35 Activities to Keep You Entertained
With the kids at home for longer with very little to do, we encourage you to use this time to explore their interests and make the most of your time together. We have you covered with 35 super-fun activities for restless rascals – for the hunt and beyond – to help keep the boredom at bay.
1.
Nurture their inner chef and start baking! Grab some chocolatey yumminess – mallow eggs, ruby chocolate, any of our hollow eggs filled with ‘every bunny’s’ favourite treats like Chuckles and soft gums, or our new Fantastical range – then decorate a cake. Shop treats here. The added bonus? We’re giving away the ultimate chocolate hamper on our Parent Feed Facebook group for your scrumptious creation. Watch our video for inspo.
2.
Egg and spoon race. Get moms and dads involved in this old-fashioned game. All you need are spoons and hard-boiled eggs (less messy!) or chocolate eggs. Create rosettes out of crinkle paper and cardboard for the winners!
3.
Get cracking with pastel egg decorating! Add 1 teaspoon vinegar and a ¼ teaspoon of food colouring to ¾ cups of water. Use a different colour for each cup. Dip the egg into your ‘dye’ and voila. You can mix and match shades to your heart’s content. Exciting and eco-friendly.
4.
Make your own Easter bunny! Dip a marshmallow into melted chocolate (always with an adult) and use pretzels or liquorice as whiskers. Then halve mini mallows for ears.
5.
Minion eggs to the rescue! Eggs. Yellow paint. Googly eyes. Blue painted on dungarees. Done. Your kids will also love copying Bob and Kevin’s famous giggles.
6.
Sort the treat. Grab an empty muffin tray and let your little ones sort sweet treats like jelly beans by colour, size or yumminess.
7.
Decorate an ‘Easter tree’. Why wait until Christmas? Attach colourful string to your pastel eggs and hang them. Kids will love it.
8.
Let your littlies decorate the Easter table. Think chick potato stamps on placemats. Funny bunny-ear hats and baskets of painted eggs.
9.
Create your own game! For example, design tokens that you can hide around the house. Whoever collects the most tokens within a week gets the entire chocolate loot!
10.
Easter egg piñata. Decorate balloons like Easter eggs with buttons, stickers, painted stripes, whatever you like! Fill with sweet treats and confetti using a funnel and blow up. Hang them outside and let excitement-seekers pop them and watch the candy fall. Or, fill with water (recycled from their tub) and have a good ol’ water balloon fight.
11.
Bunny bowling. Cut a hole into a cardboard box and decorate it like the Easter bunny. Grab a few “Easter eggs” (really colourful balls) and toss towards the bunny’s mouth. Or, grab rings and try to “catch it” onto the Easter bunny’s ears.
12.
An indoor Easter hunt – day or night. Decorate beach buckets to hold all their chocolate loot. During load shedding, fill a few mason jars with glitter and glow sticks or fairy lights, hang them from trees and head out to your very own fairy garden, torch in hand.
13.
A friendly game of water volleyball. Put up a net in the backyard, fill some water balloons and toss them over the net using towels.
14.
Have a pizza party! Order bases online and let eager little chefs stack on their favourite toppings. Best pizza wins!
15.
Put up a tent in the living room or garden for a home camp out. Play traditional camping games: Grab the torch for shadow puppets or make finger puppets, roast marshmallows under the stars and tell spooky stories.
16.
Teach them your favourite childhood games like bunny-hopscotch, jump rope, ring toss and even Pictionary for older children.
17.
Make your own play dough. Or, mix things up with this cool colour-changing slime by Katherine Elizabeth.
18.
Set up a DIY drive-in. Make cars out of cardboard boxes, get the popcorn and snacks and let your little entertainment-seekers ‘drive’ up to the TV.
19.
Learn to decorate and fly a kite.
20.
Paint your own ceramic figurine or crockery. Or let their creativity run wild with our new and super-fun Easter egg art kit.
21.
Pack a picnic bag and head out to the garden. Don’t forget the sun hats and SPF!
22.
Budding scientists will LOVE home-made experiments. Fashion your little one’s name with a pipe cleaner and leave in a jar with Borax (available online), food colouring and glitter overnight. The next morning, they’ll have a crystallised, sparkly surprise waiting! Or, ditch the traditional volcano by standing dessert cups of white vinegar in a glass bowl. Add food colouring to each, then sprinkle with baking soda and watch the colourful, foamy “lava” come to life.
23.
Get some water balloons and a huge canvas. Fill with paint and drop or pop them to create a masterpiece. Don’t forget to get them involved in the clean-up afterwards.
24.
Future archaeologists will love a dinosaur excavation. Freeze critters in a bowl of water and give your little Indiana Jones some tools to start digging.
25.
Air pong on the dining room or picnic table is a ball of fun! Let players stand on opposite ends and compete to blow a ping pong ball off the other end of the table.
26.
Boost fine motor skills and make a ‘busy bag’. These can help with colour and shape matching, teach your little ones the pincer grasp – perfect for writing skills (pick up tiny, fluffy balls using tweezers, or hang clothing cut-outs on a DIY washing line), as well as for cutting, counting and lacing up shoes. Find some fun ideas here.
27.
Let their imagination fly! Cut three large holes into a cardboard sheet. Fold paper planes and let future pilots fly their planes through the holes.
28.
Car race! Map out a race track on the floor with colourful washi tape. Rev up the excitement with DIY cardboard bridges.
29.
Turn your garden into an obstacle course. Bend pool noodles to climb through, crawl under, balance on, or jump over.
30.
Scavenger hunt: Hide trinkets and treasures and send little hunters to find something bumpy, something smooth, something that makes a sound etc.
JUST FOR THE GROWN UPS!
- Increase your skills: Take advantage of your time at home to learn a new language – whether sign language, Setswana or French. Or, do an online course and update your resumé, take up cooking and make the perfect crêpes and Eggs Benedict, then treat yourself or a loved one to a fancy outdoor breakfast.
- Have a digital dinner date: Invite all of your friends for a Skype, Whatsapp or Zoom dinner. Send everyone the same recipe/s beforehand and go the full nine yards with an elegant table setting, digital menu, candles, crisp table linen, fine wine and decorative dinner plates. Throw in a spirited online board game too!
- Mocktail hour: Take a page from Tom Cruise’s cocktail book and brush up on your skills. Try sangria, or grapefruit, sugar syrup and black pepper gin, cinnamon and ginger ale martinis. Or a fresh and fruity summer daiquiri – with alcohol or not.
- But first, self-care. Now’s the time to create that cosy reading nook you’ve always wanted, complete with plush throws and unread best-sellers. Or clear the mental clutter and feng shui your home. When the sun sets, relax in a luxurious bath with all the potions and bath bombs you’ve accumulated, or learn that 1000-step skincare routine you’ve never had time for.
- Indoor romantic date: When you’re stuck between four walls with the one you love, tensions can soon run high. Have an at-home movie date with popcorn, movie tickets and bubbly (it’s five o’clock somewhere). Start a sundae station, decked with indulgent ice cream, nuts, sprinkles, fruit and chocolate sauce. Check out how to make your own ice cream here. Or decorate your dinner table like your favourite restaurant and make their signature dish. Bon appetit!