bunny face

marker

The children can paint the craft stick any color they desire their bunny bookmark to be. The small googly eyes can be placed near the top of the stick. Right below the eyes the children can draw on a small nose and whiskers. Two small pompoms can be used on either side of the nose (placed just slightly down from the nose) as the bunnies cheeks. All of this should be done at the top of the craft stick so when you use the bookmark the entire bunny face can be seen. Enjoy.

Easter Egg Treasure Hunt

Put a fresh spin on the ever classic Easter egg hunt. This is great for children young and old. This activity also encourages children to work together as a team.

You will need:

construction paper

5 eggs plus an egg for each child participating

small treats for each child or supplies for a party

Gather the children around and read them their first clue. At this point you should have hidden five eggs, each with a clue about the next location inside. Watch them as they set off to find the eggs. After each egg they become closer to the final prize. The final prize could be a plastic egg filled with candy and another small trinket gift or it could be a plastic egg for each child filled with candy and a class party. Either way this is fun for everyone involved.