How to Organise the Best Easter Egg Hunt
How to Organise the Best Easter Egg Hunt
It’s nearly Easter and children will be getting excited about all that Easter egg hunting and chocolate scoffing! Unlike Christmas when there’s so much prep, I used to find that the fun around Easter was a little last minute. I’ve put together some tips on how to plan the best hunt and Easter day with children in mind. Hopefully that means the day will go smoothly and if you’re meeting up with family, that you can enjoy time together.
The Easter Egg Hunt
Weather
As we all know, British weather is not predictable so if you’re planning on the Hunt being outside, make sure that you have a Plan B for inside.
Easter Egg Hunt Timing
This is a tricky one. After lunch or before lunch so that you don’t have to put up with pestering whilst you’re tucking into your roast? You know that once the eggs have been found, there’s going to be demand to eat them so bear that in mind in your planning. My tip is to set a time and stick to it best you can, preferably with a good reason, easily understandable by a toddler, to back it up.
The Hunt
Do consider that children will look everywhere. If you’re doing it in the garden then flower beds may be trampled, veg patches too so think about ‘out of bounds’ areas. If it’s inside, then cupboards will be opened and drawers possibly ransacked, so again, think about hosting the hunt in certain rooms or areas where it’s safe for children to search.
Make sure the hunt is age appropriate: for toddlers, that they can reach the eggs easily and aren’t going to put themselves in danger; older children can look for eggs in higher places such as mantlepieces, fruit bowls, bookshelves etc. If you have time, older children and teens (they will still expect chocolate!) might like clues so that it’s more like a scavenger hunt. Provide something for them to gather the eggs – you can buy fancy baskets but anything will do! Or you could decorate a basket with your child in the run up to Easter, if you feel creative!
Chocolate is harmful for some pets so keep them out of the way until all the eggs are found which leads me to the last point on counting how many eggs you’re hiding! This helps you know when the hunt is over, when it’s safe for pets to return and also to make sure there’s a fair split of eggs among the children hunting. That’s not a fun discussion but I have an idea to help – read on!
The Eggs
If you’re going to be outside then make sure the eggs are wrapped and not, say, Cadbury’s mini eggs (you can secretly munch on those whilst spectating!). If you can, perhaps try to colour code the eggs so that John looks for green-wrapped eggs and Jane looks for yellow-wrapped eggs.
You don’t have to use chocolate eggs: you could buy plastic reusable eggs which split in half and then you can fill them with small toys or other edible treats. If you’re worried about chocolate consumption then this is a good way to mix things up. But don’t blame me if there are tears!
Plans for After the Easter Egg Hunt
In my experience, the children are going to want to eat all the eggs that they’ve found immediately! You have to decide what you’re happy with which can be difficult if you’re with family and friends who have different rules. Maybe try to agree at the outset before the hunt and make sure that you have some distractions.
Once the chocolate is eaten, the children will have energy so let them play outside or perhaps go to the local play park to allow them to let off steam. If the weather isn’t cooperating, let them build forts, climb the sofas and run around, as long as it’s safe.
And then when the crash hits, be prepared with a film. ‘Peter Rabbit’ is on theme and great for all the family but even their favourite programme will work.
At some point you might want them to eat something more substantial than chocolate so factor that into your planning. They will want chocolate from the moment they wake up, though, so a main meal is going to be low on their list of priorities and you may meet resistance!
My biggest tip is to be prepared for a sugar-charged day and demands for chocolate from morning until bedtime. If you have a strategy beforehand, and one that’s agreed on by both parents or with family and friends too, then that will really help.
You are bound to make memories with Easter egg hunts and you can definitely help them not descend into tears and tantrums by planning and being prepared.
If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them. Have a lovely Easter!
Hazel x