Easter candy and decorations appear in stores weeks before the actual holiday arrives. Fluffy yellow and pink chicks, and floppy-eared bunnies line store shelves and fill children with anticipation for Easter. It's hard for little ones to wait and wait, and then suddenly – it's all over.

Harness some of that anticipation with our fun Easter activities, designed to begin in early April. From creating a delicious treat for the Easter Bunny to surprising your neighbors, your child will love celebrating all month long, and so will you!

Four Weeks Until Easter...

Feed the Easter Bunny
At Christmas, Santa enjoys the milk and cookies that your child leaves out for him. The Easter Bunny works hard delivering baskets and he gets hungry, too! Help your child grow a delicious pot of grass to reward the Easter Bunny for bringing treats. Your child will learn about "giving back" and you'll enjoy her wide-eyed discovery of the trimmed grass on Easter morning.

You'll need:
Plastic flowerpot
White paper
Safety scissors
Markers or paints
Glue
Soil
Grass seeds
Plastic wrap

Help your child cut out a strip of white paper big enough to fit around the circumference of the pot. Have your child decorate the paper with markers or paints, or draw a bunny face for your child to color. When they're done, glue the strip of decorated paper around the pot.

Let your child scoop soil into the pot and plant the grass seeds. Water the soil. Cover with plastic wrap and place the pot in a window or sunny spot. When the seeds sprout about a week later, remove the plastic wrap. Keep the soil moist and watch the grass grow.

On the night before Easter, have your child place the pot where the Easter Bunny will find it. Enjoy the big smile Easter morning when your child discovers that the Easter Bunny liked his meal.

Only Three Weeks Left...

International Easter Fun
Teach your child how children in other countries celebrate Easter. In Norway, the Easter Chick, Paaskekylling (paw-skaw-shilling), delivers eggs filled with candy. Help your child explore other cultures by making our loveable Paaskekylling.

You'll need:
One 3-inch yellow pompon or a skein of yellow yarn
Pair of wiggle eyes
Orange paper
Safety scissors
Glue

Make the chick's feet by helping your child cut out a heart shape from the orange paper. Next, cut out a diamond shape for the chick's beak. Fold the diamond in half to create an open mouth. Glue a yellow pompon onto the feet, then glue the wiggle eyes onto the front of the pompon. Glue the beak onto the pompon below the eyes.

Two Weeks and Counting...

Bunny Sack Puppet Show
Help ease the waiting time until the Easter Bunny arrives by making our bunny puppets. You can create long-lasting memories by staging a puppet show and taping your family's performance with a video camera, or you can immortalize the performance with pictures.

You'll need:
Paper bag
Colored paper
Buttons
Ribbon
Safety scissors
Glue

Lay the bag flat on the table. When your child inserts her hand into the bag the folded bottom will be the bunny's face (similar to how a sock puppet works).

Help your child glue buttons onto the bag's folded bottom for eyes. Glue a button nose below the eyes. Cut a ribbon into six 2-inch pieces. Have your child count the pieces, then help her glue three of the ribbon pieces on each side of the nose. Cut out a half-circle for the bunny's tongue. Open the bag's flap and glue the tongue to the inside crease. The tongue will show when your child flexes her fingers while using the puppet.

Make up a play with your child and perform it using the puppet. Not feeling creative? Have your child act out how the Easter bunny will enter your house, hop around and leave candy. Videotape the performance or take pictures.

Only One Week to Go...

A Delicious Egg-Shaped Dinner
Make our kid-friendly Easter dinner with your child before dying Easter eggs. Your child will love decorating egg-shaped open-faced sandwiches and crackers. Round out the meal with an Easter Bunny favorite: carrot sticks.

You'll need:
A large egg-shaped cookie cutter
Bread
Squeeze bottle of mayonnaise
Squeeze bottle of mustard
Sliced cheddar cheese
Sliced ham
Crackers
Cheese in a can with a nozzle
Carrot sticks

Have your child place slices of bread onto the kitchen table. Cover the bread with slices of ham and cheese, alternating so that some of the open-faced sandwiches are pink and some are orange. Using the cookie cutter, help your child cut the sandwiches into egg shapes. Decorate the "eggs" with lines or dots made of mayonnaise and mustard.

Give your child several circle-shaped crackers and let them decorate the crackers with spray-cheese to create Easter egg look-alikes.

Have a crunching contest with the carrot sticks.

Easter Weekend!

Neighborhood Eggs-citement
Kids love secrets. Your child will enjoy making simple treats for your neighbors, leaving the goodies in front of doorways and secretly watching as the offerings are discovered.

You'll need:
Plastic eggs that separate into halves
Wrapped candy

Help your child fill several plastic eggs with candy. Stake out a hiding place from which your child and you will secretly watch neighbors discover the eggs. Sneak up to a neighbor's door with your child, quietly like a bunny. Set the filled eggs in front of the door. Ring the doorbell and hop on out of there! Hide with your giggling child and watch your neighbors discover their surprise.

Want to see more?

• Outdoor Fun, Lots of Learning: Brave the Heat and Have a Ball With Your Toddler
• Crafts From Trash
• Indoor Gardening: Bring the Fun Inside
• Bringing Home the Easter Bunny: Rabbits as Pets
• Talk about it!