Tie-dye Easter eggs are a fun, colorful craft kids will love, using bleeding tissue paper instead of traditional dyes.
Tie-dye Easter eggs are perfect for preschoolers
Step aside food coloring…we’re going outside of the box (carton?) and making tie-dye Easter eggs with bleeding tissue paper and water.
Bleeding tissue paper is *the best* art supply as it’s inexpensive, lasts forever, and adds mystery to your art.
These little humans lit up when I brought out the bleeding tissue paper, and honestly, it’s impossible not to.
The Science behind bleeding tissue paper
Why does the tissue paper bleed?
Bleeding tissue paper is specially made to release its color when wet—unlike regular tissue. The water acts as a carrier, helping the color “travel” from the paper onto the egg.
Kids will love watching how water can make the colors spread and mix, creating cool tie dye effects.
Just like traditional tie-dye on clothes, it’s unpredictable and each final masterpiece is always a surprise.
🐰 Don’t miss these other Easter art projects for kids!
Materials for tie-dye Easter eggs
Friends Art Lab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
- Bleeding tissue paper
- Craft eggs – they’re usually around $2-3 in stores
- Spray bottle with water
- Scissors
- Plastic tray or plate
How to make tie-dye Easter eggs
- Cut your bleeding tissue paper into medium-sized squares.
- Invite kids to pick two colors and wrap the egg with them, squeezing to make it nice and snug. If you find that the tissue paper is falling off, you can either cut bigger squares or add more tissues on.
- Spray the wrapped egg generously with water from the spray bottle.
- Let it sit for at least 20 minutes (we waited about 45), or leave it overnight to fully dry.
- Carefully unwrap the tissue paper and reveal your tie dye eggs.
Why we used craft eggs
Here’s the deal: bleeding tissue paper isn’t food-safe, so we didn’t use real eggs.
We used craft eggs to keep things simple and safe. I got mine from WalMart many years ago, but they’re usually not hard to find at WalMart, Target, craft stores, Amazon, etc.
An added bonus of being craft Easter eggs is that they can now be decorations to pull out year after year.
What kids are learning as they egg-splore
This Easter egg dyeing technique is packed with playful learning.
When kids are making tie-dye eggs, they’re learning:
- Color theory: experimenting with how colors mix and create new shades.
- Fine motor skills: squeezing, wrapping, and handling the tissue and eggs.
- Science concepts: discovering absorption and color transfer.
- Patience: waiting for the tissue paper to dry before the big reveal.
- Sensory exploration: feeling wet tissue paper and smooth craft eggs.
- Creative expression: making unique designs with color combinations.
Egg-stra fun extensions for tie-dye Easter eggs
Want to take this Easter egg dyeing technique even further?
Try creating a “color experiment station” where kids can test different color combos on paper scraps before wrapping their eggs. I LOVE THIS IDEA SO, SO MUCH.
Or use the leftover bleeding tissue paper to make abstract art prints by pressing them onto paper after they’re wet.
Bonus idea: turn your tie dye eggs into a centerpiece by placing them in a colorful basket or an egg carton display!
Conversation starters while you color an Easter egg
- “What two colors do you think will make the brightest egg?”
- “If you could invent a brand-new color, what would it be called?”
- “Can you think of something in nature that looks tie-dye like this?”
- “Do you think leaving the tissue on longer will make the colors brighter?”
- “What’s your favorite part of this Easter egg dyeing technique so far?”
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, no. Regular tissue paper won’t bleed—the magic only happens with bleeding tissue paper. BUT, bleeding tissue paper isn’t more expensive than regular tissue paper.
Technically, yes, but since the dyes aren’t edible, we recommend craft eggs only.
No, once it bleeds, it’s done—but you can press it onto paper for bonus art.
LEAVE A COMMENT