Allergy-safe Easter activities
- 12 March 2023
- News
For many people, Easter is the time of year for indulging in chocolate and all kinds of other sweet treats. However, for people who are at risk of a serious allergic reaction, these festivities can be challenging, especially for children who may need alternative treats to help them stay safe.
Anaphylaxis UK wants to create a brighter future for people with serious allergies, and that includes making sure children are not excluded. Here we’ve listed some allergy-safe activities to enjoy whether your child has an allergy or you are hosting an event for children with allergies.
Allergy-safe Easter activities for children
Decorate an egg
If your child has an egg allergy, avoid real eggs. Purchase some wooden eggs, available online or in store from many craft retailers. Decorate the eggs and get creative. You can also cut out some 2D eggs from card for children to colour in. You can download our Easter Egg Templates here.
Egg hunt
Hide the eggs from the previous activity or other treats that you know are safe for your child. You could even turn the game on its head and have one person be the “Easter bunny” and the children be the “eggs” in one big game of hide and seek.
Pin the tail on the rabbit
You will need:
- Coloured paper
- White paper or cotton wool
- Scissors
- Sticky tac, sticky tape or Velcro
- Pencil
- Sleeping mask or scarf for a blindfold
Making your rabbit:
- Cut a rabbit template out of coloured paper.
- Lightly draw on where the tail should go.
- Make a fluffy rabbit tail out of white paper or cotton wool.
- Add sticky tac/tape or Velcro to the back of the white tail.
- Stick your rabbit carefully to a wall with sticky tac.
How to play:
- Blindfold your players and spin them around.
- Give players one attempt to stick the tail on the rabbit.
- Put a mark on the paper to show how close each person has got to the target.
- Closest to the original tail mark wins!
Easter bunny mask making
You will need:
- Paper plates
- Pipe cleaners or black paper
- White paper
- Wooden lollipop sticks
- Pink colouring pencil
- Stapler or glue
How to make:
- Cut out the centre of the paper plate, big enough to see your face through.
- Cut up 6 strips of black paper or get 6 pipe cleaners and stick it on the cheek area of the paper plate mask.
- Then cut out two bunny ear shapes, and stick/staple them to the top of the mask.
- Colour in the middle of the ears with the pink pencil.
- Stick the wooden lollipop stick to the bottom of the mask and use to hold in front of your face.
- Voila, your own easy to make bunny mask!
Tips for an allergy -safe Easter
- Take the focus off food. Do arts, crafts or dress up activities instead. Give stickers, books or toys in the place of food.
- If doing crafts with empty food packaging, some traces may still be present and for this reason it might be best to avoid food containers.
- Remind your child what their allergens are and explain what signs and symptoms they should look out for.
- Ask your child not to eat treats their friends give them without checking the ingredients label with an adult first.
- Have safe sweets, snacks or non-food treats ready that can be swapped for any unsuitable treats so that no one feels left out.
- Make friends and family aware of the allergy, what to do in an emergency and how to use any prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors (AAI).
- Remember that Easter eggs and other chocolate treats made by food manufacturers specially for Easter may not have the same ingredients or the same allergens, as the chocolate bars from the same manufacturer made at other times of year – so always check the ingredients label.
- Watch out for multipack items that may have been separated from the main packaging.
- Keep your or your child’s AAIs and medication with you at all times.
For more information on specific allergens, please see our Factsheets.
