One of the great things about holidays like Easter and Christmas is the magic that they hold for kids. Kids have incredible imaginations and they are ready and willing to believe in all sorts of magical beings–like the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and even the Tooth Fairy. As they grow older and stop believing in things like the Easter Bunny, though, the magic starts to fade away and holidays sometimes become a bit less special and a lot less exciting.
As parents, we all want to make special occasions–well, special for our kids. While it can be a bit tricky, there are still things you can do to keep the Easter magic alive for your little ones as they grow older. Even if your kids have outgrown the “Easter Bunny” phase, there are ways to make the holiday special and maintain some of those magical feelings. Here are a few of our favorites.
Start Traditions Young
It’s never too early to start holiday traditions with your kids. While they may not remember their first Easter or even necessarily understand what’s going on until they are a few years old, they will have a sense that the holiday is special.
Figure out how you would like to celebrate Easter in your family and start forming those traditions when your little one is a baby. Host dinners, attend church, participate in Easter egg hunts or spend the day any way you choose. Include even the tiniest tots in your plans and engage them. Read them age-appropriate books about the story of Easter. Help them complete crafts that are related to the holiday, like making their own Easter t-shirts or paper crafts. The more you engage with them, the more they will come to recognize Easter as a special and magical day.
Make Easter a bit more fun by starting a tradition of giving your kids two new outfits each year instead of just one “fancy” Easter outfit. Pick out a nice outfit for church or pictures and another one that your child can wear to get messy. Trust us–your child will enjoy the holiday a lot more if he or she can change into something comfy like a t-shirt and isn’t stuck wearing a fancy outfit all day. You’ll enjoy the day more, too, since you won’t be worried about your son’s or daughter’s newest outfit getting ruined.
No matter how young or old your kids are, make it clear that holidays are a time to celebrate and enjoy spending time with loved ones. At Easter, teach them about the magic of plants and trees coming back to life after a long winter. Talk to them about new baby animals being born and all the wonders of nature that occur during the spring. When you think about it, nature and families are pretty magical!
Make Magic Happen While They Are Asleep
Hiding an Easter basket for your kids to find when they wake up is, of course, one of the easiest ways to make the magic happen while your little ones are asleep. That isn’t the only thing you can do, though.
If your kids are little, help them plant jelly bean “seeds” the night before Easter. If the weather is nice, you can bury jelly beans outside in the ground. If it’s cold or rainy, though, it works just as well to plant them in cups of dirt inside. Tell your kids that the seeds will grow into something special by morning.
Once the kids are asleep, make the magic happen by replacing the seeds with a special surprise. Poke skewers into the bottoms of marshmallow Peeps and stick them in the soil. If you are feeling creative, you can wrap the skewers in floral tape and add a few leaves. In the morning, take your kids to see what popped up. They will be super excited to see their treats and they will fully believe that they sprouted by magic.
Explain the Magic to Older Kids
If your kids have reached the age where they no longer believe that a giant bunny delivers baskets filled with candy and toys on Easter Sunday, that doesn’t mean they need to stop believing in the magic completely. Explain to them that while the Easter Bunny isn’t real, there is a special kind of magic that parents use to make the day special for little ones.
Let them know that the spirit of the holiday lives in everyone and that once someone is too old to believe that there is a single magical bunny that travels around the world, the spirit passes to the next generation and that they, too, will someday create the magic for their own kids.
It’s also a good time to explain the true meaning of Easter in the Christian faith. Explain the “magic” of Jesus rising from the tomb after his death. As your kids get older, they will better understand the significance of the holiday and come to recognize how incredible the story is–even without magical bunnies delivering sweet treats.
Conclusion
It’s easy to make Easter a magical time for the youngest members of your family. For older kids, though, it can be a bit more difficult. Even if your kids have outgrown the Easter Bunny, though, there are still plenty of ways to keep the magic alive.
Start traditions when your kids are little and keep up with them even as they grow older. Teach your kids about the meaning of the holiday and let them know that the magic of it lives inside the adults who make it special for younger ones. Easter is about so much more than a magical rabbit. Teach your kids about the magic of spring and the holiday will remain one of their favorites for years to come.
