10 tips for hosting an awesome Easter egg hunt (without blowing the budget)

10 tips for hosting an awesome Easter egg hunt (without blowing the budget)

Celebrate, comemmorate and have fun

Guest Column Celebrating holidays is one of those things in life that makes my little heart sing. I love holidays. LOVE. And I love them even more now that I’m married with a growing family of my own. Ryan and I have had so much fun creating our own family traditions… but our Easter traditions are still in their infancy.

How to host an Easter egg hunt on a budget: Our first Easter together was the week before our wedding. Our second was while we were doing a short training course in Spain. Our third was spent on different continents while I took newborn Levi to America to meet my family. And now we have our fourth… Our first family Easter together in Australia.

This year we decided to host an Easter egg hunt and morning tea for several of our friends and their children. We did it on a Saturday so as not to conflict with church and family feasting on Easter Sunday.

It was a gorgeous morning – kids running and giggling, parents lounging and chatting, everyone happy and having fun… and we pulled it off on a small budget. Here’s how: 1. SEND THE PARENTS INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE OLDER KIDS AHEAD OF TIME.

Ask them to prep the the big kids so that they won’t burst from their cars to scoop up all the obvious eggs (set out for the littles) before they’re supposed to. 2. ASK THE KIDS (PARENTS) TO BRING THEIR OWN EASTER BASKETS.

You might want to have a couple of spares on hand just in case anyone forgets.

3. GET YOUR GROUP PHOTO OF ALL THE CHILDREN TOGETHER BEFORE THE HUNT BEGINS.

This way the older ones won’t be too hyped up on sugar to sit still and the younger ones won’t be pining for nap-time. (I learned this one the hard way.) Bonus tip #1: Include nosepicking toddlers (can you spot him?) and sleepy newborns for added interest. Bonus tip #2: Get your husband to put Easter grass on his head and do a little jig… it will at least get you a few genuine smiles from those not ready for nap time (ie: my son).

4. GO OVER THE INSTRUCTIONS AGAIN WITH THE KIDS ONCE YOU’RE READY TO START.

Keep it short and simple and encourage the big kids to help the little oness.

5. RELEASE THE KIDS IN “HEATS” ACCORDING TO AGE. Let the littlest kids go first to find all the obvious eggs and then release the bigger kids 10 minutes later to storm the yard and collect their bounty. Alternately, if your property is big enough, send the big kids to the front yard and the little ones to the back yard.

6. IN ADDITION TO A FEW “REAL” EGGS, USE PLASTIC EGGS WITH CANDY AND PRIZES INSIDE OF THEM.

When the hunt is over, the kids can open their eggs, keep all their treasures, and then return the plastic eggs for next year’s hunt. (Give them the heads-up during instruction time so they won’t be too disappointed when they’re asked to hand back the shells.) 7. HAVE A SPREAD OF YUMMY TREATS AND MAKE SURE THERE ARE A FEW HEALTHY CHOICES TO BALANCE OUT THE CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD.

We did a potluck-style morning tea, with all of the parents bringing a little something to share.

8. SET OUT AN EASTER BASKET WITH SOME CANDY FOR THE PARENTS.

Set out a “parents only” basket just in case the kids don’t want to share… and to keep the oversized kids (husbands) from hunting the eggs themselves. (Although I admit, by the end of the morning it was mostly chubby little hands digging into the parents’ basket to supplement their own baskets. Clever kids.) 9. MAKE SURE TO GET LOTS OF PHOTOS.

Try to get mid-hunt-action shots, showing-off-the-basket shots, detail shots, smiley posed shots, parent shots, chocolate-faced shots, and sweet-girls-inpretty- dresses shots.

10. REMEMBER THE REASONS WHY YOU CELEBRATE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Every family is different, but for ours, we celebrate because of our faith. We love the party, we love the chocolate, we love the bunnies, we love the tasty treats… but more importantly, we love what God has done for us and who he is. And that is our real reason for celebrating. You may or may not share our faith, but no doubt you celebrate because holidays are a great reason to gather the family together, have some fun, and build special memories. Whatever your reasons are, remember them and prioritize them!

We had a ball and can’t wait until next year when we’ll have another little egg hunter to share it with.

Adriel Booker is a writer, speaker, and differencemaker living Down Under with her Aussie love and littles where they lead an inner city missions community in Sydney. She writes about motherhood and parenting, faith and spirituality, social justice, women's issues, tiny house living, creativity, and making the most of our everyday lives. Adriel and her family are currently making home in a renovated vintage caravan. It's the kind of tiny that makes you both laugh and cry, and they are exceedingly grateful for it all.

By Adriel Booker