Here in Rochester - and most of the northeast - we will not be having an outdoor egg hunt on Easter. The snow is melting, but the ground is soggier than your socks after some puddle jumping.
In preparation for our indoor festivities, my five-year-old helped me put together some fun, kid-tested, and kid-approved Easter games. We hope you find them helpful in planning your Easter festivities.
1. Egg Hunt
Players go on a scavenger hunt to find eggs, eggs, and more eggs!
Materials needed:
- plastic eggs
- small age-appropriate prizes or treats to place in the eggs (optional)
- baskets or containers for each player
To keep the hunt fair for all ages, one egg-hunt method is to hide different color eggs for each player. When the hunt begins, players must only find their own color eggs and put them in their basket; they leave the other color eggs alone.
Another method is a group egg hunt. Hide clues in the eggs - instead of or in addition to the treats, with the final clue leading them to their Easter baskets. Be sure to have one clue ready to direct them to the first egg.
Or, you could go the more traditional route of hiding a ton of eggs and letting the kids go crazy.
2. Egg Tac Toe
Toss plastic eggs and try to get them into 3 cups in a row
Materials needed:
- 1 empty box
- 9 plastic cups
- glue gun, glue dots, or craft glue
- green construction paper
- scissors
Use glue to adhere cups into the empty box.
Cut slits into green paper to make grass; glue onto outer sides of box, overlapping pieces of paper as necessary.
Player tosses plastic eggs and tries to get them into three cups in a row. Depending on ages of children playing, you can limit the number of eggs they toss. For younger kids, let them keep going until they get it...and everyone is a winner.
3. Bocce Eggs
Roll plastic eggs and try to get your egg closest to the center target.
Materials needed:
- painter's tape
- plastic eggs (a different color per player)
Use painter's tape to create your target on the floor. Each player gets 3 plastic eggs of the same color (a different color for each player). Players take turns rolling one egg at a time, trying to get closest to the center. The egg closest to the center wins. Variation: Assign each area of the target a different number of points; add up each player's points to determine the winner.
4. Egg Race
Players use a straw to blow their plastic egg from the starting line to the finish line.
Materials needed:
- plastic straw for each player
- plastic egg for each player
- painter's tape
Use painter's tape to mark the starting and finish lines. Give each player a straw and a plastic egg. Say, "Ready, set, go," to start the race. Players use their straw to blow their egg across the finish line.
5. Egg-on-a-Spoon Race
Players try to be the first one to cross the finish line, without letting their egg fall off the spoon.
Materials needed:
- painter's tape
- spoon for each player
- plastic egg for each player
Mark a start and finish line on the floor with painter's tape, or use the same set up as the Egg Race, above. Each player puts a plastic egg on his or her spoon and then stands on the starting line. Say, "Ready, set, go," to start the race. Players walk to the finish line; if an egg falls off the spoon, the player picks up the egg and goes back to the starting line to try again.
6. Bunny Hop Relay
Players hop to a basket with an egg under their chin, and drop the egg in to fill the basket.
Materials needed:
- 2 baskets per team
- plastic eggs
- bunny ears (optional)
Divide players into two teams (for younger kids or a small group, you may want to just play together on one team...more of a team-building game rather than a competitive game). Place a basket full of plastic eggs near the players; place an empty basket on the other side of the room. Say, "Ready, set, go," to begin the game. Players take turns placing an egg under their chin, hopping with it to the empty basket, and dropping the egg into the basket. That player hops back, and the next player goes. In a competitive version, the game ends when one team fills their basket. In a team-building version, the game is over when all the eggs are in the second basket.
7. Easter Moves
Players show off their moves, and shake out their sillies by picking two cards and following the instructions.
Materials needed:
- 2 baskets
- 2 colors of construction paper, 2 sheets each
- scissors
- marker
- Easter-themed stickers
Cut each sheet of paper into roughly 2.5" x 2.5" squares. On one color, write a number from one through six on each square. There will be multiple copies of the same number. On the other color, use the Easter-themed stickers to put an image on each square; we used bunnies, chicks, eggs, and flowers. Fold the squares and place them in a basket, keeping the colors separate.
Each player selects one card from each basket and follows the instructions. In our game, the stickers represent the following:
- Bunny sticker = hop
- Chick sticker = flap your wings and say, "Tweet!"
- Egg sticker = roll on the floor (or a somersault)
- Flower = do a crazy shake
For example, if a player picks a number "2" card and a "Bunny" card, he or she must hop like a bunny two times. Continue until all of the cards have been used.
8. Bunny
This game is similar to Cootie, except players are building an Easter bunny instead of a bug.
Materials needed:
- white card stock (6-7 sheets)
- construction paper: pink, black, and assorted colors for the bows
- scissors
- pencil
- black marker
- 1 glue stick per player
- 1 white paper plate per player
- 1 die
- markers or crayons for each player
Use the card stock, construction paper, pencil, marker, and scissors to make features for the Bunnies: eyes, noses, cheeks, mouths with tongues/teeth, ears, and bows. This was my free-hand guide:
To play, each player will need a paper plate and a glue stick. Everyone takes turns rolling the die and selecting a feature for their bunny based on the number rolled:
- Eyes
- Nose
- Cheeks
- Mouth
- Ears
- Bow
As each feature is acquired, the player glues that piece onto their plate to create a Bunny face. Continue playing until everyone completes his or her Bunny. Provide crayons or markers at the end to add whiskers or other details.
9. Easter BINGO
Use jelly beans as Bingo markers and try to get five in a row.
Materials needed:
- Easter-themed Bingo cards and calling cards (free download)
- jelly beans for each player
Each player gets a Bingo card and some jelly beans; everyone places a jelly bean on Free Space. Use the calling cards to call out an object and players place a jelly bean on the matching square on their own card. First player to get five in a row wins (and all players get to eat their Bingo markers at the end).
10. Pin the Nose on the Easter Bunny
Just like Pin the Tail on the Donkey!
Materials needed:
- Easter Bunny face (hand-made or purchased decoration)
- pink construction paper
- scissors
- masking tape
- blindfold
Use the pink paper and scissors to cut enough noses for each player; place a roll of masking tape on the back of each nose. Hang the Easter Bunny face low enough that the players can reach easily. Players take turns getting blindfolded (optional for younger players), spun around, and then trying to place the nose on the Bunny - as close to the real nose as possible.
Whether you have a winner for each game, or make everyone a winner for participating, we hope these games provide tons of entertainment and laughs at your Easter celebration. As always, thanks for reading.
