Children's Activities in April

Celebration Activities

• Dye eggs, prepare for a visit from the Easter bunny, plant a garden and splash through puddles left by spring rain showers, but don't limit yourself to just these traditional April activities. April is also Frog Month, so take the opportunity to teach your children about the life cycle of a frog or go to a river and watch frogs in action. Humor Month also occurs during April, so take turns telling each other jokes or watching funny movies. William Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen and Leonardo Da Vinci each had birthdays in April, so read a sonnet by Shakespeare, reread the classic "Ugly Duckling" and "Little Mermaid" by Andersen or visit an art museum to see works of art by Da Vinci.

Celebrate Each Day

• Find ways to celebrate each day in April. For example, April 3 is Find a Rainbow Day. Mark the day by painting rainbows or reading stories about rainbows. April 10 is Sibling Day, so encourage children to make cards or handmade gifts for their brothers or sisters. Have a small party to exchange the gifts. Make eggs Benedict for breakfast on April 16, which is Eggs Benedict Day, or have pigs in a blanket on April 24, which marks National Pigs in a Blanket Day. Mark National Poetry Day on April 28 by writing poems and reading them out loud to each other.

Appreciation Activities

• Help children build their appreciation for the world around them by marking certain days in April. For example, Earth Day falls on April 22, which is a good time to teach children about conserving resources, recycling and reusing. Take your children for a walk to clean up trash as another way to mark this day, suggests Maria Bonfanti Esche and Clare Bonfanti Braham, authors of "Kids Celebrate!: Activities for Special Days Throughout the Year." April is also Keep America Beautiful Month, so discuss ways to keep the country that way, such as planting flowers for bees to pollinate or cleaning up a campsite. Mark Arbor Day on April 30 by planting a tree or learning about how trees make homes for certain animals.

Awareness Activities

• April is also a good time to make children aware of certain causes. For example, April is Autism Awareness Month. Teach children what autism is, how it affects children and what they can do to make autistic children feel special and included. One week during April is the Week of the Young Child. This can be a good time to teach children about issues that impact young kids, such as flu prevention, eating healthy foods and getting enough exercise. Older children might hold a bake sale or set up a lemonade stand to raise money to buy malaria nets for children in Africa or to buy toys to give to children going through cancer treatment.