The Easter Bunny and all of his eggs will be hopping towards you in just a couple of weeks. Although there are many things going on in the world that might leave you wondering how you can salvage the holiday, the Easter egg hunt is one of the best ways to help bring joy to the children in your life. You might have a smaller hunt than in year’s past, but there are lots of fun ways to spice up the hunt to take the holiday to the next level. These ten tips will make Easter feel a little less forced and will have your children hoping to enjoy Easter for quite a bit longer. Best of all, these tips might even save you a bit of money.

1. Light Them Up
If you want to go all out for the holiday, then you might want to give your classic Easter egg hunt a game-changing makeover. Instead of hosting the hunt in the daylight hours, have one in the dark. Simply place little lights or glow sticks in your eggs and have the kids hunt them as they light up. You can also paint the eggs with glow in the dark paint to help make things even cooler. This idea will also help you if you can’t get outdoors for your egg hunt. If you’re stuck in a home without a yard and you don’t want to go out because of self-quarantine, then the glow in the dark eggs can allow you to hunt inside while still adding a fun edge to the hunt. This can truly turn a bad situation around and will have kids talking for years about the fun they had.

2. Coupon Rewards
Going to the grocery store is pretty complicated these days. Between social distancing, long lines, and lack of stock, getting candy might not be on your list of fun things to do. You don’t have to have candy to have an Easter egg hunt though. Instead of filling the eggs with sweets, add in some fun coupons instead. Kids can hunt for eggs that allow them to get out of chores, choose what is for dinner, or a movie night. You can even add in dates with parents, a trip to the movies, and so on. Of course, if you really want to make the prizes wild, you might add in some grand prize eggs for a chocolate bunny or a toy when social distancing is over.

3. Obstacle Course
Since the Easter egg hunt might be one of the only normal aspects to this Easter, you might want to make it a game that kids won’t get bored of throughout the day. One of the best ways to do this is to set up an obstacle course to help make it easier for the kids to have fun. You should set up challenges for kids to overcome in order to find an egg. You can easily do this based on age group too so that everyone has a little something to do that will challenge them. When the kids are finished with the main hunt, you can still set up empty eggs for them to go after during the rest of the day. Kids might even enjoy setting up the obstacle course for each other after the main hunt too. If you’re not sure how to set up an obstacle course then there are lots of ideas online to help you make the perfect option for your family.

4. Game Pieces
Another alternative for your eggs is to add game pieces to them. Instead of unwrapping candy, kids can find pieces to a game in the egg. This can encompass a great many things too. For instance, you can add game pieces to each egg until your children unveil a new game that will keep them busy for hours. You can also add physical game notes, like “skip five times” or “do three push-ups.” These can earn children rewards that don’t necessarily have to do with candy if you don’t want them to. Another idea for these game pieces is to add a puzzle piece in each egg. When the hunt is finished, kids will have a new puzzle to piece together which adds more fun to the day.

5. Treasure Hunt
Another fun idea is to make the egg hunt a treasure hunt. You will have to hide your eggs in strategic ways in order to pull this off. Each egg should have a clue inside that leads to the next. This will allow kids to find a grand prize instead of just candy or cheap filler toys. If you don’t want to use clues, then consider placing pieces of a puzzle map in some of the eggs you hide. When the hunt is over, kids can work together to piece the items together so they can find the treasure. This will help keep kids busy for much longer and will add a little extra suspense to the hunt. It will also make kids use their minds, which might be on shut down with school on break for such an extended period of time.

6. Color Coated
If you’re hiding eggs for multiple children, then you might want to consider color coating the hunt. This will allow you to hide eggs based entirely on the needs of the child. For instance, if you have a younger child then you can keep the older kids’ hands off the eggs that are hidden in plain sight. You can also make the eggs prize specific so children will get the items you want them to. This is especially great if you have kids with allergies or a wide range of age differences to purchase treats for.

7. Golden Ticket Egg
When it comes to a classic Easter egg hunt, kids are usually happy to get the simple treats inside. However, if you want to make the hunt even more of a treat, let the kids know there is a golden egg to find. This will make them more attentive and might even make older children competitive. If you can’t find a golden egg to use, then you can easily just decorate one. You can also have the kids decorate their own golden egg, so they can hunt for a specific egg that the Easter Bunny will fill with a special treat. This craft can even add to the fun of the holiday and will take your kids’ minds off of the self-isolation.

8. Scavenger Hunt
Another fun way to extend the Easter egg hunt is to make it into a scavenger hunt. This will help to prolong the adventure, which will make the kids feel the magic of the holiday. You might consider making a special Easter Bunny list with an official stamp so kids will feel like they’re more on a mission. You can completely customize the list to suit things that are both inside and outside of the home. You can also make the list for more than just egg items. For instance, kids can find bits of spring to earn prizes that the Easter Bunny might not have left in the eggs. A scavenger hunt can be customized to suit children of all ages too, which is a great way to bring even more fun to all of the kids in the household.

9. Picnic Eggs
If you want to take things to a different level, then you might invest in some larger eggs. Then, fill them with bits and pieces that can be eaten. For instance, you can fill them with strawberries, grapes, halved wrapped sandwiches, chips, and more. Once you fill the eggs, tape them shut so that the food isn’t exposed to germs. You will have to hide the eggs quickly and immediately allow the children to hunt. This egg hunt will allow the kids to find their lunch. They can even trade foods with each other to make their meal better than ever.

10. Relay Race
Help the kids burn off some energy by making the egg hunt into a relay race. You can set up different activities like sack racing or egg racing to make the egg hunt even more fun. Another fun way to make the activity fun is to tie the kids’ ankles together and have them work together to get the eggs. You might also consider setting up activity stations, like popping balloons by sitting on them. There are tons of great relay race ideas online, so have some fun with it. When the kids finish aspects of the race, then they earn an egg or are able to hunt in a certain section of the home or yard to find eggs with treats. Your kids will have a lot of fun with this and it can be spread out all day long.

Easter egg hunts might be one of the more normal aspects of April for your kids. These ten ideas will help make the hunt even more fun without forcing you to throw money at the activity. Your kids are bound to get the most out of the holiday despite what is going on in the world, which will help make the holiday feel a little more normal for everyone.