We have all taken part in a traditional Easter egg hunt, egg roll across the lawn or pin the tail on the bunny. But are there Easter games that would be fair for and appeal to every member of the family? Let’s take a look…
What’s an Easter party without Easter games? There’d be no watching the little ones, toddling to stay on their feet, as they struggle to pick up brightly colored eggs and no laughing at Uncle Joe valiantly hopping across the finish line in a gunnysack. Good memories are made when the games appeal to all guests, regardless of age or religious beliefs.
Below are 7 fun Easter games you can try at your next holiday gathering.
1. Easter egg hunt
No Easter party is complete without an Easter egg hunt. Traditional egg hunts involve the Easter bunny scattering eggs or egg-filled treasures across the yard or in the house for the children to find.
The problem with most hunts is that the older or more aggressive kids tend to get more goodies, while the little ones are left with nearly empty baskets.
Here are a few ideas to level the playing field and keep everyone happy:
- Hide empty eggs and have the kids turn them in for a goody bag. This way, everyone gets the same treats, but they still have fun finding eggs.
- Have each child find a set number of eggs – usually 15 or 20 – and then stop. Once everyone has found their share, you can turn them loose to find the remaining eggs – just be sure you’ve hidden extra ones.
- Assign each participant a certain egg colour. Have one child find all of the blue eggs, another child all the yellow eggs. This may even lead to some cooperation, as older kids help the younger kids find “their” colour.
- Give each child a certain egg-hunting domain. One child looks in the vegetable garden, while another checks the front lawn. This allows the children to hunt at their own pace without being bowled over by eager hunters.
- Adult hunt. After the kids have found their eggs, let them hide some for the adults to find. They’ll discover it’s almost more fun to hide the eggs, and they’ll get a good laugh as the grownups miss some.
2. Egg toss
One of the most traditional Easter games for kids, watching raw eggs break, is too much fun to resist. Have each team of two line up facing each other a few feet apart. Hand each team a raw egg. One team member tosses the egg to the other. If they succeed without the egg breaking, they each take two steps backward and repeat. Keep the teams moving backward until only one team is remaining. Be sure to thoroughly wash the goo off your hands afterward!
3. Animal pairs
This is one of the loudest Easter games and can be played indoors or out. Give each child a piece of paper with an animal written on it. There should be at least three of each animal, depending on the size of the group. When someone says “go,” each child must act like his or her animal and make that animal’s sounds while finding others in the group. When all three have found each other, they should sit down together to signal they are done.
4. Easter Pictionary
This is a holiday twist on the traditional game. Get a large chalkboard and separate the party into groups.
One member of a group is handed a piece of paper with an Easter symbol or phrase, and must silently draw it on the chalkboard for his or her team to guess before time is up. You can change the words depending on the age of the group. A group of smaller children can get single words such as “carrot” or “bunny.” Older kids can try phrases such as “marshmallow peep” or “Spring Break.”
5. Capture the egg
One of the loudest and most active of kid’s Easter games, this one should be played outside. Divide the group into two teams. Set four eggs in a line at each end of the playing field. The players must try to capture the other team’s eggs and bring them to their side of the field without being tagged by the opposing team. If they are tagged by an opponent, they must “freeze” until they are tagged by a player on their own team.
6. Easter-egg treasure hunt
Fill plastic eggs with clues and scatter them in the yard and the house, pointing the way to a basket filled with treasure. Depending on your creativity level, each clue can rhyme or just offer hints as to where the next egg-filled clue can be found. Clues such as “The Easter Bunny comes here looking for things to eat,” with the next egg placed in the vegetable garden, will keep them guessing.
7. Easter-egg bocce ball
An Italian-inspired Easter game, this one is played with each person receiving a colored hard-boiled egg. Take a white egg and gently toss it onto the lawn or carpet. Take turns rolling the colored eggs to see who can get the closest to the white one without touching it – or breaking their egg. For real fun, try it outside with raw eggs.
When you’re throwing a party, try to make the Easter games fun for every age. Adapt each game so there are ways for both big and little kids to have fun and win occasionally. Don’t forget the adults! Easter games are the most fun when everyone at the party gets involved, so encourage them to get in on the action and model an Easter bonnet or toss an egg. Not only will they have a good time, but the kids will remember it for years to come.
