Easter Holiday Days Out & Activities With the Kids

This is definitely the most obvious choice, but there’s a reason these are a certified Easter classic! It gets kids out and about for some exercise, all while getting to enjoy the excitement of a treasure hunt. These don’t necessarily need to be one of the paid for events that are held around the UK every year – instead you could create your own using cheap chocolate and hide it around the house and garden. However, if you would prefer to save the extra work and go to an organised event, the National Trust has a fantastic list of the events they are running this year in Northern Ireland, Wales, and England. Meanwhile, for Scotland, you can find another great list from the National Trust for Scotland. The prices range from location to location, however these are still quite cheap and won’t break the bank!

A staple of primary schools across the country, Easter and arts & crafts go hand in hand. During your family nature walk, the kids could collect twigs, petals, and leaves to use in some crafty creations. The BBC have created a website with loads of Easter themed arts and crafts, with printable easter activities like making your own Easter chick, colouring in a Pudsey Easter egg, and 5 ingredient Easter recipes for kids. You could encourage them to make something for their grandparents or friends to say thank you for their Easter eggs!

Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year in the UK (weather dependent, of course). It marks the re-emergence of wildlife like swifts and cuckoos to the UK’s shores, and the blooming of flowers like daffodils (aka narcissus), and blackthorn (aka prunus spinosa). Your kids might think those Latin names sound like spells from a certain wizarding school, but they are flowers that show the arrival of spring, and the approaching of summer.

Finding trails to walk or cycle to see the returning wildlife is easy in the UK, using places such as Countryfile for woodland walks or Sustrans for cycle routes. Why not plan an adventurous day out with the kids, enjoying some of the 1.7 million hectares of woodland that the UK has to offer? You could also get the kids to help you shop for a packed lunch, and turn it into a money lesson. Give them a reasonable budget, and see if they can pick out sandwiches, snacks, and juice that fall within that budget. For more help on this, check out how to talk to kids about budgeting.

Nothing says spring like lambs bouncing around a field (and chocolate eggs, of course). In recent years, lamb feeding experiences have grown in popularity, with farmers opening their gates to families who want to get hands on and bottle feed them. While certainly different from other activities on this list, it’s a great and new type of day out for the kids. They can learn a bit more about how a farm works, and see the hard work that goes into looking after these animals. A lot of these take place at farms that have kid visitors in mind, so check if you can do a bit more exploring while you’re there. You can search for local lamb feeding experiences online, and find out more about where to see lambs via Countryfile. Looking for more Easter treats? Why not check out how chocolate can help kids understand money? Or if your kids play Pokémon Go while out and about, take a look at our parents’ guide to Pokémon Go.

For book worms and avid readers, heading to the local library can be a great way to keep kids busy over Easter and introduce them to brand new worlds beyond their own. You can help the kids to pick out a new series to read or help them explore a whole new genre altogether. Some local libraries also run Easter activities for kids such as story time, as well as arts and crafts, so make sure to check out what’s on in your area.

Why not get curious with a visit to a local or major museum? There’s lots of exhibitions going for free as well as some Easter activities happening over half term to keep the kids busy

• The National Maritime Museum has a range of activities going on such as Spring flowers, where kids can craft flowers out of scrap materials
• For car lovers, there’s an exhibit of the fastest cars in Britain at the British Motor Museum
• Kids can unleash their creativity by casting shadows and exploring enchanting light play at the Tate Modern in Liverpool.
• Kids can discover the postal service hidden beneath the streets of London at the Postal Museum

A visit to the Zoo always makes for a fun and interactive day out for the kids. Get up close with your child’s favourite animal such as the giraffes at Chester Zoo, or join in on the fun Zoonormous egg hunts at London and Whipsnade Zoos where the kids can find trails with a difference. The interactive trails include eggs of all sizes dotted around the zoo containing clues to find the location of the golden egg.

For a family of thrill seekers, head over to a theme park near you for the ultimate adrenaline rush. Have a day out at Chessington World of Adventures where the kids can meet the Easter bunny, they can explore the Easter activity trail, or watch a family show. There’s also Alton Towers which has CBeebies Land, where your kids can meet their favourite Cbeebies characters and enjoy some of the smaller rides. For the older kids, you could check into Thorpe Park’s Easter Extravaganza where they have bigger coasters for more family thrills. You could also explore the magic at Harry Potter’s Warner Bros Studio Tour in London and take part in Magical Mischief, which celebrates the filmmaking trickery needed to pull off the magic in the films.

As our Easter Holidays activities guide suggests, Easter activities for kids don’t have to be expensive or complicated. You can spend the day at home or outside for some Easter fun, it’s all about coming together whether your kids are explorers, outdoorsy or bakers this Easter holidays we have got you covered. If you are looking for what to get the kids as gifts this Easter then check out our Eggcellent Easter gifts for kids and if you need an extra bit of help we have more Easter tips for parents.