Creating Jello-Filled Easter Eggs for Sensory Play: A DIY Craft for Early Toddlers
Jello-filled Easter eggs are a fun, mess-free sensory activity perfect for early toddlers. This craft combines tactile play with colorful pastel hues that evoke the springtime spirit. In this post, we’ll walk you through creating these delightful sensory eggs step by step.
Materials Needed
• Plastic Easter eggs (with tight closures)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Gelatin mix in pastel colors (or white unflavored gelatin with food coloring)
• Food coloring (pink, yellow, purple, blue, and green)
• Small bowls and spoons
• Measuring cups
• Warm water
• Dropper or syringe (optional)
Learning Objectives by Age Group
Age 0-6 months: Exposure to textures and colors during supervised play enhances visual and sensory development.
Age 6-12 months: Encourages fine motor skills as they explore the eggs by touching and squeezing.
Age 12-24 months: Promotes hand-eye coordination and strengthens grip as toddlers handle and manipulate the eggs.
Age 3-4 years: Engages older toddlers in color sorting or simple counting games.
Age 4-6 years: Introduces basic science concepts, such as mixing colors and changing textures.
Description of the Decor/Theme
These pastel Jello-filled Easter eggs are perfect for spring sensory play setups. Pair them with Easter-themed fillers like shredded paper grass, small plastic bunnies, or pastel pom-poms in a sensory bin for a complete experience.
Sensory Bin Setup
Sensory Bin 1: Pastel Jello Easter Eggs
Materials List:
• Jello-filled eggs (prepared in advance)
• Easter grass or shredded paper
• Plastic or plush bunnies and chicks
Activity Instructions:
1. Set the Jello eggs in a sensory bin lined with Easter grass.
2. Allow toddlers to explore the eggs by touching, squeezing, and even tasting (if they’re made with edible-safe materials).
3. Discuss the pastel colors with your child to build color recognition skills.
How to Make Pastel Jello Easter Eggs
1. Prepare the Plastic Eggs:
• Wash and dry plastic Easter eggs thoroughly.
• Spray the inside of each egg with a light layer of non-stick cooking spray to make the Jello easier to remove.
2. Mix the Gelatin Base:
• Follow the package instructions to dissolve your gelatin mix in warm water.
• If using unflavored gelatin, sweeten it to taste and divide the mixture into small bowls.
3. Create Pastel Colors:
• Add one or two drops of food coloring to each bowl of gelatin to create soft pastel shades. Suggested combinations include:
• Pink: 1 drop red + 1 drop white food coloring.
• Yellow: 1 drop yellow + 1 drop white food coloring.
• Purple: 1 drop red + 1 drop blue + 1 drop white food coloring.
• Blue: 1 drop blue + 1 drop white food coloring.
• Green: 1 drop green + 1 drop white food coloring.
4. Fill the Eggs:
• Use a spoon or dropper to carefully pour the gelatin mixture into each egg half.
• Snap the halves together tightly to form a whole egg.
5. Chill and Set:
• Place the filled eggs in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, or until the Jello has fully set.
6. Unmold the Eggs:
• Gently open the plastic eggs and remove the Jello eggs. If needed, use a small spoon or your fingers to ease them out.
Benefits of Sensory Play
• Tactile Exploration: Squishy Jello textures engage the sense of touch, helping toddlers develop sensory processing skills.
• Color Recognition: The vibrant pastels encourage learning colors in a fun, interactive way.
• Fine Motor Development: Picking up and manipulating eggs strengthens little hands and fingers.
• Creative Play: Incorporate the eggs into pretend play or use them for counting and sorting activities.
25 Vocabulary Words for the Theme
1. Easter
2. Egg
3. Jello
4. Pastel
5. Color
6. Pink
7. Yellow
8. Purple
9. Blue
10. Green
11. Mix
12. Chill
13. Mold
14. Texture
15. Squeeze
16. Squishy
17. Sensory
18. Explore
19. Taste
20. Play
21. Spring
22. Holiday
23. Craft
24. Sweet
25. Bin
Enjoy crafting these colorful, squishy sensory Easter eggs with your toddler this spring!
Week-Long Lesson Plan with 8 Easter-Themed Activities Per Day
Here’s a jam-packed week-long lesson plan featuring 8 fun, educational, and Easter-themed activities per day. We’ve incorporated GoodnightFox products like farm flashcards, the farm memory game, farm acrylic charms, and chicken lifecycle cards to create a meaningful, hands-on learning experience for toddlers.
Monday: Sensory Exploration Day
1. Jello Easter Egg Sensory Bin: Set up the pastel Jello-filled eggs in an Easter grass sensory bin for free exploration.
2. Farm Flashcards: Practice matching flashcards to real objects like small toy animals in the sensory bin.
3. Egg Sorting Activity: Use plastic eggs and sort them by color or size.
4. Touch & Feel Hunt: Hide farm acrylic charms inside sensory fillers like shredded paper or rice for a tactile Easter hunt.
5. Color Recognition Game: Use the pastel Jello eggs to teach color names.
6. Farm Memory Game: Introduce simple matching with the GoodnightFox farm memory cards.
7. Chicken Lifecycle Cards: Arrange the lifecycle cards in order and discuss each stage.
8. Painting Eggs: Use washable paint to decorate plastic or wooden eggs for a fine motor activity.
Tuesday: Fine Motor Skills Day
1. Tongs and Eggs: Use tongs to pick up plastic or Jello eggs from the bin.
2. Farm Animal Sorting: Match acrylic farm charms to their corresponding flashcards.
3. Easter Egg Puzzle: Create a simple puzzle by cutting plastic eggs into halves and mixing them up for toddlers to match.
4. Farm Animal Rescue: Hide small farm animal toys in sensory fillers, and use tongs or hands to “rescue” them.
5. Chicken Lifecycle Role Play: Pretend to be a chick hatching from an egg and crawling around the play area.
6. Egg Cup Stacking: Stack plastic egg cups to build towers and knock them down.
7. Color Sorting Challenge: Place colored bowls and ask toddlers to sort acrylic charms or plastic eggs by color.
8. Threading Activity: Use a pipe cleaner to string beads or small items for an Easter necklace.
Wednesday: Early Literacy Day
1. Easter Word Match: Use vocabulary words like “egg,” “chick,” and “bunny” to match to images.
2. Farm Flashcard Storytelling: Use flashcards to create simple stories involving farm animals.
3. Letter Recognition with Eggs: Write letters on plastic eggs and practice matching uppercase and lowercase letters.
4. Chicken Lifecycle Cards: Practice sequencing and learn simple new words like “hatch” and “grow.”
5. Easter-Themed Sensory Play: Add letter beads to the sensory bin and spell simple Easter words.
6. Farm Animal Songs: Sing nursery rhymes like “Old MacDonald” while holding corresponding acrylic charms.
7. Jello Letter Hunt: Embed small plastic letters in Jello and encourage toddlers to “rescue” them.
8. Easter Book Time: Read an Easter or farm-themed book together, like “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.”
Thursday: Math and Science Day
1. Counting Eggs: Count Jello eggs in the sensory bin or plastic eggs on the table.
2. Farm Animal Sorting: Group acrylic charms by type, like mammals vs. birds.
3. Size Sorting: Sort plastic eggs into small, medium, and large groups.
4. Chicken Lifecycle Experiment: Use hard-boiled eggs to crack and explore egg anatomy.
5. Pattern Matching: Create patterns with acrylic charms or colored eggs.
6. Sink or Float: Experiment with plastic eggs and charms to see what sinks or floats in water.
7. Egg Stamping: Use halved potatoes or carrots to create Easter egg-shaped stamps.
8. Number Matching Game: Write numbers on plastic eggs and match them to the correct number of objects.
Friday: Creative and Artistic Play Day
1. Easter Egg Decorating: Use stickers, markers, or craft materials to decorate plastic eggs.
2. Farm-Themed Playdough: Use farm animal acrylic charms and cutters to create shapes in pastel-colored dough.
3. Jello Mold Fun: Let toddlers squish the Jello eggs and try molding new shapes.
4. Easter Bunny Ears Craft: Make bunny ear headbands with construction paper.
5. Egg Rolling Painting: Roll eggs dipped in paint over paper to create abstract art.
6. Farm Collage: Create a farm scene using GoodnightFox flashcards and magazine cutouts.
7. Sticker Play: Use Easter-themed stickers to decorate cards or plastic eggs.
8. DIY Bunny Masks: Cut out and decorate bunny masks to wear during pretend play.
Saturday: Active Play and Movement
1. Egg and Spoon Race: Use plastic eggs for a toddler-friendly race.
2. Farm Animal Charades: Act out different animals with sound effects and movements.
3. Easter Egg Hunt: Hide eggs around the house or yard for a fun scavenger hunt.
4. Hopping Bunny Game: Hop like a bunny from one egg to the next.
5. Obstacle Course: Create a course with eggs to step over or crawl under.
6. Dance Party: Play Easter or farm-themed music and dance with props.
7. Animal Yoga: Try toddler-friendly yoga poses inspired by farm animals.
8. Toss the Egg: Toss plastic eggs into baskets or containers.
Sunday: Sensory and Reflection Day
1. Jello Smash: Let toddlers squish the Jello eggs and explore the textures.
2. Color Sorting Review: Sort plastic eggs or acrylic charms into matching baskets.
3. Chicken Lifecycle Storytime: Use the lifecycle cards to recap the week’s learning.
4. Sensory Bin Free Play: Let toddlers freely explore the bin setup with all materials.
5. Matching Game: Pair farm flashcards with real objects or acrylic charms.
6. Easter Egg Stacking: Practice balance and coordination with stacking activities.
7. Reflection Activity: Talk about their favorite part of the week while drawing an Easter scene.
8. Final Egg Hunt: End the week with a big Easter egg hunt featuring toys, stickers, or treats inside the eggs.