DIY Easter Basket

We wanted to craft an Easter basket as an Easter egg hunt is no fun without a basket to collect your loot in!

My boys love learning about Easter symbols and traditions - and they were recently asking about the history of the Easter bunny and the traditions of an Easter egg hunt.  

I researched this on Google and found that Easter eggs were exchanged because Easter is celebrated at the end of Lent and during Lent it was traditional not to eat animal products including eggs. Hens still laid eggs so by Easter there were a lot of left over eggs so they were decorated and gifted to family and friends as a symbol of new beginnings.  Ancient Germans believed the Easter Bunny was a white hare that would leave colourful eggs for good girls and boys on Easter morning.

Chocolate eggs have since replaced real eggs much to the delight of children the world over and a visit from the Easter bunny is almost as highly anticipated as a visit from Santa! This was such a wonderful opportunity to learn about history and traditions, not just for the boys but for me too!

These DIY Easter baskets are so much fun and very easy to make with paper plates.  There is so much scope to be creative with this craft when painting or decorating the Easter baskets.  Each child will enjoy making their own unique basket. We decorated ours using tape resist painting technique whereby masking/painters tape is pressed down in a crisscross pattern and painted over with different colours.  The masking tape is then peeled off to reveal a colourful geometric print. Painting is not only a great fine motor activity for children but also a way for them to convey ideas, express emotion, use their senses, and explore colour.

Have fun making these DIY Easter baskets and hope the Easter bunny is generous!

• Paper plates
• Pipe cleaners
• Assorted coloured beads

1. Paint and decorate paper plate as desired.  We decorated ours using tape resist painting technique described above.
2. Cut the paper plate in half with a zig zag edge to resemble a broken egg.
3. Staple the edges of the paper plate halves together with a stapler.
4. To make basket’s handle, thread coloured beads onto a pipe cleaner and staple to edge of basket.  Hot glue can also be used for extra strength.

* This post and all associated images have been supplied by the lovely Rossa from Curious Little People.  Follow her on Instagram for more creative inspirations!