Easter Bags

This is such a fun and beautiful holiday! I love celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

At my work, we do not celebrate religious holidays though so we focused more on secular celebrating of Easter. We made Easter bags!

Equipment

• One brown bag for each person
• Paint and paint brushes - this can also be done with markers/crayons/colored pencils
• Napkins and cups of water (to clean the paint brushes with)
• One paper plate for each person

Instructions
Each patient received a paint brush, plate, and brown bag. To start with, I filled each person's plate with three colors of their choosing. Patients could request more paint after everyone had received paint. Then the patients began painting. The only direction I gave them for painting was that these were their Easter bags. One patient made a beautiful picture of the cross on the hill, another painted "Happy Easter", more psychotic patients just did scribbles of paint, etc. The children, adolescents, and adults all enjoyed this activity.


Discussion
Family rituals: we talked about the different rituals each patient had with this holiday and how family rituals are so important to keep members of the family close.
Self-expression: expressing ourselves on our regular basis and the benefits thereof.
Relaxation: the importance of participating in relaxing activities and activities that relax us.

Stuffing the bags
After the group, I collected the bags and stuffed them with candy and different activity pages. The patients will receive their bags Easter morning!

Activity Pages Links (these pages all print well)
Coloring Pages

•  http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.coloring.ws/easter/easter3.gif
• http://www.crayola.com/services/printService.aspx?i=5a02a505-b083-4b0b-8a7b-27a128ef626e
• http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/easter-egg-wreath-coloring-page/
• http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/easter-eggs-coloring-page/
• http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/easter-lilies-coloring-page/

Color By Number

• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/bunny-maths-facts-colouring-page
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chicken-maths-facts-colouring-page

Drawing

• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chick-symmetry-worksheet
•  http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-egg-symmetry-worksheet
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/rabbit-symmetry-worksheet

Color By Coordinate

• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-bunny-coordinates
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-chick-coordinates
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-egg-coordinates

Mazes

• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-bunny-maze
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-egg-maze
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-maze-1
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-maze-2
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-maze-3
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-path-puzzle
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/rabbit-maze-2

Word Sudoku

• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-word-sudoku-easy-1
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-word-sudoku-easy-2
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-word-sudoku-medium-1
• http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-word-sudoku-medium-2 

Word Scramble

• http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/easter-scramble-coloring-page/

Please Share
What activities have you done to celebrate Easter?
What activity pages have you used?

More Easter Activities
Origami Easter Eggs
Easter Banners
Easter Puppet Bunnies

Image Credit
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkFSmCDioyKOJy2PpClTIf1uUNk7TZ6_uS3av0OdhsRKbtHLNg