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 finds 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 refereeing an egg hunt.
I have hosted Easter the past few years with our parents and siblings. My kids are the oldest of the cousins and there is a seven-year age gap between my oldest and my brother’s youngest, so I am always sure to come prepared to cater a bit to the age range.
Here are seven ways to help avoid melt downs, and ease your stress during the annual Easter egg hunt.
Assign each kid an egg color. 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. I also give each kid two one-dollar bills amongst their eggs.
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 the 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.
Don’t hide real eggs inside. Years ago when I was a kid, months after Easter, we found a hard boiled egg in the living room. It took awhile to start smelling but I will never forget the horror on my moms face. If your tradition is hard boiled eggs only versus plastic, be sure to know the exact amount you hide so you can ensure that exact amount is found!
Buy pre-filled eggs. I have bought pre-filled eggs off Amazon before and it really is so much easier. There is a huge variety you can buy depending on the ages of the kids etc. Certainly takes the stress off of figuring out what little items can fit and then taking time to stuff them.
Do you have tips for Easter egg hunts? We’d love to hear!
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