Easter is just around the corner, and while you’re getting ready for the festivities, you might find yourself with a pile of leftover plastic Easter eggs. But don’t worry—those colorful plastic eggs are more than just for hunting! They can be a great tool for improving focus, attention, and classroom management. Use them for a fun social-emotional learning activity to help your students burn off some energy, re-engage their minds, and practice self-regulation with a fun, active game: Eggsercise!
What Is Eggsercise?
Eggsercise is a simple, fun, and effective way to use those plastic Easter eggs to help your students stay focused, re-energize, and work on gross motor skills. Here’s how to make it work:
- Fill the Plastic Eggs – Write or print out exercises that involve movement (like jumping jacks, toe touches, or even balancing on one foot) and put them inside the eggs. You can my Classroom Activity Ideas to Boost Focus with Sensory Breaks resource, or create your own list of fun moves.
- Hide the Eggs – Once they’re filled, hide the eggs around your classroom. You can place them in desks, behind books, or on the floor—wherever students will have fun finding them!
- Find and Move – As students find the eggs, they’ll open them up and complete the exercise inside 5-10 times, then move on to the next egg. You can repeat as many times as time allows.
- Keep It Moving – Not only will this get students’ bodies moving, but it’ll also help with maintaining focus throughout the rest of the day, especially after a busy Easter holiday.
Why Eggsercise Is Perfect for Your Classroom or Therapy Sessions
This Easter-themed activity isn’t just about fun; it’s also a great way to re-engage students who may be feeling restless or off-task after the excitement of the holiday. It’s a simple and easy way to incorporate movement into your classroom or therapy sessions while addressing various student needs, such as:
- Improved focus and attention: After a brain break, students are more likely to stay on task and be engaged in the lesson.
- Managing off-task and impulsive behaviors: Movement breaks help release pent-up energy, improving classroom behavior.
- Social-emotional learning (SEL): Eggsercise provides a great opportunity for students to work on self-regulation and impulse control in a fun, interactive way.
It’s a great option for those moments when you need to break up the day, during indoor recess, or even as part of your occupational therapy sessions.
Boost Focus with Sensory Breaks
If you’re looking for more structured activities to keep your students engaged and focused, consider adding my Classroom Activity Ideas to Boost Focus with Sensory Breaks resource to your toolbox. It’s packed with more than just movement exercises. It includes everything you need to tackle restlessness and off-task behaviors with minimal prep.
Here’s what you get inside:
- Exercise posters for quick reference
- Laminatable exercise cards for interactive, hands-on activities
- Small card sizes for games like memory or Go Fish for individual or group play
When and How to Use These Activities:
- Ideal for brain breaks: Quickly engage students to refresh their focus during lessons.
- Great for managing off-task behaviors: Use sensory breaks to re-energize students who may be losing focus.
- Perfect for indoor recess: Give your students the opportunity to move and release energy indoors when outdoor play isn’t an option.
- Incorporate into a sensory pathway: Create a space where students can move through sensory activities throughout the day to improve focus and engagement.
Easter Traditions
In case you’re wondering, my Eggsercise idea comes from my own family traditions. My 18-year-old daughter still loves to hunt for Easter eggs, mostly because we’ve always filled them with a mix of change and dollar bills. It’s become a little tradition that she looks forward to each year—especially the eggs with the “noisy” change. When she was younger, she’d get excited about those loud ones, while her older cousins would go for the quiet ones filled with bills. Of course, now she’s figured out that those quieter eggs are where the real “prize” lies. It’s a fun way to combine holiday joy with some meaningful family time, and I hope you’ll find a similar way to incorporate Easter fun into your classroom.
Whether you use Eggsercise with leftover eggs or opt for the Classroom Activity Ideas to Boost Focus with Sensory Breaks resource, Easter is the perfect time to add some extra movement and fun into your classroom. Re-energize your students, improve their focus, and help them stay on task with these simple, effective activities. Check out the full preview of the Classroom Activity Ideas to Boost Focus with Sensory Breaks resource and get started today!
Happy Easter and happy egg-hunting,
About the Author
I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) and have been working in a public school system for more than 25 years. My resources can be found on TPT, BOOM Learning, Made by Teachers, Classful, and Your Therapy Source. I appreciate your interest wherever you wish to shop.
My mission is to help you find creative ideas to incorporate fine motor, visual perception, gross motor, and social-emotional learning into your lessons.
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