Create Your Own Garden Egg Hunt This Easter

An Easter egg hunt is a great way to spend some time together as a family or with friends. For those with young children, the excitement that the Easter Bunny brings (probably more for those delicious chocolate eggs he carries), is something you can share together.

Planning an Easter egg hunt is simple to do and doesn't need to cost a lot either. We've listed simple ways to create a fun and engaging Easter trail for your children with tips along the way.

Plan your egg hunt

Your garden is the ideal spot. Your little ones will be familiar with their surroundings and will be able to navigate their way to finding hidden eggs. Make sure garden gates are bolted closed so nobody can wander away from the trail. Your enclosed garden will keep everybody where they need to be to find those scrumptious Easter treats. Gardens are perfect for both difficult and easy to find hiding spots such as play areas, plant pots and outdoor dining areas.

Tip: Lay your eggs out in their trail on a dry Spring evening. The outdoors can be a little dewy the next morning.

Make your own egg baskets

Everybody knows it’s impossible to carry all your Easter treasure when you’re on your search for treats, so it’s important to be well-equipped from the off. Whether your Easter egg hunt is a surprise from the Easter Bunny, or the kids are having a party and making everything they need for the hunt, a basket is essential.

Basket’s don’t have to be expensive and are super easy to make. You can cut the base off large plastic bottles or use old butter tubs to create your basket. Let your little ones decorate with paper mache, bright colours, and if you dare, glitter. Or, for something more natural and nest-like why not use raffia to create a bird’s nest for the eggs to sit in? You can decorate it with ribbon and little fluffy baby chicks.

Tip: A raffia decorated basket can be used for future dress-up and playtime.

Leave a note from the Easter Bunny

Kick start your Easter egg hunt with a message from the main bunny itself, the Easter Bunny. There’s something heart-warming about watching your little ones’ excitement grow and letting their imaginations run wild. You could begin with a note that explains the rules or create a short welcome rhyme to get them excited.

Tip: Setting out the rules before the egg hunt begins will help to avoid squabbles along the way, especially when there is a mixed age group.

Colour code the eggs

If you have more than one child or are hosting an Easter egg hunt for friends, colour code the eggs and assign a colour or pattern to each member. Colour an equal amount of eggs in each variation and let each party member know their colour to help keep the hunt fair. If you’re throwing an Easter egg-travaganza, have each child decorate their own eggs before setting up the egg hunt.

Tip:Assign a colour or pattern to each child before the egg hunt starts. This will help children to work as a team when finding eggs that do not belong to them from the off.

Clues & questions to unlock the hiding spots

Depending on the age of your children will affect how challenging you want to make it. For young children, you may wish to create zones where they know they can find at least one of their eggs in each area. For children who are slightly older and like to be challenged, write clues to where eggs are hidden, or questions to answer before they get the clue. For those who really like a challenge, why not blindfold them and give them clues? Just make sure you’re close by to stop them from bumping into anything.

Clues are easy to make and there are plenty of templates available online. From creating maps to clue cards, outdoor signs and treat trails, there are many ways to get creative and challenge your little bunnies.

Tip:If you have a large group of children of all different ages, try pairing the young ones with older ones to encourage working as a team.

Dress-up as bunnies

Invite your children and their friends to come in costume as a little fluffy bunny. With big floppy ears and a fluffy tail, you could paint their faces on arrival with a rabbit’s nose and whiskers.

Tip: Ask your party of children to hop their way to the start of the trail just like the Easter bunny does to deliver eggs.

The taste of success

Once your kiddies have found all their eggs, it’s only fair to reward them for all their hard work. You can determine the value of each egg that they find and you may even leave a few smaller eggs along the way for them to enjoy when the hunt is over.

Tip: It’s a well-known fact that bunnies love crunchy carrots, so why not dangle carrots on a string from a height and have your little ones munch a healthy snack while making it fun? This could be part of the egg hunt to receive a clue or an after-party snack.

Set the Spring party scene

If you’re hosting an Easter party for friends, why not use an artificial grass table runner to really set the scene? Place some daffodils in glass jars down the centre of the table and put some Easter inspired snacks out for your guests to enjoy. You could use leftover raffia from making your egg baskets to decorate bowls. If your table won’t accommodate a runner, you could use artificial grass for placemats instead.

Tip: Prepare a mixture of healthy snacks and sweet treats for your party to enjoy. It's easy to indulge in chocolate eggs but both you and your guest's parents will be grateful for alternative snacks to help reduce the sugar rush and hyperactivity than can often follow!

We have hidden a few Easter eggs around this garden which we recently transformed with artificial grass. Take a look and see how many Easter eggs you can find!

We hope you find our ideas and tips helpful in planning your Easter egg hunt and would love for you to share your pictures with us via our social media channels.