Disclosure: *THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I ONLY RECOMMEND ITEMS I AM CONFIDENT ARE HIGH-QUALITY

There is just something about having a baby that makes holidays so much more exciting and special. Olivia’s first Easter will be coming up here in just a couple of weeks and I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to start some Easter traditions with her that we can carry on for years to come. What makes these Easter traditions so special is that not only can I share them with my daughter, but one day she will be able to share them with her children as well. Here are some of the Easter traditions I plan on starting with Olivia this year! What are some Easter traditions that you share with your family? Comment below and let me know!

Take an Easter photo

One of my favorite things to do with my daughter for a holiday is to dress her up and take a picture. We have Valentine’s Day pictures, Christmas pictures, Thanksgiving pictures, Halloween pictures, and soon we will have an Easter picture. I plan on doing this each year for her so that I can look back on these special memories when she is older. Half of the fun of the picture is picking the right outfit. Yesterday, I rounded up my favorite Easter outfits for baby girls and boys. These would be perfect to use for your Easter pictures this year.

Throw an Easter egg hunt

What would Easter be without the traditional Easter egg hunt? This is one of my favorite Easter traditions and it can be started as early as your baby’s first year! When your baby starts crawling or walking throw a simple indoor Easter egg hunt. This will give them the opportunity to practice their new skill. They will be delighted when they stumble upon their new egg shaped toy!

For older kids a larger, outdoor Easter egg hunt would be the perfect treat! You will love watching the excitement on their faces as they look through bushes, under pots, and through the grass for eggs filled with their favorite treats. Personally, I recommend hiding plastic or wooden eggs instead of real eggs. This way if an egg never gets found it doesn’t leave your backyard with a foul smell.

Decorate Easter eggs

One of the most common Easter traditions that families participate in is decorating Easter eggs. Decorating Easter eggs is the perfect opportunity for some quality family time. Gather parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins together for a fun Easter egg decorating contest! The winner can receive a fun Easter themed prize. Head on over to our Easter Pinterest board to get some inspiration before you start.

Make an Easter craft

Their are so many different Easter crafts that you can do with your kids leading up to Easter. This is one of my favorite Easter traditions to start with kiddos to help get them excited for the upcoming holiday. It is also a wonderful opportunity for them to get to express themselves creatively. Crayola has a great kit to help you complete all of your Easter crafts. You can get it now for 15% off orders of $30 or more using the code GREEN15. This code is only good until 03/30/18 so grab your kit now before it’s too late.

Make an Easter basket for your kids

I don’t do gifts for every Holiday. However, I do them for Valentine’s, Easter, Birthdays, and Christmas. I have already been hard at work on getting Olivia’s Easter basket ready for her. I have found some really great products to include for her first Easter basket already! Here are some of my favorite non-candy gift ideas for your baby’s Easter basket. I have 40 different ideas here so no mater what your baby likes you will be sure to find something.

Decorate an Easter tree

This is a new Easter tradition that I will be starting this year. Easter trees originated in Germany centuries ago. An Easter tree is simply tree branches (either in a vase in your home or on a living tree outside) decorated with Easter eggs. The egg is an ancient symbol of new life. In Pagan cultures the egg represents new life as Spring begins. In Christian cultures the egg represent new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

Leave out a snack for the Easter Bunny

We leave cookies and milk out for Santa so it’s only fair that the Easter Bunny gets a snack too. This Easter leave a carrot out for the Easter Bunny to munch on while he delivers your little one’s Easter baskets. Your kids will love waking up to the half eaten carrot – their magical proof that the Easter Bunny did in fact visit them this year.

Read an Easter book

As many of you know I love reading to our daughter. She already has 100s of books and she isn’t even a year old. I like to switch out some of our usual books for special holiday books whenever I can. That’s why one of my favorite Easter traditions is sharing a few Easter themed books with your children. There are so many great books out there that it’s hard to narrow down my favorites. Luckily I will have many Easters coming with my daughter so I have plenty of opportunities to read them. Here is a list of a few of my favorite Easter books to read to your children.

Make Resurrection Rolls

I love celebrating all of the fun aspects of Easter like the Easter bunny, Easter egg hunts, and egg decorating. However, as a Christian mama it is really important to me that I share the true meaning of Easter with my daughter. Resurrection rolls are the perfect way to share the Easter story with children in a way they can understand.

They will love preparing their marshmallow with butter and brown sugar like Jesus’ body was prepared with oils, perfumes, and spices for burial. Then they can wrap up and seal their marshmallow in the in dough just like Jesus’ body was put in the tomb which was sealed shut with the boulder. The best part is watching in wonder when their resurrection rolls are done and they see their marshmallow has disappeared just like Jesus’ body disappeared from the tomb! I can’t wait to start this Easter tradition with Olivia when she is old enough to understand. Jane Dubois of Diary of A Recipe Collector shares a great recipe on her website. You can read that here.