An Easter Egg Hunt is a wonderful way to bring smiles to the faces of your children and their friends. And you can plan one no matter the size of your yard! It’s not difficult or expensive to organize one.
Even though we have eleven steps listed here, they’re all simple! You won’t get swamped down in this activity. Instead, you’ll end up enjoying it as much as the youngsters who participate. So as Spring rolls around, here are some tips to help plan your Easter Egg Hunt!
Evaluate Your Space
Before anything else, you should consider the space available to you. How big is your yard and how much of it can safely be used for an Easter Egg hunt?
Yes, any size yard can work. But a smaller yard won’t allow as many guests as a larger one.
You also want to be sure the space you use is safe for youngsters to run around. It should be far enough from the street that there’s no danger they may run into traffic. You also want to keep them away from swimming pools or even your garden! If toddlers participate, you may even want to keep them away from the driveway and walkways where they could skin their knees.
There’s no good formula for calculating how much space you’ll need per child. But remember you want them to be able to run a bit – and you’ll want good places to hide the eggs, too!
Set A Date
Of course, you’ll need to decide when you want to have your Easter Egg Hunt so you can invite other children!
Spring weather can be hard to anticipate and the date of Easter Sunday varies from year to year. If Easter falls in mid- or late April, though, you could have your hunt the weekend before. When Easter is in late March, though, you might prefer setting the date for a weekend after the holiday, hoping for warmer weather.
Easter Sunday is usually not the best day for it, as other families may have plans. But the day before is a great choice, too!
But plan early so you can let other parents know when the hunt will be.
Plan Who To Invite
Next, create a guest list. You should already have an idea of how many kids to have over, but now it’s time to think about names. You may have some cousins, neighbors, and classmates to include!
You’ll also want to think about parents who can help you watch over the event! With kids running all over, you probably don’t want to be the only one on hand. So be sure to ask for a few helpers, too.
Invite the Guests
Of course, once you have your date and list of guests set, let them know! Your child can pass out invitations or you can contact parents yourself, especially for younger children.
Try to give them at least a few weeks notice so they can plan accordingly.
Buy Supplies
Of course, you’ll need to stock up on supplies. You might do this on your own or ask for other parents to contribute.
You’ll need plastic eggs, baskets for each child, and candy and treats to fill them with!
We recommend having 5-8 eggs for each child you expect to participate. Some may find more, some may find less. But something in that range usually works well.
One basket per child is enough, but of course, you might want a few extras in case unexpected guests show up.
As far as treats, bite-sized wrapped candies, jelly beans, and gumdrops are good options. Small dolls, cars, wind-up toys, jacks, and other toys go over well, too.
If you want to give prizes for who finds special eggs or the most eggs, be sure to buy the rewards for those, too!
Try to be mindful of potential allergies when choosing candies. Avoid items with peanuts or other common allergens. Alternatively, you could mark the plastic eggs to indicate that an allergen might be present. Be sure to advise parents of this beforehand!
Hide the Eggs
When the day of the Easter Egg hunt arrives, it’s time to find great hiding places for the eggs.
Keep in mind the age of the participants when hiding the eggs, of course. For preschoolers, it’s often best to hide them in plain sight. At the base of a tree, next to a rock, or even out in the open are good spots.
For children who are a bit older, you can make things tougher. Under an empty, upside-down flower pot is always a great choice. Stuck in the cushions of a lawn chair is good, too. You could even hide some in the branches of a bush or tree, as long as they aren’t out of the children’s reach.
Be creative, but also be cautious. Avoid any spots that could present danger. For instance, don’t hide eggs near rose bushes or where tiny fingers could get crushed by falling rocks.
Gather the Group
Once the egg hunters arrive, gather them around and give out the baskets. Explain the rules to them. Most importantly, remind them not to fight over eggs! And if there is a mix of ages, remind older children to help, not compete with, the younger ones.
Let them know how long they’ll have to collect eggs, then count down to the start of the hunt!
Give Prizes (optional)
If you decide to award prizes, gather the children around again.
If there is a prize for the number of eggs collected, do a quick count. You may also want to divide this into age groups.
If the award is based on a special item found inside an egg, you can ask the children to sit down and open all their eggs. Tell them what to look for and ask them to call out if they find it. Again, it might be necessary to help younger children with this step, so you and other parents can walk around and watch.
The Cleanup
The children have all had great fun, and hopefully, you and other parents have, too. But now it’s time to figure out how many eggs are still missing – and where they are!
Most of the eggs have likely been found. But you’ll still want to count and do your best to figure out where any leftovers are. In the best-case scenario, you can find them quickly. At worst, they’ll turn up at the Fourth of July picnic!
Conclusion
An Easter Egg Hunt is a great spring children’s event. No matter how big or small your yard, you can have a great hunt. Be sure to hide enough eggs so that all the guests can find a few and hide them in age-appropriate spots. It’s an activity worth repeating year after year!
