Words of Wisdom From a Retired Teaching Assistant
26 Apr, 2024
Hop into Easter: Fun Ways to Celebrate Easter in the Classroom!
21 Mar, 20241-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- How schools can celebrate Easter.
- 8 eggcellent Easter activities for the classroom.
- How to find and apply for the best education and SEND jobs.
Looking for advice on how to celebrate Easter in the classroom? Want to know how to throw a cracking party to wow your students? Look no further!
Easter is an eggciting time for everyone; it usually means plenty of chocolate, learning about the Christian celebration and fun in the classroom - as well as a well-earned break for Teachers during the Easter holidays.
According to comparison website Finder, around 44.5 million people in Britain plan to celebrate Easter in 2024. In some schools, Teachers will prepare Easter-themed lessons to explore Easter traditions and engage pupils.
From encouraging creativity and teaching culinary skills, to raising money for charity, these cracking ideas and inspiration are egg-sactly what you need to celebrate Easter in the classroom!
What is Easter?
Easter is an annual Christian and cultural celebration that follows Pancake Day and Lent. Traditionally, according to the Bible, it is a time for Christians to remember the sacrifice Jesus made when he died on a cross on Good Friday, as well as a celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
However, Easter is also celebrated by many non-Christians. Research from Finder, found that 4 in 5 Brits plan to celebrate Easter in 2024.
In the UK, some people follow Easter traditions and celebrate by exchanging gifts and chocolate Easter eggs, gathering for a special Easter dinner or attending a church service or Easter-themed event.
How can you celebrate Easter in schools?
Schools in England and Wales usually have a break around the Easter holidays. In the days before the term ends, students typically enjoy engaging in Easter activities and Primary School Teachers teach them about the traditional Easter story.
Children learn about the value of Easter and are encouraged to take part in fun and creative activities. Some of the most popular ways for schools to celebrate Easter include creating Easter cards, decorating the classroom and of course, eating Easter eggs!
8 ways to celebrate Easter in schools
- Decorate eggs.
- Bake Easter decorations.
- Tell Easter stories.
- Make hot cross buns.
- Egg race.
- Organise an easter egg hunt.
- A raffle for charity.
- Create an Easter bonnet.
Decorate eggs
This is an art lesson with a twist; instead of paper, the canvas is a hard boiled egg! Egg decorating will no doubt be the most obvious activity, but it never fails to amuse pupils and encourage some creativity.
Decorating eggs and Easter baskets is an Easter tradition and a great way for students to get creative with paint, dye and glitter!
Why not make it a little bit more fun and challenge students to decorate baskets to carry their eggs? Or even set a theme? For example, you could challenge pupils to create egg models of their favourite sportsperson, author or historical figure, or why not recreate a famous artwork or building on their egg?
You could also add some healthy competition and award the best eggs with prizes.
Make Easter cards
Another Easter tradition, spend time making Easter cards for your students to give to family, friends and fellow Teachers. This arts and crafts activity encourages and develops creativity and motor skills. It is also fun and allows students to wish each other a happy Easter.
Making Easter cards in schools is a great alternative to shop bought cards; it’s better for the environment, saves money and gives every student the opportunity to celebrate and be thankful.
Why stop at Easter cards? Why not encourage pupils to make their own posters and decorate the classroom for a special Easter celebration?
Bake hot cross buns
Eating hot cross buns is another Easter tradition rooted in Christianity. Traditionally eaten in the weeks leading up to Easter, hot cross buns are said to be symbolic of the day Christ was crucified and are decorated with a cross.
Baking hot cross buns with your students might provide them with new culinary skills and it is the perfect breakfast snack for hungry bellies.
You don’t have to just limit yourself to baking hot cross buns! Why not make some easter cupcakes or cookies and top them with mini eggs!
Egg race
Egg races are an important Easter tradition that usually take place on Easter Monday, but can be an exciting activity in schools for pupils. There are many different egg races to choose from, whether it’s children using spoons to roll hard boiled eggs to the finish line, or rolling an egg down a hill to see which egg can go furthest without breaking.
Or there’s the classic egg and spoon race usually enjoyed on sports days, but use brightly coloured eggs for a bit more fun!
Whether you choose to roll eggs in the classroom or school playground, or challenge students to decorate eggs in a set time, it can be a healthy and fun competition at Easter time!
Organise an Easter egg hunt
Another activity synonymous with Easter is a scavenger hunt. Instead of handing out chocolate eggs in the classroom, encourage pupils to use their skills to take on an exciting challenge.
Create a map, provide maths clues or mini quizzes and go out on an Easter footprint trail to lead them to the eggs - just be sure to leave an exciting prize at the end!
Teaching students to follow a map can enhance problem solving and orientation skills and is a great opportunity for them to go outdoors and learn about nature along the way. Challenge your pupils to work in a team, explore the outdoors and exercise their brain as well as their bodies to reach a common goal.
Organise an egg-stravagant raffle
A great way to give back and have fun at Easter is to organise an eggstravaganza raffle with proceeds going to a charity of your choice. Ask all students to bring in an Easter egg or Easter-themed chocolate item to be auctioned off in a raffle.
By donating the raffle proceeds to charity, it will teach students about the importance of being selfless and helping others in the local community.
Why not ask your pupils to design posters and leaflets for the event to remind everyone that the school is hosting a raffle with many exciting prizes to win!
Create an Easter bonnet
Creating an Easter bonnet is another Easter tradition that has been celebrated for centuries and is a great way of allowing students to be creative. Using a variety of materials and colours, encourage students to create their own Easter bonnets in different sizes and styles, complete with accessories and Easter designs!
Why not make it even more fun and encourage students to display their Easter bonnets on a runway and vote for the best one? This is a great way of allowing students to express themselves creatively as well as work independently and imaginatively.
This activity can bring a bit of joy to the classroom without fear of judgement or ridicule - the more extravagant the hat, the better!
Recruit teaching, support and facilities staff
As a specialist education recruitment agency, we support mainstream and SEND schools with their staffing needs, whether that be looking for temporary Teaching Assistants, permanent Teachers or temp-perm staff.
To discover more, simply get in touch with the Managing Consultant and education expert, Jamie Heath, to discover how we can help you.
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Meet Jamie Heath
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Formed in 2017, we are a specialist public and private recruitment agency that has pushed the boundaries to revolutionise not only the way we do business, but also the recruitment industry. We are at the forefront of innovation and have a passion for creating positive change and prioritising our candidates and clients needs.
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