By Cris S.
March 2, 2024
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We love Easter in my house! I grew up with many of the "classic" Easter traditions: Easter baskets, church in the morning, an egg hunt and a delicious Easter dinner with lots of family and friends around!
While my husband, children and I hang on to these family traditions, we have done many things over the years to freshen them up and add our own unique ideas. We still do all of the traditional things, but we enjoy thinking of different ways to make each Easter holiday new and exciting for the entire family!
I would love to share with you some of our most successful ideas that we have done over the years. These include different types of egg hunts, food votes, party fun, and a list of Easter egg filler ideas!
REVERSE EGG HUNT
Yes, we do a traditional Easter egg hunt for the kids, inside or outside depending on the weather. Something new that we tried a few years ago which turned out to be a HUGE hit is what I like to call the reverse egg hunt.
Who says the kids are the only ones who can have all the fun??
We get about 15 eggs or so (depending on how many adults) and fill just a few of them with printed Amazon gift cards (we do the printed version so we can fold it up and fit it into an egg) or cash. Then, we let the kids hide the eggs (with instructions to hide them very well).
Any adults who choose to join in on the hunt have an absolute blast! The kids love watching their parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents try to beat eachother to the golden egg... And they love being able to tell us "... you're getting warmer!!"
EASTER EGG SCAVENGER HUNT
I am a huge fan of scavenger hunts, and with the nicer temperatures outside, Easter is the perfect time of year for one!
You start with small pieces of paper, each with a clue written on it. One clue should give a hint as to the hiding spot of the next clue. Place each clue in an easter egg (I like to number the outside of each egg so I don't get mixed up when hiding them).
Once your eggs are ready, hide them accordingly and give your kids the very first clue. They will then find each egg in subsequent order by following the clues, and it will lead them to a final prize at the end of the hunt. This can be a chocolate bunny, gift card, or anything else for that matter.
NUMBERED PRIZES EGG HUNT
Buy several small prizes (they don't have to fit into an easter egg) and wrap them up or put them into a small gift bag. We like to do a mix of small and bigger prizes, but we keep it cost-friendly by getting several of the items from the Dollar Store. Set all gifts on a table and number them. Then, number a corresponding egg to go with it.
After the hunt, the kids can match their found egg numbers to their prizes.
This one takes some extra work, but luckily you can do all of the prep work in the week before Easter. That way all you have to do is hide the eggs and set out the prizes!
IDEAS FOR EASTER EGG FILLERS
Chapstick
Mini bubbles
Stickers
Slap bracelet
Bath bombs
Marbles
Bracelets
Playdoh or slime
Fidget toys
Army guys
Key chain
Finger puppets
Bouncy balls
Temporary tattoos
Hotwheels
Hair accessories
Nail polish
Mini dinosaurs figures
Fake plastic bugs
Stress ball
Sticky hands
Mini squishy toys
Scented mini hand sanitizer
Glow bracelets
EASTER EATS
Deciding what to do for food is one of our favorite parts of any holiday. (Of course, we are big foodies!) We typically stick with a traditional Easter dinner which may include ham or brisket (weather dependent).
Something we do to make our Easter eating more exciting, is to make our first meal of the day extra special too!
I do this by casting a vote:
Last year it was between a relish tray (salami and variety of cheeses and crackers, veggies and dips, fruits, chips and dips, mini sandwiches, deviled eggs, spinach dip and bread, olives and pickles) or an Easter brunch (This one won the vote - we ended up doing an overnight egg omelet bake, berry croissant bake, fried potatoes and ambrosia)
The kids really enjoyed voting on this. I made sure that both choices would have been loved by everybody: That way there was no disappointment if someone didn't end up getting what they voted for.
We like having one late-morning meal and then a big, early dinner. Some years we will put out snack trays to munch on throughout the day depending on how "heavy" the morning meal was.
A potluck brunch is something else we like to do every couple years, instead of a big Easter dinner. We plan to have it in the late morning, and everybody joining is asked to contribute a dish. There are endless possibilities with brunch dishes, from savory to sweet, and many of them can be prepared the night before.
As far as dessert goes, we have done everything from cakes to cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and pies. We did chocolate fondue one year, using short bread, marshmallows, bananas, strawberries and pretzels for dipping.
An activity that one of my daughters always likes to do is make place cards for the table with everyone's names on them. She uses stickers or markers to decorate them.
EASTER PARTY FUN! - EASTER BINGO
My family and I really enjoy playing Bingo. Usually I'll set up a table with prizes that can be won, but since the kids get so many little trinkets and candy from the egg hunt, I like to keep this game a little more... practical.
The prizes we set out for Bingo are not the same as with the Easter eggs, yet everyone seems to enjoy them just as much as any other prizes.
These include things like new toothbrushes, hair ties, mini tissue packs, gum or mints, gel pens and pencils. (Hey, eventually you'll have to buy that stuff anyways so you might as well!)
EGG DECORATING TABLE / FASHION SHOW
This activity can be done before the egg hunt or after. There are so many cool and unique egg decorating sets available out there, from tie dye to camo to glittery glitz.
If you don't want to purchase the kits themselves, you can just get the basic egg color dyes and cups. Hard boil a bunch of eggs, set them in a bowl in the middle and let the kids go at it!
One year we did an egg fashion show. The kids added google eyes to their eggs and dressed them up with feathers, poms, buttons and washi tape.
Then we put them on display and had everyone vote on their favorite eggs.
This was so much fun and is something we now do every year... Even some of the adults get into it!
COOKIE / CUPCAKE DECORATING TABLE
Easter egg cookies and cupcakes are so much fun to put together. I like to dye coconut flakes green using food coloring to make "grass". You can buy jelly bean eggs, peeps, and little candy bunnies to top them off.
One of my daughters always puts three or four cupcakes together, then adds frosting and coconut to make one big bunny scene. (Although I don't let her eat all of them at once... Bummer for her!)
This not only gives the kids and adults an extra activity to do, but it supplies everyone with their own dessert.
Easter is a welcome holiday to ring in the spring season. It offers lots of fun activities, great food, family time and spiritual renewal.
See if you can add some flare to your Easter this year and try something new!
Need some ideas for the kid's Easter baskets? See my post on The Best Easter Basket Ideas for Every Age...
Happy Easter!
-Cris
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