Make this Easter extra special by planning the perfect Easter egg hunt for your children.
Whether you are planning an indoor or outdoor search, here are a few ideas to help you.
* Use different colours. Colour-code the eggs according to age. Get two to four year olds looking for blue eggs while four to six year olds search for green eggs.
* Make words. Paint a different letter on each egg, then get the children to create words with the eggs they have found. The child with the most words wins a prize.
* Keep a record. Always make a note of how many eggs you have used and where they are hidden so that none get forgotten about after Easter.
* Set boundaries. For safety, establish borders when planning an outdoor hunt.
* Draw a map. Keep things interesting by setting up a treasure hunt for the children. Give each child a map using picture clues for non-readers. Use riddles for older children and lead them to more difficult places.
* Decorate the house and garden where you are holding the Easter egg hunt with lots of pastel-coloured helium balloons, streamers and paper cutouts of eggs, rabbits and carrots.
* Hide all the eggs. Make some easier to find for the little children, and some much more difficult for the older children.
* Set up a table inside with coloured – but blank – paper bags, coloured markers and stickers. When the children arrive, have them decorate and personalise a bag for the Easter egg hunt. The hunt begins after everyone has decorated his or her bag.
* Serve refreshments like sandwiches with the crusts cut off, decorated Easter cookies and baby carrots.
* To ensure fairness, tell the children to keep hunting for eggs until they have found a certain amount. Nothing can ruin a party faster than a crying child who only found two eggs when his or her brother found 10.
* Pair up older children with toddlers to help them hunt for eggs.
* If there are going to be really young children hunting for eggs, make sure you do not put any toys or sweets in the eggs that they could accidentally choke on.
