This year, Easter falls on March 31, and perhaps you will be celebrating a niece’s or nephew’s birthday at the same time. Easter is a perfect holiday to combine with a birthday celebration, as it is not only a religious holiday, but also heralds the entrance of spring (at least in the northern hemisphere... I know my friends in Australia, where the long Easter weekend is a huge holiday, will be watching the seasons turn to autumn).

If you are already thinking ahead to holding an Easter birthday party this year, here are some ideas to get your planning started:

1. For invitations...
Trace the outline of a rabbit cookie cutter onto pastel-colored construction paper. Decorate the bunnies using cotton for tails, googly eyes, and yarn for the whiskers. On each bunny’s backside, provide the party details. Use “bunny language,” such as “Hop on over to our bunny trail for an eggs-tra special celebration!”

2. For decorations...
All pastels would be a great color scheme for balloons, streamers, and tableware. Chocolate eggs would be fun as confetti all over the party table. For a centerpiece, have a bunch of fresh spring flowers or a stuffed bunny rabbit with a few Mylar bunny balloons attached.

You can place “Bunny Trail” signs outside of the front entrance, leading to your door.

3. For Activities...
Coloring Easter eggs would be a fun welcoming activity while you wait for everyone to arrive. Have the eggs boiled and ready for dipping, and the colors prepared. Provide a few crayons for the kids to write their names or draw little pictures on the eggs before they dip.

4. For Games...
The central game of this party will be the classic Easter egg hunt. Fill lots of plastic eggs with candies, coins, and small toys. For extra fun, you could also hide a one dollar bill in one of the eggs. Hide them throughout the party area, preferably outdoors, and have either baskets or pastel-colored buckets available for collecting the eggs. You could have the kids make a bunny basket for collecting as well.

Have an egg roll. Once the kids have collected their eggs, divide the group into two teams. Have the first player from each team use his nose to roll an egg to a finish line. When the first player has reached the finish line, have him pick up the egg, race back to the starting line, and have the next kid continue until one team wins.

Have a spoon race. Hand the teams spoons, and place one Easter egg on the spoons of the first kids in line. The kids will have to carry their spoons to the finish line and back and transfer the egg to the next kid holding a spoon, so he can do the same. The first team finished, wins!

Play “Pin the Tail on the Bunny.”

Play “Hot Easter Egg” (just like “Hot Potato”).

Play “Where’s My Egg?” Write the kids’ names onto plastic Easter eggs, and fill them with jelly beans. Hide these eggs in the area, and have each kid search out the egg with his or her name on it.

Enjoy a bunny piñata.

5. For food...
Make small egg salad sandwiches cut into ducks, rabbits, sheep, and Easter egg shapes to keep it festive. Serve a veggie platter covered with carrots, celery, peppers, and Ranch dip, as well as deviled eggs, crackers with cheese cut into small shapes, and finger fruits served with a yogurt dip.

Serve fruit punch mixed with rainbow sherbet.

Make “Birds’ Nests.” Make a batch of Rice Krispie treats. Have the kids form a “nest” with a scoop of Rice Krispie mixture. Place a few jelly beans in the nest, and place a candy Peep on top of the jelly beans.

Make Jell-O Easter eggs. Make Jell-O according to the package, but substitute vanilla ice cream for the cold water. For Easter colors, try any of the red Jell-O flavors. You’ll end up with pretty pastel colors. Fill hollow egg molds with the Jell-O.

6. For favors...
Send the kids home with the plastic Easter eggs they found during their hunt and real colored Easter eggs if they dipped some. A small chocolate bunny would be yummy. Also check out these other bunny favor ideas.

Looking for more spring birthday party ideas? Check out our Big List of Birthday Party Ideas.

Photo: Naito8
Published: March 26, 2013