How to host an Easter Egg Hunt

Here we are having crossed the half-way point of Lent, perhaps feeling the heaviness -- and length -- of the season.  But the good news is Easter is on its way!  And with it comes all kinds of ways to celebrate.

One tradition we have enjoyed several times through the years has been hosting an Easter Egg Hunt in our yard.  Since this takes a little bit of planning, the time to start thinking about it is right about now.

Who doesn't love finding Easter eggs?  This tradition provides a great opportunity to both reach out to neighbors and to remind children about the True Story behind why we celebrate Easter.  

Plus, it's mostly outside, is a relatively short event, has a clear-cut theme, and therefore is one of the simplest parties you can throw!

Here are the basic things to think about:

1. Passing out invitations.  The two best Saturdays for having the event are obviously the two right before Easter. After choosing your date and time, make up some simple invitations to hand out.  We usually just made quarter-page cards like this one:

(If you want me to send you the template I used, I'd be happy to!)

2. Making the eggs.  We plan for about 12 eggs per person, and fill them with something simple like a small piece of candy, a few stickers, or even a penny.  (The younger ones still think that's pretty cool!)  You may want to color-code the eggs -- certain colors for younger ones to find and other colors for older ones.  Or you can later just divide the yard into sections by age instead.

3. Incorporating the resurrection story.  The Resurrection Eggs, of course, are very helpful for telling the story about Jesus, and you can add these to the mix in a few different ways.  One idea is to put a special star or sticker on the outside of those 12 eggs, and after all the eggs have been found, the children who have the special eggs bring them forward to trade them in for a little prize, or just to be part of the story-telling (which they think is pretty fun).  We've found that it's best to let all the kids discover the contents of their eggs and play a little bit before launching into the more serious story-telling time.

If you do not have a set of Resurrection Eggs, they are easy to make on your own.  (Here's one example.)  One year we even had the kids make a smaller version themselves.  We gave them little slips of paper with verses on them, as well as the objects to include in the eggs.  They took their little sets home with them.  (Again, if anyone wants the verses I used or the print-out, just let me know)

4. Decorations and food.  For some people I know this is the best part of event-planning, and for others, it can just be overwhelming!  The beauty of an Easter Egg Hunt is that it can be as low-key or as elaborate as you want... kids have fun either way.  I tend to be more on the "keep it simple" end of the spectrum, so we usually just serve things like muffins, fruit, pretzels, etc. (Here's an easy but festive idea)  Our decorations are usually kept to a minimum as well -- often balloons (the cheap ones look a lot like eggs when blown up!) and/or garlands or streamers.  Depending on the weather that day, things may get blown away anyway!

If you do want some more creative ideas, though, there are some cute ones here, and here.

5. Other activities.  The actual egg hunt is usually over quite quickly;  when there are prizes and candy involved, kids sure can move fast!  So you may want to plan an additional activity or two, as long as you have everyone gathered.  Depending on the ages of the kids, this could be as simple as giving them coloring sheets, or doing a craft, or it could be organizing some games -- such as Egg Olympics!  There are, of course, a myriad of craft and activity options nicely pictured for you on Pinterest, so I'll let you choose.  :)

Two of Deb's kids and one of mine are in this picture --
 from almost a decade ago!

 5. Bonus ideas:  If your kids are getting a little tired of the whole egg hunt thing, here are some suggestions for other types of events and games to play with eggs.  Some of these could still be done as an outreach activity, including neighbors and friends. 

No matter how you organize it, the main thing is to remember that the event can serve as a powerful tool, teaching kids who may not know the real resurrection story.  What a great opportunity to reach out to our neighbors with the truth!