5 Tips for the Best Backyard Easter Egg Hunt on a Budget

The more treasured part of any Easter with our family is when the kids go out to hunt the plastic eggs we've hidden for them in my Grandma's yard.  With over 20 grand kids, however, things can get pretty crazy, especially when the children vary in age from 1 year to 22!

If you're like me, you want the hunt to be fun, but fair. You want the kids to feel like they are competing, but you don't want anyone to end up empty-handed.  Here are my favorite tips for the best backyard Easter Egg Hunt -- and it's super affordable, too!



1. Have two (or more) hunts.  For years, we have been doing two hunts: one for the tiny kids (under 6) and one for the older kids.  The little kids hunt is always first; we hide the eggs and help them toddle around and find them.  Then we hide new eggs and unleash the crazy that is the 7 and up crowd.  Babies never get trampled with this system.

2. Assign each child a color.  For even more fair hunting, you can hide an equal number of each color of eggs and give each kid a color to find.  If they find a color that's not their own, you can let them leave it hidden -- or they can help a sibling out and tell them where it is. All kids can hunt in their own time without fear of them all being found without them!

3. Have candy and non candy eggs.  The best part of our eggs is the candy.  But other fun things can help take up room in the eggs without all the sugar.  Hiding money and stickers is a tradition for us. Just be sure not to mix unwrapped candy with non-candy fillings (gross.)



4. Honor the golden egg.  If you've shopped for pre-filled eggs, you've probably seen the trend of the "golden" egg.  This is one plastic egg that's gold in color and represents one big prize that you can fill it with.  In past years we've done dollars.  You can also put a coupon inside for a bigger prize.  One thing you might like to do if you need more than one special egg is to make your own.

We did this two ways:
1) Using metallic nail polish (2 coats).
2) Using metallic permanent marker.

Both were applied to these plastic no-break eggs available at Walmart. With plenty of time to dry, they had two distinctly different looks.  You can do all kinds of metallic eggs to represent different prize levels for kids, and have them exchange their eggs for neat goodies!




5. Take lots of pictures.  My favorite pictures every year are those from our annual Easter egg hunt.  My kids have grown, and my camera has changed over time, but I never tire of how the special day provides the BEST photos.  The joy on the faces, the cute outfits, and the perfect outdoor lighting just make it perfect to snap all kinds of pics!  (Don't forget to have those photos developed when you're done. Not everyone has Facebook, and Grandma would love to have copies of your favorite shots -- especially since prints can be made at Walmart for just 9 cents a print!)




As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I've received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  Links to shopping sites may be referral links.


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