Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

Everyone looks forward to Easter as a chance to spend time with family and over-indulge in some delicious Easter chocolate. Easter egg hunts are a great activity for the whole family to enjoy, but sometimes it can be difficult to think of scavenger hunt clues or alternative ideas when the weather isn't great. If you're looking for some inspiration for this year's Easter egg hunt, then we have some creative clues, ideas for adult Easter egg hunts, and how to have a successful scavenger hunt indoors.

Why do we have Easter Egg Hunts?

While Easter egg hunts are a staple tradition, not many people know the ancient origins behind the activity.

The use of eggs at Easter comes from Pagan symbolism, in which eggs are a symbol of new life. This was adapted by early Christians to represent rebirth and the resurrection of Jesus. In the medieval period, people were not allowed to consume eggs during Lent, so they became part of the celebratory feast on Easter Sunday. Painted eggs were also given as gifts, a tradition which has been popular in the UK for many centuries and can be traced all the way back to King Edward I in 1290.

Hunting for brightly coloured eggs at Easter was a popular activity in 17^th Century Germany and a tradition that Queen Victoria loved. She and Albert continued the tradition for their children, which helped to popularise the activity in England. However, the chocolate Easter egg hunt that we're familiar with didn't become popular until the 20^th Century with companies like Fry's, Cadbury's, and Rowntree using it as a chance to advertise new products.

Easter Egg Hunt Ideas and Clues for Kids

While Easter egg hunts are great fun for children of all ages, it can be difficult to think of creative and exciting clues that work for every age group. Here are a few of our favourites:

1. Balloon markers

For toddlers and very young children, try using balloons as markers instead of clues, which may be above their reading abilities. This will make a visual treasure hunt that can be easily followed, and your child can follow whichever path they like to find all of the prizes.

For an added level of complexity, you can use different coloured balloons to mean different types of prizes. This could also work well for multiple children as each child or team can get their own colour, which adds some competition and fairly distributes prizes.

2. Rhyming clues

A simple but classic option is rhyming clues. This may require some adult help for the younger ones, but it's a clever way of teaching children rhymes and puzzle-solving while making it fun. It is also a super simple task for anyone in charge of creating the clues, you can challenge yourself by hiding the eggs first and coming up with clues second, but don't worry about making them too complicated!

3. Anagrams

For older children, anagrams are a fun word puzzle and they're the simplest Easter egg hunt clues to make. Simply scramble the letters of the place the prize is hidden and sit back and watch the hunt!

To make this harder for adults, try scrambling a whole sentence, so "under the bed" could become "dede hub tern". Have fun watching your friends try to figure out simple phrases!

4. Trade

For a longer Easter Egg hunt, try trading chores or activities for clues. This will help keep your kids engaged for much longer and you can combine lots of Easter activities into one!

For this, you can set tasks such as making their bed, tidying their rooms, or creating an Easter craft, and upon completion, you give a clue for a prize. Once all of the tasks and clues have been completed, then the ultimate Easter egg prize can be the final reward. Great for a busy Easter where you need to keep the kids busy, or lots need to be done around the house!

5. Relay

Perfect for a large family or public event, a relay race is a great way of getting all the kids involved. Separate the children into teams, then send them out one-by-one to find an egg. This will foster some friendly competition between the teams as well as get everyone excited to cheer on their teammates so they can have their go.

Indoor Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

Although spring is associated with warm weather and sunny days, we know that is not always the case in the UK. If Easter is hit by one of those April showers, this doesn't mean the fun to stop and there are plenty of ways to make an indoor Easter egg hunt just as exciting.

1. Buried Eggs

If you have a sandpit or ball pit, burying the Easter eggs can be a great indoor activity. Small Easter eggs can easily be hidden away and dug up again at your child's pace, making it great for very young children and accessible for kids who cannot run around looking for eggs.

This can be done outside, but make sure to supervise the buried eggs as they may be snatched up by a garden visitor like foxes!

2. Sweet trail

Place small pots or cupcake holders full of sweets like jellybeans, M&Ms, or LINDOR chocolate truffles around the house to direct your children in their search for the grand prize. This is an easy Easter egg hunt alternative to written clues, which can be time-consuming to create and solve, so following a trail of sweets makes it much simpler for young children.

3. Reverse Easter Egg Hunt

For something a bit different that your children will love, try getting them to hide Easter eggs for you! They'll love the opportunity to put the prizes in their favourite hiding spots and try not to give anything away. This is a lovely way of getting the whole family involved instead of the adults just watching while the children hunt.

Remember to make a note of how many treats get hidden away so none are lost around the house! If you are having an indoor Easter egg hunt, also be mindful of any pets as chocolate is very toxic for dogs and cats.

Easter Egg Hunt Ideas for Adults

Easter egg hunts are a great childhood memory for many of us, but who says that adults can't have their own Easter fun? If you and your friends want to take part in a grown-up Easter egg hunt, there are loads of ways to shake up the tradition and make it a great way to spend time with those around you. Not to mention, the perfect excuse for over-indulging in Easter chocolate!

1. Easter Egg Raffle

If you and your friends don't feel like going on a treasure hunt, an Easter raffle is a lot of fun and people can still get prizes with minimal physical exercise. This can be as extravagant as you want, include prizes such as our 1kg Gold Bunny, bottles of wine or spirits, flowers, or handcrafted gifts. For larger events, a raffle is a great way to get the grown-ups involved and raise money for a good cause.

2. Nighttime Easter Egg Hunt

An Easter egg hunt after dark is one way of bringing some adult fun to this activity. Purchasing toy eggs that glow in the dark or have small lights inside can turn the darkness into a wonderland. If the weather forces everyone inside, you can also do this one around the house, but make sure no one trips over in the dark!

Pop culture references

If your group of friends are big film buffs, then try using movie and TV references as clues for an Easter scavenger hunt. These can be as simple or niche as you like; perhaps start with easy ones like "Harry Potter slept here" for the cupboard under the stairs or "Go to Narnia" for the wardrobe. From here, make them harder to guess and have fun beating your friends to the right place.

How Many Eggs Do You Need for an Easter Egg Hunt?

There is some pressure to have a huge number of eggs for an Easter scavenger hunt, but this doesn't mean more eggs automatically means a better hunt.

At least one prize per person is plenty, especially if it comes after the hard work of following a well-planned scavenger hunt! All of our LINDOR Easter eggs come with a selection of LINDOR truffles and a large egg, which can be separated to create a treasure hunt. If you are planning a larger Easter egg hunt, try our box of 48 LINDOR Mini Eggs or the Lindt Easter Sharing Bundle, which has an assortment of mini Easter egg sharing bags as well as four Lindt Bunnies.

How to Decorate for an Easter Egg Hunt

Spring is a wonderful time of year – The flowers are in bloom, the weather is (hopefully) improving, and life can seem a bit more cheerful. Use Easter as the perfect opportunity to decorate your house with bright spring colours and floral arrangements to bring the joy indoors too. Check out our fun and easy Easter crafts, which has some suggestions for adorable Easter centrepieces, Easter wreaths, Easter bunting, and how to make your own decorated Easter eggs. You can also go on a wildflower hunt to create your own bouquets from the many colourful and fragrant flowers that bloom during Eastertime.

Take a look at the full Easter chocolate range for more inspiration for an indulgent Easter.