There’s nothing better than preparing for an Easter egg hunt to stir up thoughts of new life, flowers blooming, and the warmth of spring. Who doesn’t enjoy the site of children fanning out across an open field dotted with pastel splashes of colored eggs? With these helpful hints, you’re bound to win lots of thumbs up from the kids in your life as you plan this year’s Easter egg hunt.
Plan for Varying Ages
Let’s face it. Kids let loose on a chase for free candy are not always apt to watch where they’re going. If you are planning a hunt for a lot of children of various ages, your best bet is to set up multiple rounds, so tiny tots have a chance to collect a few eggs themselves. If you want to contain the festivities to one hunt, you can color code the eggs according to age groups. That way, for example, everyone under age three can look for yellow eggs while the bigger kids look for blue eggs. Another way to make sure everyone gets enough eggs during one hunt is to tell all of the kids to gather a dozen eggs and then stop. Just make sure you hide enough eggs so that every child gets their dozen.
Go beyond Jelly Beans
Half the fun is finding the eggs, but the other half is discovering what’s inside. Instead of limiting the sweet treasures to jelly beans, add some variety. Fill the eggs with different types of candy or get creative and load them up with coins, coupons, and small toys in addition to the sugary stuff. Depending on your resources and the number of kids participating, you might even consider hiding special prizes in some of the eggs like dollar coins, lip gloss or Hot Wheels cars.
Be Safe
While you are hiding the eggs, make sure there are no hazardous areas that might cause a child to get hurt in their rush for candy. Don’t forget to establish safe boundaries on the egg hunt area, and communicate them to the kids before they head off. It’s also smart to have adults spread out around the hunting area to offer help if needed.
Get Creative
Make it Easy on Yourself
Organizing an Easter egg hunt can be a significant undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Why not enlist the help of other families who are going to take part? Send out a sign up from SignUpGenius.com asking families to RSVP and contribute a dozen eggs for each child of theirs who will be participating. They can even leave a comment on the sign up to let everyone know what goodies they’ll put in their eggs to ensure a wide variety. Make sure to specify a deadline for getting the eggs to you, so you have plenty of time to hide them before everyone arrives. Keep a record of how many eggs you’ve hidden and what colors they are, so you don’t wind up finding them later in the year as you’re mowing the lawn. And if you want to be economical and environmentally friendly, ask the kids to leave any unwanted plastic eggs after they’ve emptied out their treasures, and you can reuse them the next year.
There are so many ways to make the tradition of an Easter egg hunt fun! If you have your own unique idea, why not share it with us by posting a comment below or sharing it on our Facebook page? As a valuable part of our community of organizers, we want to hear from you!