Easter Party for Children- Non Religious

Easter parties are a great time for us snow bunnies to get our first outdoor party of the year. If the weather is not inclement, I like to plan Easter parties to be hosted in a local park. Unless it is snowing or raining, we bundle the kids up and host the party outside. With two kids born in the time for Easter to potentially fall each year (end of March), we have even used this party outline for birthday parties.

For us Easter is a religious remembrance. We have just fasted through Lent and Easter is a joyous celebration of new life. Whether your celebration is religious or not, the focus on the the joy of spring is a wonderful theme.

To begin with I ask guests to dress in old warm clothes. I tell parents ahead of time that we will be getting messy. I choose a local park or playground with a pavilion for the food and some of the crafts. If I am doing this for a group, I might ask that each family bring a bag of candy; while we having the party, I ask a couple of adults or older kids to divide the candy up into paper goodie bags.

For a school, church or organization, I might also ask for donations of prizes. I send out a specific list of what we will need and where to find it. That way, prizes are fair. The website www.orientaltrading.com sells all sorts of nice crafts, prizes and toys in bulk at very reasonable prices. If you want to place an order, you could ask for a dollar or two per child to cover expenses.

For party activities, I set out heaps of sidewalk chalk. Each child designs a square of sidewalk. We make a "Welcome Spring' or 'Happy Easter' mural on the walks of the park. This works well for a school party as well.

I set out an elaborate bubble-blowing station with all kinds of different shaped tools. If the weather is warm enough, we fill a small plastic pool with bubble solution (Lemon Joy, water and a little glycerin will make sturdy bubbles). We make huge bubble wands out of drinking straws with shoelaces strung through and tied in a loop. The kids can run with them to create enormous bubbles.