Five Ways to Set Up a Stress-Free Easter Egg Hunt

Easter is a time for celebration. A time to feel renewed in remembering that Jesus died so that we could live. To reflect on the miracle that came from Jesus being resurrected from the tomb after His crucifixion.

It can also be a time for fighting, tears and chocolate messes. I am referring to the much-loved tradition of Easter egg hunts.

In our household, we reinforce that Easter is about Jesus and less about an Easter Bunny. Easter egg hunts symbolize the tomb that was empty after the resurrection. But we absolutely support the fun that Easter can bring and always have made egg hunts part of the tradition along with festive baskets containing too much candy.

But it’s all fun and games until one kid gets fewer eggs and the tears begin. Especially when we celebrate with extended family which means a wide range of ages and the older kids dominate. I am usually up for some competition and don’t believe in the “every kid should get a trophy” mentality. But I draw a line on Easter. I like the day to be a celebration and don’t want to spend it referreeing an egg hunt.

Here are five ways to help avoid melt downs and fights during the annual Easter egg hunt.

Assign each kid an egg color. Last year, I ordered a variety pack of eggs from Amazon that included an equal amount of eggs in five different colors. We had five kids for our hunt so it was perfect. I assigned each kid a color and as I hid the eggs, I made sure to hide the older kids eggs in harder to find places. No fighting over who saw an egg first because they were only allowed to find their own color. Brilliant.

Designate little kid and big kid sections to hunt. This helps avoid the younger kids getting trampled. It also means you can hide the eggs at different difficulty levels based on who you are hiding them for.

Don’t just use candy to fill the eggs. I am somewhat lax about how much candy my kids eat on Easter. Some of my family is stricter. This often meant kids melting down as some cousins were allowed to eat more candy than they were. I started hitting up the dollar store to fill the eggs with little toys, stickers and band-aids so it wasn’t just candy focused.

Put a limit on the number of eggs they can find. If you aren’t able to assign different colors, try putting a number limit. That can ensure each kid does end up with the same or roughly the same number of eggs.

Initial eggs. If there is not a color variety and you don’t want to limit the number, you can simply put each kids initials onto the eggs. They are only allowed to retrieve the eggs with their initials so it can remain fair and even.

Do you have tips for Easter egg hunts? We’d love to hear!