Our family has hosted an Easter egg hunt for neighbors and friends for several years now. It's such a fun way to get together with neighbors and school friends. We love an opportunity to invite people to our home (outside!) and to share the true meaning of Easter. We keep things simple: an arrival activity, the hunt, snacks, and story time. Perhaps these Easter egg hunt ideas and resources will inspire you to host a hunt this year!
INVITATIONS
I like to use a digital invitation, like Evite, or just an image that you can send via text. Printed invitations are a good option if you don't have all your neighbors' contact information. You can just put the invitations in their mailbox or knock on the door and introduce yourself and hand them the invitation. The kids will enjoy helping with delivering invitations! The Bless app can be helpful for finding names and addresses of your neighbors. Check out these invitations (in the shop) that can be edited using Canva.
ARRIVAL ACTIVITY
We hide all the eggs before guests arrive so we plan an arrival activity to keep kids in the driveway until everyone has arrived. We usually have coloring sheets, sidewalk chalk, and corn hole. Here are few fun printable coloring sheets:
EGG STUFFING IDEAS
I like to plan for about 15-20 eggs per kid. My kids help me stuff the eggs a few days before the hunt. It can be tricky to find candy small enough for some eggs. My go-to's are Starbursts (single or 2-packs) and Sour Patch Kids Big Kids. I also like to include some non-editable stuffers like: pennies, balloons, stickers, or sticky hands. Stickers on a roll are a very affordable option; which helps out if you are doing hundreds of eggs. You can buy eggs in bulk from Amazon or Wal-Mart. I always have the kids return the empty eggs so I can use them again the next year.
Last year, I decided that I didn't want to have to stuff all the eggs and send kids home with a bunch little dinky prizes (even though they love them). So I created a system of adding up points based on the color of the eggs. This way the kid who grabs the most eggs doesn't necessarily "win" the hunt. After the hunt, I reveal the value of each color of eggs and the kids add up their score. I buy a bunch of $1-$3 prizes and all the kids gets to pick a prize from the basket, starting with he highest score and going down. If you want to try the color code method, use this printable score sheet:
EGG HUNT
When all the guests have arrived, gather all the kids and make sure everybody has a basket or bucket. You may want to have some extra buckets or gift bags on hand in case anybody needs one. Explain any boundaries or rules for the hunt, like maximum number of eggs. We usually let kids under age 5 have a 3 minute head start. The hunt goes really quickly if you have many older kids. When all the eggs seem to have been found, let the kids open their stuffed eggs or tally up their empty eggs. Give out any prizes and collect empty eggs in a box or trash bag.
SNACK TIME
Next we have refreshments. We usually get store bought cookies and rice krispy treats, little bags of chips, perhaps fruit or string cheese and little bottles of water. If you love baking and have time to make homemade treats, go for it! After everyone grabs some food, we have everyone sit down for story time.
STORY TIME
We like to share the gospel story, of Jesus' death and resurrection, at the egg hunt. Because it's the best news ever! Reading a short children's book has worked well for us because it gives me the words to say and seems more palatable to a group of people from all different faith backgrounds. We always put "story time" on the invitation so it isn't too much of a shocker to non-believers. Here are some books that we have used:
The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross is my favorite because it tells the story from creation to the cross in a very straightforward way.
is a classic simple telling of the Bible stories of Jesus' death and resurrection. This one is good for younger kids, age 0-4.
One other note to mention is to be aware that Muslim friends or neighbors may be observing Ramadan and so they may be fasting until sun down. Be glad they chose to come and be sensitive to the fact that they may not eat a snack or may want to share with you about the holiday they are celebrating.
JUST DO IT!
I hope these ideas and resources make hosting an egg hunt seem a little less daunting. My daughter is a socialite and is eager to share her new faith so she makes sure that I plan to host the egg hunt each year! Don't forget to cover the event in prayer and the have fun!
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