Have you been tasked with helping your child to make an Easter Hat for the Easter Hat Parade? Whilst crafty mums might be rejoicing, the time-poor mums might be feeling a bit stressed about yet another item on the ‘to-do’ list! Fear not. We’re coming to the rescue with easy, affordable ideas for an impressive Easter Hat.
These Easter hats are not just gorgeous; they’re cheap and easy to assemble. Many start with a hat you probably already own, topped with pretty or fun embellishments that you can pick up at any arts and crafts shop or discount store. Try to create the same look, or use them to inspire your designs.
Easter Hat Ideas for the Easter Hat Parade
1. Floral Chic
This pretty hat is easily made from Styrofoam eggs in assorted colours and coordinating coloured ribbon
You’ll need:
- A hat with a wide brim
- Silk flowers
- Styrofoam eggs in assorted colours (you can also buy white styrofoam eggs and paint them) and coordinating ribbon
- Chicks in assorted colour
- Small pink bunnies
- Foam cut-out chicken shapes or similar
- Strong craft glue or a hot glue gun
To make: Attach a matching ribbon to each foam egg with glue or a stapler. Place all items randomly over the hat until you are happy with the arrangement (note that the flowers look better when bunched together). Attach all of the embellishments using the glue, then set the hat aside to dry completely.
Tip: If you wish to re-use the hat, attach the embellishments using small safety pins or staples so that you can remove them later.
2. Carrotastic!
Use real carrots or fake ones! Simple but effective
You’ll need:
- A hat with a brim
- Length of ribbon
- About 35 baby carrots
To make: Trim both ends off the carrots, leaving about 2cm greenery. Tie the ribbon around the hat, knotting it securely at the back (don’t make ribbon band too tight), and letting the ends hang loosely. Push the carrots down behind the ribbon.
3. Do-You-Think-He-Saurus?
Because the eggs and dinosaurs are quite heavy, they will need quite a bit of glue.
You’ll need:
- Old hat with a wide brim
- 1 or more plastic dinosaurs
- Speckled eggs
- Plastic ferns and other leaves
- Hot glue gun
To make: Play with all elements over the hat until you are happy with the arrangement. Using the hot glue gun, keep everything in place. Note that because the eggs and dinosaurs are pretty heavy, they will need quite a bit of glue. Set aside to dry completely.
Tip: Buy white Styrofoam eggs and paint them. These will attach much more easily, and young ones are less likely to want to eat them!
4. Cheeky Chicks
You’ll need:
- A hat with a wide brim (frayed edges are a plus!)
- About six chickens and another six baby chickens
- Shredded paper
- Round of cardboard to fit the top of the hat
- Easter ribbon
- Craft glue, stapler
To make: Glue a handful of shredded paper into the cardboard circle in a shallow nest shape. Staple or glue baby chickens into the nest. Arrange larger chickens around the hat’s brim and staple them to secure. Tie the Easter ribbon around the hat.
5. The Ears Have It
If you are handy with a sewing machine, sew the fabric onto the ears!
You’ll need:
- A bunny ears headband
- Small pieces of beautiful fabric or thick wrapping paper
- Small silk or plastic flowers in assorted colours
- Butterfly pin or similar
- Strong craft glue or a hot glue gun
To make: Draw ear shapes onto the fabric or wrapping paper the size of the inner section of the bunny ears and cut them out. Using glue, attach the fabric/paper to the inner ears. Place flowers randomly around the base of the ears until you are happy with the arrangement. Using glue, attach the flowers. Place a butterfly above the flowers on one ear and glue it in place. Set the ears aside to dry completely.
Tip: If you are handy with a sewing machine, you can sew the fabric onto the ears (turning over the cut edge to create a hem) for a neater look.
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6. Reptilian Rapture
To decorate, position the leaves and critters around the base of the ears until you are happy with the placement
You’ll need:
- A bunny ears headband
- Small pieces of striking fabric or wrapping paper
- Selection of plastic bugs and reptiles
- Silk or plastic leaves
- Craft glue, a hot glue gun or a stapler
To make: Draw ear shapes onto the fabric or wrapping paper the size of the inner section of the bunny ears and cut them out. Using glue, attach the fabric/paper to the inner ears. Position the leaves and critters around the base of the ears and partially up the ears until you are happy with the placement. Glue or staple all elements in place. Set aside to dry any glue completely.
7. All Ears
This cardboard classic is a wrapping paper and feather artwork!
You’ll need:
- Sheet of white cardboard
- Paint in a variety of colours
- Red and white tissue paper,
- 2 feathers
- Plastic craft eyes
- Tape measure
- Black or blue texta
- Ruler
- Strong craft glue, stapler
To make:
- Measure around your child’s head (from forehead to back) for the hat circumference. Transfer this measurement to the long edge of the cardboard, plus add another 2cm. Draw another line about 20cm above this one and cut along it to create a wide strip.
- Use the remaining cardboard to cut out two long ears, a face (the width of the strip), a nose, a mouth, and two teeth (see photo).
- Paint coloured stripes the length of the cardboard strip, then paint the face a single colour, such as pink. Paint the nose black and the mouth red. Set aside to dry.
- Glue the eyes, nose, mouth and teeth in place on the face, then draw on a few freckles. Set aside to dry.
- Glue white tissue paper to the ears and trim to fit. Paint on inner and outer ears. Set aside to dry.
- Cut a rectangle from a few layers of red tissue paper. Pinch the rectangle in the middle, then wrap the middle with a small strip of red tissue and glue it to secure it. Paint on polka dots. Set aside to dry.
- To assemble, glue the face to the centre of the strip, then staple the feathers to the top of the face so they fall on either side of the face. Staple the ears at the top behind the face. Glue the bow on top of the feather ends. Overlap the short ends of the strip by 2cm and glue or staple to secure.
8. Easter Beanie
Easter weather can be unpredictable so stay cosy in this contemporary beanie in complementary colours
You’ll need:
- A beanie
- Magnetic or foam letters to make the word EASTER
- Wool needle
- Wool in a complementary colour to the beanie
To make: Arrange the letters over the front of the beanie. Secure each in place using the needle and wool.
9. Paper Easter hat
Have a little fun with your Easter creation, while also keeping it nice and simple! Grab free, printable templates and let the kids do all the hard work. Set them up with crayons, pencils, glitter and anything else they can use and let their imagination soar. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s 100% homemade by your child. What could be better?
You’ll need:
- Download and print a template
- Crayons
- Pencils
- Glitter
- Craft supplies
To make: Measure it around your child’s head before they start creating it so you know it fits!
10. Origami Easter hat
Do your kids love origami? Or perhaps they’re a fan of all those how-to crafting YouTube videos. This is the Easter hat for them! Simply follow the video, and you will create a floral Easter bonnet that is just waiting to be shown off at that Easter hat parade.
You’ll need:
- Coloured paper
- Plastic plate
- Glue
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Ribbon
To make: Making the flowers can be a little time-consuming. It might be good to split this activity up across a couple of sessions!
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