There are certain times of the year made for making childhood memories. Eastertime is right up there. This is when families come together for unique moments with one generation after another sharing in some traditional Easter activities.

So, how can you make this year’s Easter extra special? Find out as we look at some of the best ways to get the kids involved and keep them entertained with half a dozen eggs.

Get Cracking!

Easter is all about the humble egg, of course, but it’s always wise to sort out the logistics of Easter well in advance. That means talking to your nanny about time off and making sure you have a plan that’ll work for everyone.

Easter means different things to different people. So, if you’ve taken on an au pair who comes from a place where Easter doesn't feature on the calendar, it’s worth having your ducks in a row so you can explain its significance.

The religious side is fairly straightforward but how did the humble egg become such a star attraction?

Eggs represent new life and rebirth. This has special relevance for Christians who celebrate what they believe to be the resurrection of Jesus at Eastertime. In centuries gone by, the Church also did not allow the eating of eggs during Lent so on Easter Sunday, tucking into an egg became a real treat.

Here are a few traditional Easter activities you can do with an egg:

Decorating an Egg

There are 2 options here. You can either blow the white and yolk out of the egg or boil the egg first, Each has its merits.

Blowing the Egg

To get the yolk and white out of an egg without breaking its shell, you’re going to need:

• A pin, cocktail stick and 2 large bowls
• Some washing-up detergent and a new baby aspirator

Start by piercing the egg. Do this by pushing in a pin at either end. Try to make the hole at the widest end of the egg sufficiently big to push a cocktail stick through. Push in the cocktail stick to break the yolk, twist it several times then remove it.

Hold the egg above a clean bowl. With the larger hole pointing downwards, press the aspirator over the smaller hole in the egg. Use it to pump air into the egg. You’ll see the air pushing the egg yolk and white out of the shell and into the bowl below.

Place the empty shell into the other bowl. Fill with warm water and washing-up detergent. Use the aspirator to get some soapy water pumping through the eggshell. Leave the shell to dry out on some kitchen towel before decorating it.

Here are some decoration ideas:

• Glue and glitter the larger end
• Write on a name using a pencil first for the outline and then a marker pen
• Circular, yellow stationery stickers for chicks adding legs & eyes with a pen

Boiling Eggs

Hard boil eggs in the usual way. Let them cool and then start decorating. Stir together 1/2 cup boiling water, vinegar and food colouring in a bowl or cup. Immerse eggs and turn them from time to time to make sure they get an even coating.

This will typically take 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the eggs and transfer them to a rack to drain and dry. You could even dye the egg in different colours by only immersing specific ends of the egg for the required period.

Painting and Tie-dying!

You can use acrylic paints to decorate the shells of the hard-boiled eggs. You could also use an old, unwanted silk tie. Cut the material at the back of the tie so that you can wrap the entire egg in the silk fabric.

Enclose the egg completely by tying the tie in a knot. Use string if necessary. Boil the egg in water with a little vinegar for around 20 minutes. Once you’ve removed the egg and let it cool, take off the silk tie covering and you’ll see the tie’s colours have dyed the egg.

Always use silk fabric and one with a sharp coloured pattern if possible. Double check it isn't one of Dad’s favourites!

You can also dye the eggs themselves rather than just the shells. Take a hard-boiled egg, half it, remove the hard yolk and sit the hard egg whites in your dye solution. Once dry, place a mixture of mashed yolk, mayonnaise and salad onion in the hole where the yolk was. It’s a great way for kids to impress grown-ups with their culinary skills.

Eggy Games

Egg Rolling

Most people would consider egg rolling, popular in Scotland to be a children's game. It does though have religious relevance. The rolling of the eggs down the hill is symbolic of the rolling away of the stones from Christ's tomb connected with the resurrection Christians believe in.

After painting and boiling the eggs, participants typically take the decorated eggs to the park where they roll them down a hill. The child whose egg rolls furthest without breaking is the winner and hopefully gets a chocolate egg as a prize.

An Egg Hunt

In the USA, Easter has become dominated by chocolates and Easter bunnies. Go American and try out an Easter egg hunt. Hide eggs around the garden. The kids can fill their Easter baskets with chocolate eggs and either keep or exchange them for a variety of treats.

Fill with Confetti

Mexicans fill blown eggs that they’ve decorated with confetti. They then crack them over the heads of unsuspecting friends or relatives.

Egg and Spoon Race

Nothing beats a traditional egg and spoon race. Easter time is a good excuse to give everyone a prize and that has to be a chocolate egg, of course.

Making Easter Special

Easter is a great opportunity to spend time with the family. It’s also a chance to include your nanny or au pair in the celebrations. For some au pairs, it may be a time they particularly miss their own families and it’s important to be mindful of this.

Pay the Nanny offers a range of nanny payroll services that helps free up busy parents so that they can enjoy more time spent with their kids. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can the paperwork that goes with employing a nanny or hiring an au pair as easy as possible.