Easter Eggs and ABA: 5 Fun And Functional Holiday Themed Activities

Easter is an exciting, meaningful holiday with plenty of opportunity for fun. But beyond the colorful eggs, sweet treats and family time, there are opportunities to sneak ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) strategies into classic Easter fun to create meaningful, stress-free learning moments.

While you are enjoying time with your family leading up to Easter, consider incorporating these five simple, ABA-friendly activities to support skill-building in a playful, enjoyable way.

Matching Egg Hunt

What To Do: Fill plastic eggs with small items that match by color or shape. Hide the eggs for your child to find, and once they do instruct them to sort the contents into color (or shape) coded baskets. Add an extra challenge by hiding mismatched eggs and encouraging your child to match the tops with their correctly colored bottoms. This activity is a good practice for following directions, matching, sorting and visual discrimination.

Bunny “First, Then” Games

What To Do: This game can be as simple or complex as you’d like, with plenty of room for creativity. Using verbal directions or visual cues, encourage your child to do one thing, followed by another. Examples include:

• First, hop like a bunny, then find an egg.

• First, find 2 easter eggs, then see what’s inside.

Add an extra challenge by making your own mini obstacle course, hiding eggs with picture prompts that guide their next step. This activity is great for those who thrive on predictable sequences, and is helpful for practicing transitions, following directions and encouraging motor movement.

Step-by-Step Easter Themed Craft

What To Do: Find a simple Easter themed craft that your child would enjoy and gather supplies. Break down the instructions into simple steps, helping as needed. For example, if they are creating an Easter Bunny out of paper, directions would look like, “First, cut out the ears, then glue them on.” Simple crafts teach sequencing, encourage patience and are a fantastic way to practice completing multi-step tasks while improving fine motor skills. Plus, you’ll end up with an adorable holiday-themed artwork to hang on the fridge!

Egg Toss

What To Do: Create a simple toss game using plastic easter eggs and a laundry basket or box. Take turns tossing into the basket, modeling social language using narration, such as “Your turn now,” and “Great throw!” Not only are you finding a fun way to get your money’s worth out of those plastic eggs, it’s a low pressure way to practice social interaction, taking turns and sharing attention.

Treat Sorting & Counting

What To Do: Gather some favorite Easter treats, such as jelly beans or fruit snacks, to sort by color or count into groups. The pile of treats can be in front of you, encouraging your child to ask for the piece they want next using complete sentences or choice making. This activity is good practice for counting, sorting, requesting and delayed gratification. Bonus: this activity is wonderful as a natural reinforcement practice, too, allowing them to “earn” the treats through play-based tasks.

Practicing ABA Therapy Can Be Fun

Through these simple activities, your child will be learning and practicing important skills without even realizing that’s what they are doing! By meshing Easter fun with ABA strategies, you are building onto their foundation of growth while spending quality time together and creating lasting holiday memories.

ABA Therapy doesn’t have to be rigid or boring. The main purpose of ABA therapy is to help your child thrive in their environment in ways that work best for their personal circumstances. If you’re interested in learning more about how ABA therapy can help your child by seamlessly integrating strategies into their every day life, contact Bloom Behavioral Therapy today.