I’m not sure there’s much about Easter that kids don’t love – fluffy bunnies, cute chicks, pretty flowers, and of course, Easter eggs! The true meaning of the holiday is not lost on me, either, but I know that kids really enjoy all the pretty colors and fun of Easter. Because of that, I wanted to make a fun, but easy Easter craft for kids. I would never consider myself a crafty person, but this Easter craft is simple enough and requires few materials. Plus, it makes a really cute table-top decoration or a fun puppet the kids can play with!

Hopping Easter Bunny {Kids Craft}

Using materials found at Walmart and our very own Easter bunny ears and feet template, you and the kids will have a blast creating these hopping bunnies!

Download Easter bunny template here. (PDF)

Materials needed:

• White paper, either construction or copy paper works
• Color construction paper, various pieces of your choice
• Toilet paper roll
• Cotton ball
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Markers

Instuctions:

1. Cover the toilet paper roll with white paper.
2. Using the bunny ear and feet template, cut out your bunny ears, bunny feet, and bowtie (if desired). You can also draw your own bunny parts, if you prefer.
3. Trace your bunny ears, feet, and bowtie onto whichever color paper you would like for each. I chose to keep the inner ear white against a color outer ear, but that was just my preference.
4. Cut out your bunny parts and glue onto the toilet paper roll. Glue the ears onto the inner front side of the roll. You’ll also need to fold the bunny feet along the dotted line, and glue just the tab, so the leg folds out.
5. Draw a bunny face using markers.
6. Glue a cotton ball on the backside for a tail.
7. That’s it! Make a few bunnies to create a cute centerpiece for a table, decorate around the house, or for the kids to play with as puppets!

Have fun making this easy Easter bunny craft with the kids and check out more Easter items at Walmart.

Happy Easter!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Easter has never been a huge holiday in my family – certainly not as big as Navidad (Christmas). But I do have many memories of attending mass on Easter Sunday, dressing up, and spending the remainder of the day together as a family. Sometimes we got together with extended family for an Easter meal, and sometimes we spent the rest of our Easter Sunday at home. Either way, I do remember each year going shopping with mami to buy my Easter dress for that year’s holiday and attending mass.

I also remember the Easter story that was always performed during mass. This was actually one of my favorite parts – to see some of the people in our church community acting out the various roles from the Bible and bringing the story of Easter to life.

Over the years, our Easter traditions have changed. Our  involvement with church lessened, even before I got married. As I got older, it  no longer seemed as important to find a new Easter dress. As my brothers got older, married, and our household became smaller, things evolved.

Now that I’m married and with my own children, we haven’t really picked up the traditions either. Or, rather, how we celebrate Easter has changed. Sadly, I admit that we haven’t attended mass on Easter Sunday in many years. I don’t really buy my daughter a fancy Easter dress each year and we barely take pictures with the Easter bunny. I feel like a bad mom when it comes to Easter.

However, we do have an Easter egg hunt, whether at our own house or a local public hunt (sometimes both). We also put together our own Easter baskets and give the kids a personalized basket each and every year. I wish I had taken the time to make this DIY Easter basket, though, but perhaps next year!

In the end, I wonder how much of this is truly important. What will my children remember about Easter? Will they talk about what was missing or focus on the fact that we spent Easter together as a family? Will they remember their Easter baskets and yearly Easter egg hunts?  I hope they remember the positive and appreciate what we did together as a family. I think this is far more important than a bad picture with the mall’s Easter bunny.

How does your family celebrate Easter?

Many thanks to the Hershey’s team for inspiring this post and helping me reminisce on the Easter traditions of our family. Thanks also for the lovely Easter basket sent our way! Check out more Easter memories and tips from other bloggers on the Hershey’s Bunny Trail.

No compensation received for this post. As always, all stories and opinions are my own.

Have you been looking for the perfect Easter basket and haven’t had any luck finding one? I hear you loud and clear!  How about making your own Easter basket with things you might have lying around the house? Or you can also pick up the items on your next shopping trip to Walmart!  Sound good?

It is so easy, even your children can have a hand in creating such beauty; plus it is versatile too!

DIY Easter Basket: How to Make an Easter Basket from a Canister

What you need:

• an empty large canister (I used a family-size Ovaltine container. It measures about 16 inches around and 4 1/2 inches tall.)
• two pieces of white card stock
• assorted ribbons and trims
• flower for embellishment (optional)
• all purpose glue
• scissors
• hot gun & glue (optional)

Instructions

Begin by cutting the pieces of card stock that will cover your bin.  Because the bin I used was longer than the length of my paper, I ended up using two pieces of card stock.  All you need to do is measure around your bin (that’s the length), then the  side (that’s the width).  Once you’ve cut your piece or pieces of card stock, begin to cover your bin.  Start at one end by placing a generous amount of glue on the bin and then pressing down the card stock, making sure not to leave any air bubbles.  Continue until you get to the end, overlapping your paper and glue.

Now you are ready to start decorating.  Pick out your trim and cut to the length of your bin.  Begin to glue (I used a glue gun for this part) where your card stock meets.  Glue around once again, pressing to make sure there are no air bubbles left.

Continue the same process until you’ve almost covered all your bin, leaving the top clear for later.  Make two holes and insert your ribbon (or ric rac) to make your handle.

Knot each end on the inside of the bin.   Glue the ends to give it extra support (after all, it is for holding lots of goodies!)

Now you can finish adding the last round of trim to the top of the bin.  When you get to the handles add a generous amount of glue to reinforce the handles.

For a final extra touch, you can add a flower.  I made my own using a dye cut machine, but you can very well buy a flower already made and glue it onto the basket.

You are done!

Now you have a lovely Easter basket your little one can be proud of!

You can also use this basket after Easter as a centerpiece!

It is all up to you! (Okay, and maybe your little one.  ¡Si te deja!)

For the centerpiece, all I did was insert a pint-size mason jar, added some water, tied some fresh flowers with a rubber band, then inserted them into the jar.  Ta-da!  The Easter basket becomes a lovely centerpiece.

Have fun creating!

Lisa Renata is a proud multicultural Latina of Mexican, German and Japanese descent. She and her husband of German, Scott-Irish descent are raising their two lovely kids bilingual and in a home full of diverse traditions. She holds a degree in cultural Anthropology and is a certified Interpreter. She is also the creator of SaboraCajeta.com, where she shares her craft ideas, and her passion for sewing and photography.

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the Walmart Moms program, resulting in compensation for this post.

Looking for an easy, fun Easter project to make with your little ones this spring break? How about making a fun and simple tic-tac-toe game, where the fun part is eating goodies if you win!

DIY Easter Tic Tac Toe Game for Kids

What you need:

• Sharp blade or scissors
• Piece of cardboard (cut 5″ x 5″)
• Card stock or construction paper in a solid color
• Coordinating scrapbook paper
• Sharpie marker
• All purpose glue
• Easter candy
• Small candy bags or snack bags

You can easily find most of these items at your local Walmart store.

Instructions:

Begin by cutting your colorful scrapbook paper the same size as the 5″ x 5″ cardboard.  (For the cardboard I used an old cardboard box I had stashed in our craft/up-cycle bin.)  Then cut a smaller square ( 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″) using the solid card stock or construction paper.

Glue the larger scrapbook paper square onto the cardboard.  Make sure to press firmly and evenly to get rid of any  air bubbles.

While the glue dries…

With a Sharpie draw your game squares onto the smaller 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ square. Each line should be about 1 1/2″ wide.  Let it dry and then glue the smaller square in the center of  the decorated larger cardboard square.

While they are drying…

These will be the game pieces.  I picked up some Easter shaped candy in the holiday candy aisle. The small baggies you can find in the cake/candy making section.

Time to play!

Or you can make a bunch of tic tac toe boards, place them in clear plastic bags, tie them with a pretty ribbon and give them as gifts this Easter.  That’s exactly what I’m doing.

They are perfect for little ones to play with.  Once all the candy is gone, you can make some tokens out of construction paper. Then keep it in the car for the perfect game to entertain your kids while traveling.

Have fun creating!

Lisa Renata is a proud multicultural Latina of Mexican, German and Japanese descent. She and her husband of German, Scott-Irish descent are raising their two lovely kids bilingual and in a home full of diverse traditions. She holds a degree in cultural Anthropology and is a certified Interpreter. She is also the creator of SaboraCajeta.com, where she shares her craft ideas, and her passion for sewing and photography.

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the Walmart Moms program, resulting in compensation for this post.

This is a sponsored post.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, I remember Easter being kind of a big deal. We went to mass dressed in our brand new Easter outfits and celebrated amongst family. Though we didn’t have any Easter-specific special dishes for our meal that day, we often did get together with extended family on Easter and shared a traditional Puerto Rican menu with foods such as pernil y arroz con gandules.

What I don’t remember are the traditions of the Easter bunny, receiving Easter baskets, or Easter egg hunts. I did not learn about any of those until we moved to Florida. That is when my parents began to do the Easter baskets for us, well really me, since my brothers were already too old for it.

Something else that changed after we moved to Florida is that we no longer had a big Easter meal with extended family. After going to mass in the morning, the rest of our Easter Sundays were spent much like any other Sunday. I asked my husband, and his family was much the same way. Of course, that means that we are now doing pretty much the same thing with our own family.

Sometimes I actually miss the fact that we got together with extended family and had a traditional Easter meal. I’ve been thinking more and more that we should start the tradition back up. So, perhaps next year, I will give it a try. Of course, keeping with our cultural traditions, the menu will include typical Puerto Rican and Trinidadian foods. Let me share with you what I envision will be served at our Easter meal.

• Pernil – Literally translated as roast pork shoulder, pernil is a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine and can be found on just about everyone’s dinner table for special meals, especially Christmas.
• Arroz con Gandules – This is a very traditional rice for Puerto Ricans. We eat it at most special occasions and family get-togethers. Here is a recipe for how to make arroz con gandules in a rice cooker.
• Potato Salad – I have never made potato salad, but it’s a dish I like quite a bit. It’s probably time I learn how to make it. I found a potato salad recipe on Walmart’s Easter Recipes page that looks simple enough.
• Macaroni Pie – Similar to macaroni and cheese, this is a dish from my husband’s native Trinidad that I’ve come to love. Plus, it’s very easy to make.

Hopefully next year we can celebrate Easter in a larger manner than we’ve been doing. This year, though, we’ll have another relaxed and laid-back day full of family time. No big meal is necessary when you’ve got that.

If you’re still planning your Easter meal, you can get more ideas for your Easter lunch or dinner on the Walmart site. They have a variety of recipes and some cute dessert options – like these flower cupcakes that I know my daughter would love to make with me.

Does your family have a big Easter meal? What do you traditionally serve?

Disclosure:  As a member of the Walmart Moms program, I was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.