Easter ideas: how to make the weekend feel like something

Easter is a long weekend that can either drift past or become the thing the kids remember all year. The difference is usually about an hour of planning: somewhere to hide eggs, something decent to eat on the Sunday, and a card that arrives before the Friday post stops.

It also lands differently for everyone. Some families mark it in church, some mark it with a roast, and plenty just want an excuse for a walk and too much chocolate. All three are covered below.

We make cards, pin badges and prints in house, printed in the UK, so everything below is a straight guide to the day - plus the card that goes with it.

Egg hunt ideas by age

• Under 3: eggs in plain sight, big and bright, indoors. The hunt is picking things up, not searching.
• 3 to 6: a garden hunt with colour-coded eggs so each child only collects their own. It stops the fastest child taking the lot.
• 7 to 10: written clues, five or six of them, each leading to the next. Make the last one a bigger egg.
• 11 and up: a points hunt - golden eggs worth more, a time limit, and a prize that isn't chocolate.
• Adults: hide miniature eggs around the house on the Saturday night and say nothing. People find them for weeks.
• Rainy plan: a numbered hunt through the house with a clue taped under a mug, behind the telly and in a shoe.

The Easter Sunday table

• Lamb is traditional, but a slow-roast shoulder is far more forgiving than a leg if you're also running a hunt.
• Simnel cake is the proper Easter bake, and hot cross buns toasted with butter cover breakfast with no effort.
• A pile of boiled eggs the kids decorate with felt tips buys you twenty minutes of quiet before lunch. Shop this card
• Put something green on the table - daffodils, tulips or a bowl of greenery. It makes a chaotic table look planned.
• For a crowd, do one big sharing dish and a bought pudding. Nobody has ever complained about a shop trifle.

Easter gifts that aren't chocolate

• A book each, handed over Easter morning, works better than a fourth egg.
• Seeds or a small plant for a child to grow through the spring.
• A pin badge or a small print for a grown-up who says they don't want anything.
• Money in an egg-shaped envelope for teenagers who would rather choose their own.
• A day out booked for the Monday - the animal farm, the coast, anywhere with a car park.

What to write in an Easter card

• Happy Easter - hope the weekend is all chocolate and no washing up.
• Wishing you a peaceful Easter and a proper rest over the long weekend.
• Happy Easter. Eat one egg for me, then eat the rest for yourself.
• Thinking of you all this Easter - hope the house is full and the roast is good.
• Happy Easter to the best egg hunter in the family.

Shop Easter cards

How to write it so it lands

• Count the eggs before you hide them, or you will be finding one behind the sofa in July.
• Post cards before Maundy Thursday - there is no delivery on Good Friday or Easter Monday.
• Do the hunt before lunch, not after, unless you want nobody to eat the roast.
• Keep one spare egg in a drawer for the child who finds fewer than everyone else.

Where to shop next

• Valentine's Day ideas
• St Patrick's Day ideas
• Easter card messages
• Buy Easter cards
• What is Easter?
• All guides
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges

Frequently asked questions

When is Easter this year?

Easter Sunday moves each year - it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, so anywhere between 22 March and 25 April. Good Friday and Easter Monday are UK bank holidays either side of it.

What is a good age to start an Easter egg hunt?

Around two, when a child can pick things up and carry a basket. Keep the eggs in plain sight at that age - the searching part comes later.

Do you send Easter cards in the UK?

Plenty of people do, especially to grandparents, godchildren and anyone marking Easter in church. Post it so it lands by the Thursday, as Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays with no delivery.

What can I give instead of chocolate at Easter?

Books, seeds or a small plant, a pin badge, a day out booked for the Monday, or money in an egg-shaped envelope for older children.