Five things to do with the kids this Easter weekend

Parents may be wondering what on earth they can do to entertain their chocolate-crazed little monsters over the long weekend. Photo / File

That time of year has rolled around again, the time that brings sugar highs, sugar crashes, and over-excited children with two weeks of school holidays ahead of them.

Once parents have finished hiding Easter eggs around the house (and eating a good portion of them in the process), they may be wondering what on earth they can do to entertain their chocolate-crazed little monsters, at least during the long weekend.

Just to add fuel to the fire, the weather forecast is dreary in many parts of the country.

Lucky we're here to help.

The 2017 Royal Easter Show

With rides and attractions galore, the country's largest family show runs from Thursday to Monday in Auckland.

There's plenty to keep the little ones entertained, with live shows, competitions, and fireworks displays.

Gates open at 10am Thursday at the ASB showgrounds.

Hit the cinema

Kids movies out at the moment include The Boss Baby, Smurfs: The Lost Village, and The Lego Batman Movie. Parents wanting to indulge in a little nostalgia might want to take their children to Beauty and the Beast.

Warning: You may need to discourage the children from re-enacting the musical number Be Our Guest at home as this could result in dishes and cutlery strewn around the house. Still better than Kill The Beast, however, which involves pitchforks, fire, and angry townspeople.

Community Easter egg hunts

Here's a clever trick: find somewhere near you that is holding an Easter egg hunt for children, and go to that. Save money on buying Easter eggs yourself. Spend that money on replacing the dishes because you failed to keep the kids from re-enacting Be Our Guest.

Go to the museum

If the rain is still falling where you are, take the party indoors. Check your local museum is open over Easter weekend and let your kids wear themselves out with all the things to see and places to scamper.

Just don't let them figure out you tricked them into learning things while they were on a break from school.

For those in Wellington, check out Te Papa's Bug Lab science exhibition, created with Weta Workshop. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for kids, and the exhibition finishes on Monday.

Go bowling

Unless your children are very small and will end up accidentally throwing themselves down the lane along with the ball, bowling may be a fun idea.

There's always the side barriers to help your child think they're actually doing well, which means no tears about the ball constantly going into the gutter. Everybody's a winner.