10 Fun New Easter Morning Hunts
By Jan Pierce
Kids absolutely love the idea of a hunt for some sort of treasure. So while you may do the traditional egg-dyeing for Easter this year, you may want to have some other “loot” to put into plastic eggs including some edible goodies. Here are some fresh new ideas for planning your Easter egg hunt.
1) SECRET MESSAGE HUNT
Use plastic eggs. Print out short messages for each egg that asks the kids to do a task such as quack like a duck or hop like a bunny. When they have found ten eggs and done all ten tasks they’re eligible to hunt for their basket. Hand them a message that contains the clue they need to find it.
2) TEAM HUNT FOR A LARGE GROUP OF KIDS
Divide your kids into two teams. Put mismatched plastic egg halves together. Allow a given amount of time for everyone to find as many mismatched eggs as they can. Then allow the teams to gather together to put the correct colors together. Each egg will have a number inside indicating how many pieces of candy each team member receives. (Think jelly beans or small candy eggs). The team with the most color-correct whole eggs is the winner and earns an additional treat—maybe a small Easter toy such as a stuffed chick or bunny or a larger candy treat.
3) INDOOR HUNT WITH CLUES
This works well for families who find themselves inside on Easter morning. Write out clues that take the children to various places in the home where they’ll find the next clue. Use at least five clues and let the kids find their baskets at the end of the hunt.
4) EASTER BUNNY TRACK HUNT
For younger children, create “bunny tracks” out of pink paper and leave them where the little ones can follow to find a series of treats.
5) THE GOLDEN EGG HUNT
Do your usual favorite hunt, but add an additional treasure. Purchase a large, gold egg and fill it with something special. It could contain a treasure for the finder only, or a treat for the whole family such as a trip to a favorite restaurant, park or tickets to a new movie.
6) EASTER EGG PINATA
Buy or make an Easter piñata and provide masks and a stick to open it. You can make a piñata by using an inflated balloon and paper maché or decorate a white bag to simulate an egg. Kids enjoy the building anticipation as the piñata begins to crack and shower them with candy.
7) GLOW IN THE DARK HUNT
Use glow sticks and larger plastic eggs to create an indoor “in the dark” hunt. You may choose to have the kids find a certain number of glowing eggs to “buy” their basket.
8) HUNT FOR YOUR EASTER BRUNCH HUNT
This one takes some work. Fill plastic eggs with tiny bits of brunch items: fruit pieces, tiny muffins, snack crackers, cheese cubes, hard-boiled eggs, cereal and the like. Add some hot cocoa and enjoy.
9) MAKE IT A RELAY HUNT
With a larger group of children, divide into teams and have one person from each team hunt for a given amount of time, return to tag the next player and continue until all the kids have had a turn. Provide some sort of extra treat for the winning team. Be sure all the kids get a fair amount of treats after the hunt.
10) THE MORE THAN CANDY HUNT
Have some of the plastic eggs contain small toys or tickets to receive the toys after the hunt. Toys might include balls, tiny bunnies or chicks, finger puppets or anything else appropriate for the kids in your group.
Easter egg hunts are just another way to create healthy family fun. Make sure the younger members of the family get a fair chance to find the treasures. Older kids can pair up with younger ones to help make this happen. Whichever hunt you choose will be a highlight of your Easter celebration. Enjoy!
Read about more Easter activities: It’s Not About the Bunny
