This year, Easter falls on April 17, 2022. For those who celebrate, an Easter egg hunt ranks high on the list of fun family traditions. Maybe you’ve held your Easter egg hunt at home for years and need ways to freshen it up. Perhaps you’ve decided to host an egg hunt for the first time. We’re here to help you plan a memorable Easter egg hunt at home for all ages. Here we’re sharing our top at-home Easter egg hunt ideas.
The History of Easter Eggs
Decorating Easter eggs dates back to the 13th Century. The custom of an Easter egg hunt can be traced to 16th century Germany when Martin Luther organized an egg hunt for the women and children of his congregation.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that plastic eggs filled with candy became a holiday mainstream. Nowadays, you can find all types of small goodies hidden away in Easter eggs. Kids of all ages race around squealing with glee as they hunt up these colorful eggs. Cracking open pastel or brightly colored eggs to reveal what’s inside sparks joy for younger kids and older kids alike.
Easter egg hunts can range from simple affairs to larger productions. Some have petting zoos, photos with the Easter Bunny, face painting, and more. You’ll find Easter egg hunts held by schools, neighborhood associations, and churches to name a few. But what if you want to hold an egg hunt at your home this year? We’ve got you covered.
Why Hold an Easter Egg Hunt at Home
Due to the pandemic, many things were downsized from large communal gatherings to small at-home events. With COVID still present, you may want to host a smaller home Easter egg hunt for family and friends, instead of attending a community event. Or you may simply like the idea of carrying on traditions or making new memories at home with your kids.
Whatever your reason, holding an Easter egg hunt at home means:
- Fewer crowds and strangers, an important consideration with little ones excitedly running around.
- A familiar space for children who are shy or need a sensory-sensitive egg hunt.
- You are in control and can create the holiday memories you desire.
Tips for Planning an Epic Easter Egg Hunt
The great thing about an at-home Easter egg hunt is that it can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish.
To ensure everyone gets their fair share of eggs, we recommend putting some structure in place. This tends to work better than watching the kids race about in an egg gathering free-for-all. Consider the following:
- Create separate egg hunts for different ages. For example, set out eggs and let young children aged zero to three hunt. Then, lay out a new set of eggs for 4 to 10-year-olds. End with a separate hunt for kids age 10+. This way you can tailor what’s inside the eggs to the age group, as well as the difficulty of your hiding places. Looking to keep the older kids busy, ask them to help you hide eggs for the younger ones.
- Designate separate spaces or colors for varying age groups. If holding three separate egg hunts sounds like too much work, consider this variation. Split your yard into three areas. Then, hide the eggs for each group in a separate area. You could also color code the eggs by age group. Place all the eggs in the same area, but depending on the child’s age, she can only collect eggs of a certain color.
- Set a number of eggs per child. Depending on how many eggs you hide, tell the hunters that they may each collect a certain number of eggs. Once they have collected their eggs, they can go enjoy!
- Assign a different color egg to each child. Assigning a color to each child helps limit the number of eggs he or she collects. It also allows you to customize the fillings to their preference. Have a child who doesn’t like chocolate? No problem… their eggs can contain jelly beans. This also works for kids who are too young for candy, have allergies, diabetes, or simply don’t love sweets.
- Create and hide Easter baskets. In this version of the Easter egg hunt, you create a basket filled with goodies for each child. Hide the basket according to your child’s age and hunting ability. For example, you may place your toddler’s basket behind a bush. Your teen, on the other hand, will need to climb a tree or hunt a lot harder for his basket.
What to Stuff in Your Easter Eggs
Things have changed a lot since the 16th Century when hard-boiled eggs were hidden for women and children to find. Today, you’ll find all types of Easter egg stuffing. Here is a list of some of our favorites. Customize your eggs to fit your kids’ ages and preferences.
- Candy
- Fruits snacks
- Goldfish crackers
- Fidget toys
- Stickers
- Money and coins
- Erasers
- Favorite figurines, such as Paw Patrol, Marvel, or Littlest Pet Shop
- Plastic toy animals
- Finger puppets
- LEGO mini-figures
- Stamps
- Coupons/tokens for fun activities
- Lip gloss
- Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars
- Costume jewelry
- Squishmallow micromallows
- Key chains
- Temporary tattoos
Don’t Forget the Adults!
The kids are not the only ones who can get in on the Easter egg hunt fun. This year, consider holding a separate hunt for the adults. While the little ones munch on their treats, hide a variety of adult-friendly eggs in some hard-to-find places. Or if you don’t have kids, host a hunt for your fellow kid-free friends. Ideas for adult egg stuffers include:
- Lottery tickets
- Mini liquor or wine bottles
- Beauty products
- Golf tees
- Cash
- Candy - Adults like it too!
Where to Hide Your Easter Eggs
Depending on how difficult you want to make the hunt for your kids, you can get very creative with your hiding places.
If you are staging your hunt outside, hiding places include:
- Bushes
- Low-hanging trees
- Garden beds and flower pots
- The bottom of gutter drains
- Rock-wall nooks
- Playhouses
- Swing sets
- Mailboxes
- Patio furniture
- Window sills
If the weather doesn’t cooperate or you prefer an indoor egg hunt, consider the following hiding places:
- Couch cushions
- Oven or microwave
- Kitchen cupboards
- Bookcases
- Under pillows
- Behind baskets, table legs and furniture
- Tops of table or desk chairs that are pushed in
Untraditional Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
If you’re looking for something outside the traditional egg hunt, try one of these creative Easter egg hunt ideas.
- Glow in the dark egg hunt. This is particularly fun for an indoor hunt or a nighttime event. Purchase glow-in-the-dark eggs and hide them right before the sun goes down for an epic hunt.
- Treasure hunt. Instead of stuffing the eggs with trinkets, have a treasure box filled with larger prizes. Based on the number of eggs collected, the child is eligible for certain prizes. Another twist is hiding eggs with tokens for larger prizes.
Bonus Tips for Your At-Home Easter Egg Hunt
- Count your eggs before you hide them so you know they have all been collected at the end. No one wants to mow over an Easter egg come late spring!
- Don’t have time to stuff your Easter eggs? Buy pre-stuffed eggs or hire a company to come to hide the eggs for you.
- Have an activity ready to keep the kids busy while you hide the eggs. Otherwise, you risk having several pairs of little eyes peeking out the windows.
No matter your reason for doing Easter at home, you can make it special by honoring old traditions and forming new ones. Happy Easter!
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