12 Easy Steps to Pulling Off an Epic Easter Egg Hunt

As any kid will tell you, egg hunts are the best part of Easter celebrations. There's candy, outdoor activity, colorful eggs, a little light-hearted competition, and, best of all, prizes. While you're probably familiar with the modern Easter game of hiding eggs for kids to collect, versions of this particular Easter ritual have been around for centuries.

According to one Easter tradition, the holiday's colorful egg dying custom is related to a narrative about Mary Magdalene, the first person to see Jesus Christ after his Resurrection. While holding an egg, she proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead. The emperor replied that this was as likely as an egg turning red. In the story, the egg she was holding proceeded to do just that.

These days, hunting for colorful eggs is the perfect excuse to get outside for some springtime air and watch kids, young and old, search for hidden treasure. Whether you're stepping up to host the annual Easter hunt extravaganza for the first time or you're plotting a small at-home hunt for the little ones in your immediate family—just follow these easy steps for pulling off an epic Easter egg hunt.

Set the Date for Your Egg Hunt

Of course it's traditional to have an Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday, but it's certainly not required. In fact, you may be attending a few in your neighborhood, in addition to hosting your own, so realistically not all egg hunts can happen on the same day. An ideal timeframe would be Easter weekend, or even the weekend before.

Pick a Location

Whether the hunt is taking place in your front yard or the grounds of the community center, make sure the location works for your group. Pick an area that's large enough for your hunters, but not too large that it's impossible to find the eggs. You'll also want a spot where you can clearly define the boundaries, you have plenty of hiding options, and it's set far away from roads, bodies of water, and other hazards. If you're hosting inside, try to limit the adventures to one floor so there are no stairs in the mix.

Decide What You'll Do if You Have Bad Weather

Spring weather can be notoriously fickle, so it's best to figure out what to do if it rains (or snows!) on your celebration. You can pick a rain date—especially important for a larger group—or opt to have it in your home or another indoor location.

Stock Up on Eggs

Eggs are quite possibly the most important part of an Easter egg hunt. While some hosts prefer to dye real eggs, it's often safest to hide plastic or wooden eggs, especially if there are a lot of little kids invited to your hunt. You're also welcome to use a mix of different types—the more eggs, the merrier. We'd suggest hiding about 10 eggs per child, depending on the age group.

Plan Out the Surprises for Your Easter Eggs

If you're using plastic eggs, you can fill them with something fun. Just keep your guest list in mind. If you have a lot of toddlers and preschoolers, be mindful of small items that could be choking hazards. And if food allergies are an issue, you may want to opt for non-food items. Some ideas for filling them:

• Jelly beans
• Chocolate eggs
• Marshmallow Peeps
• Easter-themed Hershey Kisses
• Fruit snacks
• Finger puppets
• Bouncy balls
• Coins (candy or real) or paper money
• Temporary tattoos or stickers
• Squishy toys
• Hair clips or accessories
• Lip balm
• Slime
• Fun shaped erasers
• Lego minifigs
• Friendship bracelets
• Play dough
• Bubble gum
• Matchbox cars
• Goldfish crackers
• Wind-up toys
• Whistles
• Earrings
• Small inflatable toys
• Small animal or dinosaur figurines
• Rubber ducks
• Cute mini soaps

If you don't want to stuff eggs, consider having larger gifts for the kids (think little Lego sets, art kits, or plush toys), and give one to each as a parting gift after the hunting is over.

Plot Out Some Holiday Decor

Add to the festivities with a little eye candy. (Bonus: You can often hide eggs in or around these new additions to your yard.) Look for festive holiday bunnies (inflatable or that you can stake into your yard), oversized eggs, or cute little chicks.

You could also consider buying some daffodils and other spring flowers to plant in your yard or place in pots and baskets along the path. (They can be takeaway gifts for the adults on your invite list.)

Have Easter Baskets, Buckets, and Pails at the Ready

You could host a BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket) Easter egg hunt—and it would be great if everyone showed up with baskets—but play it safe and assume you'll need to have egg-collecting gear for all your hunt attendees. Plan to have at least one vessel for goodies for every guest invited. Have fun making homemade Easter baskets, or offer tote bags, beach pails, or even cute small boxes as a fun alternative.

Count the Eggs

Pro tip: Count the eggs before you put them out, so you can do a recount after the hunt is finished and know if any are unaccounted for.

Hide the Easter Eggs

Choose hiding spots that make sense for the ages of the kids invited. You'll want some eggs in more obvious locations (right on the open lawn) for little ones and others hidden in more challenging spots like tucked inside a mailbox, in a plant bed, or hidden behind the stump of a tree for older participants.

Ready, Set, Hunt

If you're hosting many kids of all different ages, think about letting kids start in rounds by age group or range. To be fair, let the littlest hunters have first dibs on eggs. Once they go, start a countdown of a minute to 30 seconds (any longer, and you'll probably make some enemies) before giving the older age groups the go-ahead to join in.

Count the Eggs Again

When you're certain that all the eggs have been found (this is where counting them before hiding them comes in handy), it's time to make the final tally. Sometimes even the egg hiders forget about those clever hiding spots. If you choose to reward the all-star gatherers—beyond the goodies inside their bounty of plastic eggs—now's the time to offer some adorable and fun Easter prizes.

Offer a Little Treat

Depending on the time of day (and the size of your guest list), you can opt to host everyone for a little brunch, or simply serve cookies, cupcakes, or other sweets after the hunt ends.