We all know that Easter is about the Resurrection of Jesus (and if you don’t, keep an eye out for a blog coming out in a couple weeks!). But somewhere along the way, a bunny got involved. And with him, he brought brightly-colored eggs filled with candy.
Easter egg hunts have been a part of Easter celebrations for as long as I can remember. And what’s not to love? There’s candy involved and literally everyone is a winner. I remember doing an egg hunt at my church every year growing up until I hit a certain age: 6th grade. From then on, I just had to sit on the sidelines and watch the younger kids have all the fun. A very confused young Alyssa sat scrutinizing the celebration thinking, “Why can’t I be a part of this? I still love candy.” If anything, I was certain I loved it more.
Getting older shouldn’t disqualify anyone from fun! Growing up is tough enough without taking away small sources of joy. So this year, as you plan your Easter egg hunts, don’t forget your older girls! They may continue to develop more mature interests, but you can make an Easter egg hunt into an afternoon that’s guaranteed to pull them away from their phones for at least 30 minutes.
I know you may have just skipped over everything before this paragraph like it’s an online recipe and you’re just trying to get to what you actually want to see. That’s cool; we all do it.
Here is what you came for: a few tips to help you make your Easter egg hunt something your girls will actually want to participate in.
If you’re going the route of a traditional hunt, make sure to get stuff you know they’ll like.
You don’t even have to tell them that the eggs will be filled with their favorite things. The second they open the first one, they’ll be excited to find the next. Grab their favorite candy, obviously, but also include some different (still cheap!) gifts: mini nail polishes, chapstick/lip gloss, scrunchies, earrings, pocket hand sanitizer, hair ties, cute face masks, neck scarves, etc. There’s truly no limit to what you can fit inside an egg. Well, there is, but you still have a lot of options!
Shake it up: Get specific colored eggs for each of your girls so they will know which ones are theirs! Nothing will ruin the afternoon quicker than having to break up an argument between a girl who got three lip glosses versus the one who just got a bunch of Cadbury cream eggs.
If you want to mix it up a little bit, ditch the candy.
Fill your Easter eggs with pieces of paper that have fun activities or cool rewards written on them. (You can obviously throw in some eggs with candy, too!) The eggs that the girls find are the prizes they’ll get! You’ll notice that most of the prizes include quality time! It’s a win/win!
Here are some ideas for both parents and ministry leaders:
Dinner takeover: Let them pick what’s for dinner (It can be takeout or you can cook together!)
Movie night: Make it complete with popcorn and the candy of their choosing
Lunch date
Stay up later: 1 hour past bedtime
Mani/pedi
Ice cream date
Skip chores
Family game night
Insta worthy picnic with friends
Shake it up: Have the girls fill out the pieces of paper instead. Let them hide the eggs, set a timer, and then you–the parents/ministry leaders–have to find them. Whichever ones you don’t find in the time set for you are the ones the girls get to keep!
If you want to throw in some action, make the whole thing a scavenger hunt.
Step One: Write clues to places around your home OR around the neighborhood if you’re feeling extra adventurous. Trust me, this part is easier than it sounds. It’s just a matter of finding a word that rhymes with refrigerator…
Step Two: Fill the Easter eggs with the clues (and candy if you want to keep them motivated).
Step Three: Hide the eggs at each spot named in your clues.
Step Four: Have an Easter basket full of their favorite treats as the prize at the end!
For Ministry Leaders: You can’t very well make baskets for all of your girls, right? So split them into teams! The team that arrives at the end first will get the big prize, but be sure to have plenty of candy on stand-by for the losing team to help with the bruised egos.
There are so many ways to make it your own! The clues can include letters the girls pick up along the way that form a message they have to race to unscramble at the end. The eggs could contain words that at the end of the hunt will spell out a message leading them to the prize. You can include a golden egg filled with money in an extra hard-to-find hiding spot. The possibilities are endless!
Shake it up: Make it a photo scavenger hunt! Include prompts in the clues that make the girls take a silly photo in order to get the next clue. It adds to the length of the game and they get to have fun pictures you know they’re going to want to post as soon as the hunt ends.
An Easter egg hunt may not seem like a big deal or even a super original idea. However, it can be yet another thing to help us evolve with the girls in our lives instead of leaving them alone as they navigate their way to whatever is waiting for them on the other side of childhood. The least we can do is suspend our disbelief and get on board with an egg-laying bunny–all for the sake of a little bit of fun and togetherness.
Alyssa Lewis is a Nashville area native, enneagram enthusiast (super basic, she knows), and huge advocate of mental health. She has been serving in girls ministry for several years and it is her heart’s desire to work with young women in a vocational ministry capacity in the future. She is passionate about seeing young women grow from a basic knowledge of the Lord to a genuine love for Him and active pursuit of relationship with Him. Alyssa loves any time spent with friends, singing at the top of her lungs, and eating ice cream—preferably Jeni’s. Connect with Alyssa: Instagram