How to Organise a Toddler-Tastic Easter Egg Hunt
Never before did you realise quite how much work the Easter Bunny gets up to until you realise you have a toddler with Easter dreams to be made.
However, Easter Egg hunts where toddlers are involved can result in confusion for little, inexperienced people; chocolate gorge-fests that ruin Easter for everyone and tantrums when it becomes apparent that bigger siblings are a good bit faster at hunting and devouring their hoard.
How can you ensure you, or the Easter Bunny, organise an Easter Egg Hunt suitable for toddlers?...
1. Do a Weather Check
You might have visions of little hands reaching in amongst the daffodils in dappled shade from bright spring sunlight, but there are no guarantees in Blighty.
Therefore, make sure you have a “Plan B” indoor venue, or have primed the hunters that Easter Bunny only does his drop when there’s a gap in the rain clouds.
2. Think Beyond the Chocolate
Whilst the word 'Easter' often conjures up magical visions of excited toddlers running around with chocolate-smeared chops, it's worth bearing in mind that you'll likely be the one picking up the pieces of a toddler hyped on their own weight of sugar.
Therefore, it's worth considering a toddler-friendly Easter Egg Hunt whereby you fill plastic eggs with a range of stickers, stretchy bunnies, Easter stamps and more. Don’t forget that Mini Eggs are not suitable for children under 4 due to choking risks.
3. Keep Fairness Tantrums at Bay
Toddlers are judge and jury all rolled in to one and if you’re expecting them to let any whiff of unfairness pass their eager radar, you’re wrong.
A top tip for Easter Egg hunts for all ages is to explain ‘hunting first, sharing second’. Everyone collects eggs in to their basket, but no snaffling until they’ve all been pooled and shared out fairly.
Another suggestion, and can help with allergy management, is to assign different egg colours to different children. However, always have spares in case of the Easter Egg Bermuda Triangle being evident in your back garden.
4. Set the Boundaries & Be On Hand
Only lay eggs in a pre-defined area suitable for the youngest of the hunters. The excitement is the same whether the egg is merely laid by the bunny on the lawn or whether it’s halfway up a tree.
Nonetheless, toddler Easter Egg hunts need a high level of supervision. Toddlers have a nose for sniffing out danger to get into on a par with their nose for sniffing out chocolate, so be on hand and ready to distract away from hazards with a gentle point in the right direction.
5. It’s About the Journey
Don’t be constrained by lunch timings or other time pressures. Make sure you’ve got enough time on hand to go at your toddler’s pace. This is exciting and awe-inspiring for the smallest hunters, and they aren’t going to appreciate being rushed.
Remember that toddlers don’t have the same frame of reference as older children. They aren’t going to accept they need to stop their hunting while the adults of the house finish prepping the Sunday roast, so time it appropriately.
6. Make a Treasure Hunt of It
An alternative to using a myriad of small eggs is to have a bunny-themed treasure hunt. Lay down sets of toddler-friendly bunny paw prints for your tots to follow to find their main egg.
7. Don’t Forget the Basket!
The best laid Easter Bunny plans can go awry when you realise you haven’t got a receptacle for collection. The photos of your excited toddler collecting eggs in a mixing bowl or supermarket carrier bag don’t quite cut it for Instagram.
Instead buy, or make, either an Easter basket or bag in advance. For toddlers we recommend bags because there’s nothing more infuriating for little tots than their hard-sought eggs falling out when they bend for the next treat.
By following these steps, you can be sure that you will create an Easter Egg Hunt for toddlers that makes them, and you, have a very Happy Easter.
