Plastic Easter eggs are a great manipulative that can be used for more than just Easter activities! I love using them in my classroom for a farm theme, bird unit, dinosaur study, and so much more. You can find plastic eggs in fun shapes and sizes for even more themes! Plus, they are cheap! Keep reading to see over 20 new ideas for plastic egg activities in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom!
Grab the Little Learners Science All About Birds Unit, the Birds Math and Literacy Centers, or the Easter Math and Literacy Centers to complete your classroom themes.
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Plastic Egg Activities for Literacy
Egg Letter Match! Grab an egg carton, some plastic eggs, and a bucket of letter manipulatives, and you are set to play this fun letter-matching game. I wrote the capital letter on the top and the lowercase letter on the bottom of the egg. Then, students can match the letters and place them in the egg carton with the corresponding letter.
Make it more challenging by having the students find the letter manipulative that matches, as well. This would be great for a bird, turkey, chicken, dinosaur, farm, or Easter theme.
Hunt for Letters! Set up this fun and simple literacy activity for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students with things you already have in your classroom! There is just plain white paper in the dry-erase pockets because kids LOVE dry-erase boards, and this is a much cheaper option. I then hide letter manipulatives in the Easter eggs. Students pick an egg from the grass, open it, name it, string it, and write it. So many skills in one activity!
Letter Hunt! Grab these pumpkin-shaped plastic eggs from Target, curl up some pipe cleaners, and put some letter manipulatives on a tray, and you are ready for a fun letter hunt! Students grab lowercase letters or capital letters from the tray or the pumpkin and write it on their mini clipboards. Mini clipboards are perfect for little hands to practice writing. This could be used for any theme if you have fun-shaped eggs.
Sight Word Chicks! This is such a fun activity that can be used for any theme with some customization! I placed a piece of green tissue on the light table for the grass. Then, I wrote sight words and letters on the glass gems. Next, I placed sight word stickers on the chick plastic eggs. Students will find the matching sight word gem and the letters to spell it and place it inside the chick. This would be a great activity for older kids too.
Plastic Egg Activities for Math
Number Eggs! Use an egg carton and some number stickers to create a fun number-matching game for little learners. I wrote the numbers on the eggs, and students counted the number of pom poms and placed them in the egg. Then, they put it in the correct spot in the egg carton. To make it more challenging, write another form of the number on the bottom of the egg, like the number word, a ten frame, or dots.
Carrot Number Eggs! Make this plastic egg activity match your theme by using an egg that corresponds. I set this activity up on the light table and used these clear carrot eggs. Students used tweezers to pick up pom poms and put the matching number inside. They also had to find the matching number card, which is a FREEBIE here.
Number Eggs! Place number stickers in the egg cartons, and write numbers on the eggs. Then give students a fun-themed mini-eraser to count and place inside. Any mini-eraser would work, so this is the perfect activity for any theme!
Egg Patterns! Use things from your classroom to make this hands-on pattern game. You don’t always have to have fancy printables to make a great activity for your students! Students can make their own patterns or finish yours, depending on their level.
Color Egg Sort! Use color stickers inside an egg carton to make an engaging color sorting activity for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students. This is a good use of plastic eggs for a busy toddler class!
Size Egg Sort! Give students the opportunity to sort by size with these plastic eggs that are small, medium, and large. I used three-sized little bins for students to sort into. If you don’t have eggs of varying sizes, ask family members of your students for donations.
Egg Sorting! Students can sort all sizes by color and place them into egg cartons. This is great for a large table activity, or hide the eggs around the room to get out some wiggles.
Sort Eggs! If you are doing a bird study or learning about animals that lay eggs, you can have students sort pictures of eggs too. Grab your lesson plan book and add this fun idea!
Plastic Egg Activities for Science and Art
Egg Science Investigation! Use your plastic eggs during an egg science investigation! Your little learners will love learning about birds or chickens in this complete science unit! Bring in some real eggs for your students to explore for a real-life science experience.
Egg Rolling Painting! Use plastic eggs to create a bright and colorful piece of art! Be sure to fill the eggs with something so they are weighted down, and will roll the paint around the paper. I use marbles, but other items will work. I put the paint in a cup and roll the egg around in it, then scoop it out with a spoon and place it on the paper. Another tip, tape your paper to the lid so it doesn’t move around. Your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students will love this fun craft!
Egg Printing Art! Use plastic egg halves to paint! Students will stamp the eggs in paint and then onto their paper to create a fun masterpiece. They will be using their pincer grasp and improving their hand-eye coordination with this simple art project.
Plastic Egg Activities for the Sensory Area
Sports Play Dough Tray! Use plastic eggs in a play dough tray for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students to place small items in or put the play dough in. They can also try to roll the play dough with the eggs to strengthen hand and shoulder muscles. Use any themed egg to match your classroom theme. Students can show their creative ideas with an open-ended play dough tray.
Sports Sensory! Throw some themed eggs into your sensory table to give students a container to place the sensory filler inside. Opening and closing eggs is a great way for students to improve their bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor strength.
Dino Color Match! Use plastic eggs for a dinosaur theme too! I want students to place the matching dino counter inside the corresponding colored egg. Click here to see how to make this mini sensory bin out of chickpeas.
Fairy Tale Sensory! Use plastic eggs for a fairy tale theme! The shiny eggs are perfect for the story of the golden egg. Plus, opening and closing eggs is a great way for students to improve their bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor strength.
Egg Water Play! Here is another great plastic egg activity for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students! This is perfect for hot weather or just another fun way for students to improve their bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor strength. The eggs float and can be filled and emptied to keep your little learners busy!
Plastic Easter Egg Activities for Gross Motor
Egg Gross Motor Shakers! Fill some plastic eggs with beans, beads, or small objects and tape them shut. Now you have some cheap and fun egg shakers for movement and music time. Fill the eggs with different materials to create a fun game for some auditory learning.
Egg Race! Get some spoons and a few eggs, and have an egg race. You can do this inside for a recess activity or head outside for even more fun! You can use any themed eggs to make this perfect for a gross motor activity all year long. If your students are struggling with a small spoon, use a larger slotted spoon.
Now, grab some plastic eggs and get learning! I can’t wait to see your creative ways to use plastic eggs for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students. Remember that plastic eggs can be used for multiple themes and can have a place in your classroom all year long. They are the perfect manipulative for frugal fun in the classroom!
Grab some printables to complete the themes! Click the picture to see the resource.
Check out this post for some fun activities with pool noodles!
Read this post for tons of ideas on how to use pop its in the classroom!
