Got Eggs? Dozens of Ways to Use Plastic Easter Eggs in Your Classroom

Easter is almost here, and that means a plethora of plastic Easter eggs might just need a good home after the treats inside have been consumed...namely, after about 52.3 seconds at our house! 

Or maybe you are like us and cannot pass up the bargain bins at the store where they'll have colorful plastic eggs for ridiculously low prices. 

Have no fear—there are literally endless ways to use these in the classroom, regardless of the grade you teach!  Most of these can be written directly on the outside of the egg, or you can use slips of paper inside the eggs if desired.  Use any of these ideas for an egg hunt or a literacy or math center or station!

Phonics activities

• word families (consonant + at/ell/ick and other word family stems)
• rhyming words (mix up the colors so they aren't just matching colors)
• vowel sounds (try tricky similar sounds that aren't spelled alike: view, due, noon)

Literacy activities—put a slip of paper inside the egg to prompt students to tell about a story or reading selection

• setting
• characters
• character traits
• theme, message or lesson
• main idea of a short passage
• compare/contrast events, characters, settings, etc.
• causes and effects
• vocabulary words and meanings
• strong verbs
• shades of meaning
• strong beginnings for writing
• writing prompts

English fun

• parts of speech with examples of each
• possessive nouns—paws of the dog = dog's paws; paws of the dogs = dogs' paws
• pronouns I/me, we/us and sentences where they're used

Math practice

• addition, subtraction, multiplication, division facts or practice
• number patterns on one end and the rule on the other
• expanded form, standard form, place value practice
• word problems to solve (put a number on each egg, match operation
• number families for multiplication and then "6's," "7's," etc.
• geometric shapes and clues to help identify them
• types of triangles and their identifying characteristics
• lines, rays, line segments, angles, etc.
• fractions—use with a picture or model and match; use for equivalent fractions; fractions on a number line
• area and perimeter of a shape
• patterning sequences with shapes, colors, numbers—many options

Science activities

• food chains or producer/consumer or predator/prey
• magnet activities
• forces/motion examples to match
• simple machines with examples to match
• life cycles
• vocabulary and definitions

However you use colorful plastic eggs, it's sure to be a hit with your students! Please leave us a comment below to share how you use plastic Easter eggs in your classroom.

Thanks for dropping by!