Dye Hard: Easter Egg Decorating with Toddlers Made Easy

By Michelle Mady

Decorating eggs with young children can be a fun and festive activity, but it can also be a recipe for chaos. They dye gets everywhere, it takes forever for the eggs to get the full color and by the time you are all set up to go, the kids are already over it and have lost all semblance of patience. Here are some tips to keep the egg decorating process enjoyable for everyone:

Be Prepared!

Gather Supplies: Before you even start, gather all your supplies - have the kids nap or watch a movie while you do this. Hard boil the eggs the night before to make it even easier. Grab the eggs, make the dye, set up stations for dying and make sure to have stickers or markers on hand if they dye goes south!

Protect Your Space: Cover your work surface with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth. Don’t let anyone wear anything that can’t be ruined without tears. And don’t forget to have plenty of wipes ready for messes!

Set Expectations: Talk to your kids about the activity beforehand and set any rules that you might have, like keeping everything on the table or only leaving the table when they are done.

Keep It Simple.

Dyeing: Use egg dyeing kits or make your own with food coloring and vinegar. This activity is high on the mess level, but it is a classic for a reason. Add some extra dye whenever you can to minimize wait time while eggs are soaking.

Use Tools: There are so many great tools on the market to help with decorating eggs. Our favorite is an egg spinner kit. You put the egg in, it spins, and you can use markers to decorate it! It’s spinning art with no mess.

Stickers: Add some flashy, glitter-filled stickers and let your kids decorate them to their heart’s content! Not only is this easy and messless, but they are likely to spend some extra time peeling off and reapplying the stickers, giving you a bit more down time.

Consider Alternatives.

Decorate Wooden Eggs: There are so many ways to participate in the fun of decorating eggs without decorating actual eggs. Craft stores have these types of eggs ready to decorate. Use paint, markers, or even crayons to make these festive decorations.

Sticker Up Plastic Eggs: For a less messy activity, bring in those fun stickers to decorate plastic eggs. They can then be hidden for a hunt, or have treats added to the inside. This is great for the youngest Easter fans.

Paper Mache Eggs: OK, I am back up on the mess scale with this one, but it can be a really fun activity that takes a few days to complete. Use balloons, balls or even plastic eggs as a form.  Mix together glue and layer some soaked strips of paper over the form. It takes a few days to dry, then enjoy an egg painting party.

Skip It: Hear me out, but spring is still spring, and Easter is still Easter if you DON’T decorate eggs. If this activity causes you stress and you are only doing it because you are “supposed to” - then stop. Get halfway through and it’s making you bananas? Then you can be done. There’s no need to add stress when your kids would be just as happy snuggling up with you to read a bunny book!

Holidays can be stressful, especially with so many traditions and expectations around creating the “perfect” day. If dyeing eggs the traditional way brings you joy and holiday cheer, then go for it. But if making some changes to bring down the mess and preparation is what you need, consider this your permission!

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