Easter Bonnet: History, Ideas and How to Make One 2026

An Easter bonnet is a decorated hat worn or made for Easter, traditionally trimmed with spring flowers, ribbons, fluffy chicks and eggs to celebrate renewal and the arrival of spring. In the UK today it is best known as a children's craft and the centrepiece of the school Easter bonnet parade, where little ones model the hats they have decorated. Below you will find what an Easter bonnet is, where the centuries-old tradition comes from, a full step-by-step guide to making one, and plenty of easy design ideas for your Easter 2026 parade.

What is an Easter bonnet?

At its simplest, an Easter bonnet is a hat that you decorate with spring and Easter themed embellishments such as fluffy chicks, miniature eggs, bunnies, carrots, paper flowers and shredded grass to create a cheerful, showstopping design. The tradition originated in Europe and has since been adopted around the world, becoming one of the most recognisable parts of the Easter festivities. For grown-ups the classic Easter bonnet is a wide-brimmed hat finished with a pastel satin ribbon and a generous spray of blooms; for children it is usually a card or straw base loaded with as many colourful decorations as will fit.

In many British primary schools the bonnet is tied to an Easter bonnet parade, where each child wears the hat they have made and walks it around the hall or playground. That is why most parents will need to make one sooner or later, and why the craft has become a beloved family activity in the run-up to Easter. The good news is that it is not a complicated craft, it is heaps of fun to do with little ones, and almost anything goes.

The history behind the Easter bonnet

The Easter bonnet represents the tail end of a much older custom of wearing new clothes at Easter, in harmony with the renewal of the year and the Christian promise of spiritual renewal. Easter falls at the end of Lent, so for centuries the festival was the natural moment to set aside the austerity of the fast and put on something new and fine, often a new hat for church. The bonnet itself grew out of the practice of women wearing a head covering for Christian worship.

The tradition of fresh Easter finery turns up in English writing as far back as the late 16th century. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio teases Benvolio for falling out with a tailor "for wearing his new doublet before Easter", and the diarist Samuel Pepys noted on Easter Day 1662 that he had his old black suit newly furbished so he was "pretty neat in clothes to-day". An 18th-century English almanac even warned, "At Easter let your clothes be new, or else be sure you will it rue", and the superstition that ill luck would follow anyone without something new at Easter only grew through the 19th century.

The Easter bonnet was fixed in popular culture by the songwriter Irving Berlin, whose reference point was the famous Easter parade down Fifth Avenue in New York. He composed "Easter Parade" in 1917 and wrote its best-known lines in 1933: "In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade." At the depths of the Great Depression a new hat at Easter, or a refurbished old one, was a small and affordable luxury, and the song cemented the bonnet as the image of Easter dressing-up. From that grand parade tradition grew the gentler, glittery school version that British children know today.

Why do we celebrate Easter?

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar, marking the resurrection of Jesus three days after his crucifixion on Good Friday. It closes Holy Week and the forty-day fasting period of Lent, which is why it has always carried themes of new life, renewal and rebirth. Those same themes are why so many Easter symbols, from eggs and chicks to spring flowers and lambs, point to fresh beginnings, and why an Easter bonnet bursting with blooms and baby animals feels so fitting. You can read more about the meaning of the season in our guide to why we celebrate Easter.

How to make an Easter bonnet step by step

You do not need to be especially crafty to make a winning bonnet. Set aside an unhurried afternoon, lay out a tray of decorations, and let everyone get stuck in. Here is a simple method that works every time.

What you will need

• A plain hat base: a straw or woven hat, a ready-made card bonnet, or one you make yourself from cardboard
• A glue gun or strong craft glue, plus sticky tape
• Pipe cleaners in assorted colours
• Tissue paper and crepe paper
• Ribbon, bows and a length of wide ribbon to tie under the chin
• Easter embellishments: miniature chicks, foam or plastic eggs, fake flowers, butterflies and a little fake grass or raffia
• Scissors

The method

• Choose or make the base. Many people buy a ready-made straw bonnet or a decorate-your-own kit to save time. If you would rather make one, cut a strip of card into a tube to fit your child's head, add a circular lid and a wide brim, and you have a hat ready to transform. Card comes in plenty of colours, so you can skip painting if you like.
• Add a base layer of colour. Cover a plain or straw hat with felt, scrunched-up tissue paper or a quick coat of paint so none of the bare base shows through once you start decorating.
• Make tissue-paper flowers. Cut tissue paper into small squares, layer several together, gather them in the centre and twist a pipe cleaner round the middle, then fluff out the edges. A handful of these instantly fills a bonnet with colour.
• Shape pipe cleaners. Twist pipe cleaners into spirals, loops, bunny ears or simple flower petals to add height and movement to the design.
• Add ribbon. Glue lengths of ribbon so they drape over the brim, and tie a few bows to fix in place. Keep a wider ribbon to tie under the chin so the bonnet stays put during the parade.
• Attach the Easter embellishments. Arrange and glue on the chicks, eggs, flowers and butterflies last, getting creative with the placement so everything is balanced and the front looks its best for the photos.

The golden rule is to have fun and let your child's creativity lead. Working glue guns and sharp scissors are a grown-up job, but the design choices are theirs.

Easter bonnet ideas to inspire you

If you would like a theme rather than a free-for-all, especially for a competition, here are some easy-to-execute designs that always impress. These work just as well for a boy's bonnet as a girl's, so pick whichever suits your little one.

• Mini egg nest. Glue raffia or twigs into a bird's-nest shape on top of the hat, then nestle in chocolate mini eggs or large fake eggs and a fluffy chick. A few craft feathers finish it off.
• Spring flower garden. Cover the bonnet in artificial flowers and foliage, add a couple of bumblebees and butterflies, and use lollipop sticks as a tiny picket fence around the brim.
• Bunny ears and Easter animals. Cut out felt bunny ears and glue them upright on the hat, hide little chicks and rabbits among paper grass, and add a pom-pom tail for a cute rabbit-themed scene.
• Rainbow bonnet. Use ribbons, feathers and decorations in every colour of the rainbow for a bright, cheerful hat that stands out in the parade.
• Farmyard scene. Lay a base of fake grass and stick felt or paper farm animals around the rim, with a little model tractor for animal-loving children.
• Tumbling eggs. Thread colourful model eggs onto craft wire so they appear to pour from a small basket fixed to the top, a clever trick that looks far harder than it is.

Tips for a winning Easter bonnet

A few small habits make the difference on parade day. Start a few days early so the glue has time to dry properly and nothing falls off mid-walk. Build outwards from the front, since that is the side everyone photographs, and keep the back simpler. Balance the weight so the hat does not tip, and always add that wider ribbon to tie under the chin for younger children. If you are short on time, a decorate-your-own kit gives you a sturdy base and a bag of trimmings in one go, leaving all the fun of the decorating without the cutting and shaping. Above all, resist the urge to take over: a slightly wonky bonnet that your child made themselves will always beat a perfect one that you made for them.

Making it a relaxed Easter at home

Bonnet-making is the kind of slow, happy afternoon that makes the Easter weekend special, especially when there is no rush to be anywhere and everyone is in soft Easter pyjamas. If you are planning a comfortable holiday of crafting, baking and egg hunts, our Easter gift collection is full of matching loungewear ideas, and our children's pyjamas and cosy kids' onesies are made for exactly these stay-in, make-something-lovely days. Whether you keep it classic with flowers and ribbon or go all out with a farmyard scene, a homemade Easter bonnet is one of the most joyful ways to welcome spring.