Easter Fun!

From Kate Wilde: I just love Easter! Along with Halloween it is my favorite holiday. I love the feel of spring in the air and the promise of longer warmer summer nights. I love the symbolism that Easter represents. That we can be reborn, change, let go of the old and become whomever we want and begin to nurture the new inside of ourselves. The Easter holiday brings colorful eggs, bunnies, daffodils, tulips and treasure hunts. Below are 10 Easter inspired games and activities that you can play with your children on the Autism Spectrum.

Bring on the fun...

1. Make an egg family Boil eight hard boiled eggs , four for you and four for your child. Each of you turn your 4 eggs into a family. Bring in markers or paints, sticker, or pieces of material, cotton wool, different things to make your eggs into people. You could make your family any kind of family you want, they could be a super hero family, or a family of Bakers, or a family of dogs, each of you get to decide. Once you have made your families you each get to introduce your families to one another - great for expressive language. Then after that they could go on adventures together, or you could make your family a house. It is theme that could gone on for as long as your child is interested in their family of Eggs.


2. Rescue Mr. Bunnie from the Giant Bunnie Eating Egg Man Put pictures of bunnies around the room, and your child has to run and collect all the bunnies before you the "giant bunny eating egg" munches up the bunnies. You could take turns being the bunny saver or the giant eating egg.


3. Grow a Flower Get some sun flower seeds (these are really hardy and in my experience always grow) and two flower pots and plant a sun flower together. You both pick a word that describes something you would like to grow within yourself .You could pick any word, such as, kind, or loving, or courageous, or happy, or silly, or taller - anything at all. Decorate your pot with this word. Then for the next couple of weeks your child gets to water it everyday and watch their flower grow.


4. Dress up as the Easter bunny Dress up as the Easter Bunny and go on an adventure together leaving eggs at the bedside of all the sleeping stuffed animals in your playroom.


5. Easter Hide and Seek Hide little plastic Easter eggs around the room. You child has to find them by following where your eyes are looking.


6. If you were a carrot where would you be hiding? Create written clues that are hidden inside a plastic egg that give clues to where a carrot sticker is hiding. One clue could say something like, "I am a carrot who is sleepy and is resting in a very soft and cozy place. Come find me."


7. Create a flower shop You can make flowers together out of tissue paper, then create a shop. Take turns pretending to be the shop keeper or the customer.


8. Guess what's inside Fill plastic Eggs with things that make a sound, like dried rice, or little bells, ask your child to guess what is inside by shaking the eggs and listening to the sound.


9. An Easter circus A circus with a twist, all the performing artists are spring animals, such as bunnies and chicks. For instance, you could be the tight rope walking birdie, or the fire eating bunny, or the singing chick from Kentucky.


10. Teaching baby bird to fly Pretend one of you is the baby bird and the other is the Mommy bird. Build a nest that you live in. You can play imagination games of going off to find worms to eat, and teaching your bird how to fly.

Enjoy this coming Easter Sunday whether you celebrate or not.