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Instead of spending lots of money on expensive Easter toys or stuffed bunnies and chicks that kids may grow bored with in a month, encourage children to engage in open-ended, imaginative play with an inexpensive toy you most likely already have near at hand this Easter season – toy plastic Easter eggs!
How to play with plastic Easter eggs
Many families do two things with plastic Easter eggs – stuff them with treats for Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets and/or decorate them with paints and stickers.
Yesterday, my kids amused themselves all afternoon with a set of pastel plastic Easter eggs from Target. My daughter made them into hats and pretend ice-cream treats. She stacked them, built a doll bed with them, and then ran a modified version of the three shell game for my son. We got hours of fun from items bought years ago for only a few dollars.
What is open-ended play?
Open-ended play is fun without a specific goal. It allows kids to experiment with toys or other objects without being expected to complete a particular task. Children must use their creativity and logic skills to come up with ideas for how to use an open-ended toy. Classic open-ended toys include blocks, clay and other art supplies, toy figures and playsets, and dress-up clothes. However, simple household items like odd buttons, empty containers, or plastic Easter eggs foster open-ended play as well.
What is imaginative play?
Imaginative play is pretend play. It encourages a child to develop empathy by having them take on roles and see what it is like to be someone or something else. It also develops creativity and problem-solving skills because kids must use their imaginations to figure out how one thing (like a calculator or wooden block) could be something else (like a pretend cell phone). Instead of purchasing wardrobes of clothes and props for imaginative play, parents can give kids objects already in the home (like plastic Easter eggs) for some cheap, inexpensive fun.
Open-ended, imaginative play activities for plastic Easter eggs
Both a whole plastic Easter egg and the two halves can be used for open-ended, imaginative play. The plastic eggs used can be all the same color or an assortment of colors. Providing children with different sizes of eggs opens the door to even more play possibilities. Children can also use plastic Easter eggs with toys they already have, such as small wooden figures or vehicles or sets of building blocks.
Possible fun uses for plastic Easter eggs include:
- hats for toy figures.
- furniture for toy figures.
- pretend play food treats.
- cups and bowls for a tea party or play meal.
- a challenging stacking toy.
- objects to be sorted by color and/or size.
- tiny boats in a tub of water.
- cups for pouring water from container to container or for pouring water to make waterwheels go.
- mountains or hills in a play scene.
- molds for sand, dirt, play-doh, or clay play.
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- Chicago kids Easter gift guide - classic outdoor toys for Easter baskets
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- Chicago kids Easter gift guide - creative art toys for Easter baskets
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