Whether you’ve decided to host an Easter egg hunt for two or 20 kids, consider adding a twist with these fun ideas that turn it into more of a game. You’ll also discover a few helpful tips for making any hunt a success. Hop to it! To put on a scavenger egg hunt, write out or draw a simple list of different types of eggs you’d like the children to find. For example, “3 Green Eggs, 4 Blue Eggs, and 1 Polka-Dot Egg.” Whoever finds all the eggs on their list first wins a prize. Make sure you have enough of each type of egg for each child. You don’t want to be short one blue egg and disappoint someone. Fill some of the plastic eggs with picture clues of where the basket can be found. If it’s in your family room, for example, include drawings of items that can be found in that room, such as a television, a couch, and a fish tank. Once all the clues have been gathered, see if your little one can figure out where the basket has been hidden. If you are hosting a crowd and fear that the hunt will go too quickly, turn egg hunting into a relay. Line the participants up (if you have more than four kids, you can even make teams), letting each one go one at a time to find an egg. To make it even more fun, have another map waiting with more clues in some of the spots you’ve designated. They’ll have fun following the trail you lead them on and it’s a great way to encourage their problem-solving skills. Be sure to have someone to help in case a child gets stuck and begins to get frustrated. Some children may need help with this hunt, so have adults or older children around who can lend a hand. You can also write out each child’s name on a piece of paper so they know what shapes to look for. To set it up, write one letter per egg so they collectively spell out a child’s name. Double check to make sure you don’t miss any letters. When it’s time for the hunt, ask each child to “find your name.” The one who finds all their letters the fastest could win a prize. To make sure everyone gets a fair amount, divide the kids by age: three and under hunt in one room, four- and five-year-olds in another, and older kids in a third. If the area isn’t large enough or dividing the house or yard isn’t practical, consider assigning each age group a color to look for. Hide the eggs with varying degrees of difficulty that are age-appropriate:
For little ones, eggs should be out in the open. Toss them on a blanket or in a sunny patch of the yard.For preschoolers, choose obvious spots like behind the door, on the couch, in the mailbox, or in a potted plant.Older children will expect to hunt a bit. Have fun really hiding the eggs in places like drawers, up in a tree (carefully), or under a throw rug.
Set boundaries so kids know where they don’t need to look. For instance, tell them that eggs are not hidden in the bathroom for indoor hunts, or past a certain fence when outside.If you need to, let kids know if there is a certain number of eggs they are allowed to find.If you don’t want them to run, say so.
Whether you move everyone inside or have a rain date in mind, make sure that all of your guests know the details of what is going to happen. With a good plan in place, everyone will have just as much fun. You may just have to get a little creative to pull it off.
