text: The Easter holidays mean days off work and a chance to spend precious time with the family. But it can be hard to think of enough things to do to keep the little ones active. This roundup of events from across the country will provide fun everyone and make sure the kids are worn out in time for bed. Looking to entertain the kids? Try these fun family days out this Easter weekend . Scotland . Keep your little ones entertained for hours with probably the world's largest Easter Egg hunt in the maze at Traquair castle. Scotland's oldest inhabited castle also hosts  drumming and singing, egg decorating, storytelling and an Easter bonnet parade. £23 (family); Apr 5; Traquair House, Innerleithen, Peeblesshire; 01896 830323; traquair.co.uk . Little monkeys can perfect their mischief making skills with an Easter weekend of merriment, mirth and tomfoolery at Stirling Castle. Learn how to play the fool at the royal court, enjoy medieval dancing and take part in the Games in the Gardens. Free with entry to the castle (from £8.70); April 3 and 4; Stirling Castle; Stirling Castle, Castle Esplanade, Stirling, FK8 1EJ; 01786 450 000; stirlingcastle.gov.uk . Traquair is Scotland's oldest inhabited castle and has a host of events planned for the weekend . Learn how to be a court jester at Stirling Castle with a special workshop for kids . Wales . What better way to celebrate the spring than by helping bring new life to the world? At Carreg Cennen Castle children can help bottle feed any lambs or keep a beady eye to see if they can spot any of the signs of a ewe in labour. Free with admission (adults £4); Carreg Cennen Castle,Llandeilo,Carmarthenshire,Wales, SA19 6UA; 01558 822291; www.carregcennencastle.com . Experience a Victorian Easter at Penryhn Castle, a spectacular 19th century fantasy castle. Play games, hunt Cadbury’s Easter eggs, enjoy crafts, games and explore the chocolate Dung Tower. Free with admission (Adults £10.70); Penryhn Castle, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 4HN; 01248 353084; nationaltrust.org.uk . Celebrate spring by feeding young lambs like this one at Carreg Cennen Castle . The splendid fantasy medieval castle at Penryhn makes for the perfect family day out . North East . Children can discover their inner Ray Mears at  Hadrian's Wall this Easter. Bushcraft enthusiasts will learn how to light an open fire and build an outdoor shelter, take part in scavenger hunts and leaf printing and negotiate their way along a trail blindfolded. Children £10; April 7, Houseteads Roman Fort, Haydon Bridge, Hexham,  NE47 6NN, 0844 249 1895; nationaltrust.org.uk . Strange things are afoot among the gardens of Belsay Hall in Alice’s Magic Mirror Garden. Have you found Alice, the Cheshire Cat and company hiding in the mirror maze, or is it just their reflections? £1 with admission (£37.50 family); Apr -19; Belsay Hall, Belsay, nr Morpeth, Northumberland; 01661 881636; english-heritage.org.uk . Housestead Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall offers children a chance to copy Ray Mears . Look for Alice in Wonderland in the grounds of Belsay Hall . North West . Never mind hunting for Easter eggs, why not try dancing with them. Put on a blindfold and dance with the people of Blists Hill in Shropshire, but mind you don't step on the eggs covering the street. If you want to avoid the yolk, try shadow-lamp making and The Great Easter Bunny Hunt. From £11.50 (child), £16.95 (adult); Mar 28-Apr 12; Blists Hill, Legges Way, Telford, Shropshire; 01952 433424; ironbridge.org.uk . The old sweet shop in Blists Hill Victorian Town Museum in Shropshire, which is hosting an Easter egg hunt . After a quick crash-course in off-road rules, wannabe Bradley Wigginses are given a bike and let loose among the rolling, neo-classical splendour of Tatton Park on Tuesday. For gentler fun, go on a magical journey with the Lindt Gold Bunny through the fairytale world of the Brothers Grimm. £10 for cycling, Lindt tour free with admission (£27.50 family); Apr 3-7; Tatton Park, Knutsford; Cheshire, 01625 374428; tattonpark.org.uk . Explore the beautiful gardens and lawns of Tatton Park in the Lindt Gold Bunny's magical journey . Yorkshire and the Humber . Entertain the family this Easter with the traditional fairground, farm and children's activities at Castle Howard. Try your luck at 'hook a duck' and test your aim on the coconut shy, before having a go on the traditional fairground rides, meet  creepy crawlies and visit the mini animal farm. Free with admission (£21.60 family); Apr 4-6; Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA, 01653 648333, castlehoward.co.uk . Castle Howard in North Yorkshire will be transformed into an Easter Fair . Explore the grounds of the stunning Fountains Abbey while searching for the tiny golden egg Children can also  win chocolate prizes on a Cadbury Easter Egg Trail, create wonderful window art or put their best foot forward in the egg and spoon race. Free with admission (£27.50 for a family); Apr 3-6; Fountains, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY; 01765 608888; nationaltrust.org.uk . Search for tiny golden eggs in the spectacular National Trust property Fountains Abbey . Midlands . What better way to celebrate Easter than in the home of chocolate, Cadbury World. Visitors can enjoy live shows from resident magicians, ventriloquists and other entertainers as well as taking part in Easter egg hunts and Easter bonnet competitions. Free with admission (£47.28 family); Apr 3-6; Cadbury World, Linden Rd, Bournville, Birmingham B30 2LU; 0844 880 7667; cadburyworld.co.uk . The entrance to Cadbury World, where families can enjoy the ultimate chocolate experience . Budding actors can have a go at treading the boards with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Workshops include Blood, Guts and Gore, Speaking Shakespeare and Stage Fighting. You can also paint eggs to look like Shakespeare characters and and watch the Tudors celebrate Easter. Free/from £2.50; April 3- 12; various venues; RSC, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, 0844 800 1114; rsc.org.uk . Combine your Shakespearian tour with a visit to Anne Hathaway's cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon, where the Bard courted his future bride . South West . Spend Easter Sunday at Highclere Castle, the iconic filming location for Downton Abbey. Kids can enjoy a treasure hunt around the castle’s  grounds.Other family-friendly attractions include an Easter bonnet parade, bouncy castles, zip wire rides and a petting farm. £5.00; April 5; Highclere Castle, Newbury RG20 9RN; 01635 253210; highclerecastle.co.uk . Highclere Castle, famous as the setting for Downton Abbey, has its own Easter events planned . Crack the clues at Tintagel Castle's treasure hunt to win a chocolate reward. A courtly character from the past with stories of times gone by will help you on your quest. Free with admission (from £3.80); April 3-6;  Tintagel, Cornwall, PL34 0HE; 01840 770328; english-heritage.co.uk . Crack the clues at Tintagel in Cornwall, the rugged ruins set right on a cliff edge overlooking the sea . East of England . If you’re looking for a knight in shining armour this Easter, then march over to Hedingham Castle for its Medieval Siege and Fair and go nearly a thousand years back in time. Experience the bustle of the camp and see displays of archery, birds of prey and a fearsome trebuchet in action. Adult £14; Apr 3-6; Castle Hedingham, Halstead, Essex, CO9 3DJ; 01787 460261; hedinghamcastle.co.uk . Knights jousting at Hedingham Castle . Imagine an Easter without chocolate or the Easter bunny? Mrs Cromwell will guide you round her home and give you a taste of how Easter was under her husband Oliver Cromwell. Then learn about Easter traditions by decorating eggs and making an Easter basket . Adult £6, Child 3.50; Apr 4; Oliver Cromwell's House, St Mary's St, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4HF; 01353 662062; visitely.org.uk . Enjoy an Easter guided tour of Oliver Cromwell's house in Ely . London and the South East . There will be fun for all the family at a birthday party to mark 500 years  since Thomas Wolsey built Hampton Court Palace. Guests will be treated to live period music, hog roasts from the Tudor kitchens, a champagne bar and a son et lumiére show culminating in a spectacular firework display. Family £50; Apr 3-5, 6.30pm; Hampton Court Palace, Surrey; 0844 482 7777; hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace . Spring at Hampton Court Palace is always wonderful and moreso this weekend as Henry VIII's former home celebrates its 500th anniversary . Celebrating the transformation of Shaun the Sheep from television favourite to film star, Kew Gardens has bagfuls of woolly activities throughout Easter, including welly wanging, a vegetable orchestra, Easter egg hunt and real sheep. Free with entry to gardens (from £14); Mar 28–Apr 12; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond; 020 8332 5655; kew.org . Kew Gardenson southwest London will play host to Shaun the Sheep this weekend . Northern Ireland . Pirates will wend their way through Bangor in the annul Easter parade, which is renowned throughout the province for its colourful, enthusiastic display of dancers, street entertainers, local school and dance groups, and of course the magnificent floats. Free; April 4; 3pm start; Bangor Town Centre; County Down; northdowntourism.com . Bangor in County Down will be full of people dressed like Pirates of the Caribbean characters . Hop aboard the Easter Eggspress on Easter Monday and Tuesday for an adventure-filled steam train journey from Belfast to Whitehead with chocolate eggs for children. Two train journeys each day departing Belfast Central Station. £12; April 6-7; Belfast Central Station, East Bridge Street, Belfast, BT7 2DS; discovernorthernireland.com . Hop aboard the Easter Eggspress steam train in Belfast .
target: Take part in probably the world's largest Easter egg hunts in the maze at Traquair castle .
  Bottle feed lambs in Wales .
  Channel your inner Ray Mears at Hadrian's Wall .
  Watch fireworks to celebrate the 500th birthday of Hampton Court .
  Watch medieval jousting at Hedingham Castle .
  Tread the boards with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre .