Take a creative paws and keep little hands busy with these Easter-themed crafts and activities.

The mystery of tantalising clues, the anticipation of deliciously edible treasure and the perfect opportunity to indulge in some creative arts and crafts. This year, take the long Easter weekend up a notch. Dig out the paint and glue and prepare for an afternoon of old-school Easter crafts – and make some magical memories along the way.

Here we’ve rounded up a collection of our favourite indoor-friendly craft activities using materials you’ll likely to have to hand.

Before the Hunt

Coloured Eggs

Transform that lonely egg in the fridge into an Easter beauty. Hard-boil your egg and leave it to cool while you search the cake cupboard for vegetable dye. Carefully fill a bowl with half a cup of boiling water and add one teaspoon of white wine vinegar. Then add 20 drops of liquid food colouring. Sink your egg into the liquid and rotate for up to five minutes. Get your paper towels, tongs or stray spoon at the ready to remove your dip-dyed egg, and leave to dry for decorating.

There are some quick shortcuts to make your eggs look as if you’ve invested some serious craft time. Before you dip it, wind the shell in a network of elastic bands. The result is worthy of a summer festival T-shirt. You could even spell out names and make simple designs simply by using glue, then peeling it off after it’s dip-dyed and dried.

Gentle Easter reminder: your egg is for decorating, not the picnic hamper – don’t be tempted to eat!

Easter Bonnets

The centrepiece of any Easter parade is the bonnet. It’s a traditional symbol of all things new. Composer Irving Berlin made it famous in 1917 when he penned a tune that celebrated New York City’s Easter Parade. Every year you can still spot many bobbing bonnets making their way down Fifth Avenue.

Why not make your own? Either start from scratch with cardboard and cloth or find that unwanted hat crushed in a suitcase. Go for simple and plain or as over the top as you like. Try flowers, chicks, ribbons – throw on the works (or delicately stitch). Don’t be shy – there’s no such thing as overdoing an Easter bonnet!

Perfecting the Indoor Hunt

Outdoor space and perfect weather aren’t essential to your Easter Egg hunt. If you’re thinking of bringing yours indoors, all you need is a little creative licence, some flour, and the know-how.

How to start? Just like the crumbs on the plate of mince pies left out for Santa, the Easter Bunny often leaves evidence that they’ve hopped through the household. Leave a dazzling trail of bunny paw prints cut from colourful paper, or if you don’t mind a little mess, a trail of flour or glitter, made with a simple card or paper stencil.

For younger adventurers, following the trail of paw prints can be all you need for the route of your hunt. Older hunters will likely find playing detective even more fun: clues could be riddles, picture clues or word jumbles. The clues will need to be age-appropriate, but a mix of several types keeps the game interesting.

After the Hunt

Post-hunt, look to our Easter packaging, which could have a second life as wearable bunny ears and paws or an easy bunny cut-out (with two holes for your fingers where the legs would be). Meanwhile, our Extra-Thick Easter Eggs and Ostrich Easter Eggs now come in beautiful tins inspired by the shape of a growing cacao pod, ideal for the children to use to store their makes, as well as their toys and keepsakes.

Alternatively, with a little dirt, you can turn your Extra-Thick or Ostrich Easter egg tin into an upcycled planter or container for your herbs, flowers, and succulents. A well-chosen plant can take the textural tins to new heights – and will look very well on the kitchen countertop.