In Australia, Easter arrives at a time of year when people want to celebrate. The autumn weather is still warm and families haven't had a break in a few months. The stores are stocked with packaged chocolate gifts. Their metallic shimmering colours are noticed by children and adults alike.
Early childhood educators may wonder how to celebrate Easter, a significant Christian event, in a world of unhealthy foods and commercialism.
Can Easter be celebrated with relevance to the EYLF?
EYLF learning outcomes
Easter is a major celebration in Australia, whether it is celebrated for religious reasons or because it offers chocolate and an extended holiday. Many children identify with the event because they associate it with family connections.
Easter links with The Early Years Learning Framework as celebrations with family help children:
- have a strong sense of identity (1)
- connect with and contribute to their world (2)
- and develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, creativity, enthusiasm and imagination (4.1).
The challenges of celebrating Easter
Despite its popularity in Australia, many early childhood education services downplay or avoid Easter. Some children cannot participate in this religious celebration, and Christian families may feel disrespected if Easter celebrations are not consistent with their beliefs.
Read an extract from an article about Easter celebrations on The Spoke:
"Celebrations are important. Often families will communicate upon enrolment that Christmas and Easter are two celebrations they have at home. The challenge for educators is, how do we support these families and children while insuring authentic practices and pedagogy are maintained to foster belonging and celebrate the rich diversity that exists within the Australian context?"
Creative ideas for childcare Easter egg hunts
For young children, the highlight of Easter is usually the egg hunt. Hide plastic, chocolate eggs or even real eggs in your playground and ask children to search for them.
Try these creative ways to search for and play with eggs at your childcare centre:
- Create a scavenger hunt with a list of Easter-themed items for children to find, including flowers, toy chickens and rabbits, and Easter eggs.
- Organise an evening egg hunt using glow-in-the-dark eggs (if you can't find them to purchase, make your own using glow-in-the-dark paint) and torches. This is wonderful if night-time events suit your families' schedules best.
- Hold a hunt that is inclusive for all ages and abilities. Provide sensory cues and assistance from adults or use larger eggs.
Egg-themed learning experiences
Give these egg games a crack
- Participants race against each other while holding an egg on a spoon. The first person to cross the finish line without dropping their egg wins.
- Children gently pass an imaginary egg around a circle. They pretend they are trying not to break it. If your children are ready for a challenge, try a real egg!
- Roll plastic or wooden eggs down a ramp or slide. Who's egg rolls the farthest?
- Sort Easter eggs into baskets, by their colour and or size.
Experiment with eggs
- Explore chicken eggs by cracking them open and observing the inside (use the egg yolks and whites in a recipe so they aren't wasted).
- Arrange tiny pieces of eggshell into a mosaic-style collage.
- Conduct an experiment to find out which liquids or dyes can colour egg shell. Try mixing food colouring, turmeric, coffee grounds, beetroot and blueberries with water.
Easter-themed learning experiences
Role play
- All children celebrate Easter differently. Encourage children to join into small groups and role play how they each celebrate Easter with their families.
- Pretend to be baby lambs, chicks, and bunnies. How do they move? Who will pretend to be the mum?
- Fly like butterflies, fluttering through fields of flowers.
- Dress up in homemade Easter hats, complete with floral decorations.
Decorate an Easter corner
Designate an area in your learning space to be a “celebration corner”, like your home corner. Provide items children can decorate it with:
- picnic baskets with pretend food
- pieces of gingham fabric
- pastel-coloured bunting
- pretend eggs for a treasure hunt
- or vases of flowers that were picked from your garden.