Easter Games for Kids

Minute-to-Win-It games are pretty easy to set up and play. They’re fast paced and fun, so they even make good brain breaks when you feel the energy dipping. Easter week is a great time to play these games. They’re perfect for school, but they’re also fun to play with friends and family at home. 💡IDEA: Share the link with your students’ families. Parents are always looking for ways to keep their kids engaged during the holidays.

EASTER GAMES FOR KIDS: TEAM STYLE

A BUCKET OF BUNNY TAILS

In this team relay, children are moving bunny tails (large marshmallows) from one container to another. Use masking tape to mark off two long lines about 20-30 feet apart. One line will be the starting line and the other line is where each team’s container will sit. Divide students into teams of 3-4. Give each team a large bowl of marshmallows and a “tool” for carrying the marshmallows to their team’s container. You can use chopsticks, straws, toothpicks, or spoons … whatever will be most fun for the age you teach. When you’re ready to play, have teams line up on the starting line.

On “GO,” the first player on each team picks up one bunny tail with the tool and moves across the floor to drop it in the container. You can decide how you want kids to move … walk, run, hop, skip, side-step … be creative. When the tail lands in the bucket, the child races back to their team and hands the tool to the next person in line. Play continues in this way for one minute. When time is called, the team with the most bunny tails in their container is the winner.

👉 NEED TO ADJUST?

Increase the time limit. (It’s too fun for just one minute!)
Let younger children use their hands.
Challenge older children by using mini marshmallows.
Form smaller teams for higher engagement.

Another Team Game

PEEP TOWER

The idea of this game is simpler than the task itself. Divide students into teams of 2-4, depending on your preference. Give each team a pack of Peeps™ and some type of connector, such as sturdy straws or toothpicks. On “GO,” each team works together to construct a tall tower of chicks. At the end of one minute, the team with the tallest tower is the winner.

👉 NEED TO ADJUST?

Use a less expensive candy, like store-brand jellybeans. Jellybeans and toothpicks will give older children a chance to build more complex structures.
Provide each team with a plastic knife, but don’t tell them why. Will they brainstorm together and use the knife to cut their marshmallows into smaller pieces? More pieces will give them the opportunity to make taller structures.

EASTER GAMES FOR KIDS: PARTNER GAMES

SCRAMBLED EGGS

This is one of my favorite Easter games for kids. It’s a partner game that uses a paper bag and plastic Easter eggs. Prior to playing, ask a volunteer to prepare your paper bags. You’ll need one paper bag filled with mixed-up eggs for each pair of children. On “GO,” the partners work together to take the mixed-up (or scrambled) eggs out of the paper bag and fix them by putting matching tops and bottoms back together. So, what’s the catch? Each of the students can only use their non-dominant hand to play. With their dominant hand behind their back, they have to work together to take the eggs out, pull them apart, and snap them back together correctly. (You learn a lot about kids watching them play this game.😂) At the end of one minute, the pair with the greatest number of matching eggs is the winner.

👉 NEED TO ADJUST?

Allow younger children to use their dominant hand, or both hands.
Increase the game time.
Decrease the number of scrambled eggs in each bag.

Another Partner Game

THE CARROT PATCH

Place children in pairs and have them face each other, about 10-15 feet apart. I recommend marking off this distance with masking tape so they know where to stand. Give one partner a bag of baby carrots. At the opposite end, place a large bowl or box filled with Easter grass. The second partner stands behind the bowl, facing their partner. On “GO,” the partner with the carrots tosses them, trying to land the carrots in the grass. Any carrot that lands in the grass stays, but carrots that land outside of the bowl are out. The second partner tosses those carrots back to their partner so they can try again. I let the children toss as quickly as they want to in this game, so it’s possible both partners might be tossing at the same time. It’s a bit crazy, but so fun! The pair with the most carrots in their patch at the end of one minute is the winning team.

👉 NEED TO ADJUST?

Increase the distance for older players.
Provide young children with a larger “carrot patch,” such as a hula hoop.
Double the time for greater success.
Play again, letting the partners switch sides.

Jammin’ Jellies (one of the Easter games for kids) is pictured at the top of this post. It is played just like The Carrot Patch game, but with jellybeans instead of carrots. This is definitely the cheaper option, but a little more challenging for younger students.

EASTER GAMES FOR KIDS: INDIVIDUALS OR PAIRS

BUNNY EARS COUNTDOWN

This Easter game can be played individually or in pairs. Each student (or pair) will need five plastic Easter eggs. To prepare your eggs for the game, fill one egg with one jellybean, another egg with two jellybeans, another egg with three jellybeans, and so on. You should end up with 5 eggs filled with different quantities of jellybeans from 1-5. On “GO,” the children shake their eggs and listen carefully, trying to determine how many jellybeans are inside each egg without opening them. The goal is to line up the eggs in order from the greatest number of jellybeans to the least … 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. They have one minute to get their eggs in the correct order. When time is called, the students open their eggs and check. This game may have multiple winners.

Another Game for Individuals or Pairs

WORD UP!

Work a little literacy into your game schedule! Put children in groups of 2-3 and give them the letters in the word EASTER. How many words can they make using only the six letters in the word Easter in just one minute? Ready, set, WRITE! When time is called, the team with the most correctly spelled words is the winner.

👉 NEED TO ADJUST?

Allow children to work individually.
Play again using a different holiday word such as RABBITS or BASKET.
Try a few fill-in-the-blank words to get them started, such as s_ar (star) or eas_ (east).
Give students a few example words as a jumping off point. If you provide at, for example, that may help them see sat, rat, and rats.