8 Eggstravagant Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

Photo of Kassandra Smith

Kassandra Smith

Senior Editor • Backyard Chicken Coops

Last Updated: 24 March 2015

Girl holding easter egg in backyard

Everyone has memories of being a kid manically exploring, screeching and searching around the backyard looking for Easter eggs. The Easter egg hunt is an Easter tradition that is still enjoyed by many people today. Many families have their own traditions, rules and hiding spots – some might want to keep it quite relaxed and laid back, whereas some Easter egg hunters prefer a more competitive approach all in the name of fun! However you prefer to run your Easter egg hunt be sure to read this article filled with clever Easter egg hunt ideas, tips and inspirations that will surely make your next Easter all the more joyous.

1.       Get everybody involved

Traditionally Easter egg hunts have been perceived as a “kids activity” however there are plenty of grown-ups who are just kids at heart who absolutely love the idea of exploring their own backyard looking for eggs. To this point, some younger children might be excluded from the Easter egg hunt on the basis that they are “too young”. If the whole family is involved, grandparents, adults, teenagers, kids and toddlers, everyone can get involved, because there will be plenty of mature supervision to keep an eye on everyone. Don’t sit on the sidelines and eat another slice hot cross bun loaf – put your runners on and get involved!

2.       Keep an egg log

It’s always a smart idea to keep a little log of all the egg hiding spots. This may seem a bit pedantic and may distract you from the joy and abandon of scattering chocolate eggs about your garden, living room and chicken coop, but let me assure you’ll be grateful to have this list in the long run. After all, who hasn’t found an old melted Easter egg in the laundry, under the couch or inside the sugar jar in the middle of June at one stage?

3.       Put up some simple parameters

If you have lots of kids partaking in the Easter egg hunt or some overly festive adults, it may be a wise idea to put up some safe boundaries. For example, you might remind the guests that the eggs are only hidden in certain room or in certain hot spots in the backyard. This may help ensure that kids don’t go running out onto the road, fall into the pool or just generally wandering off. Also, it’s a good way to ensure that some parts of your house stay clean, especially if you’re having a party.

4.       Make sure that everybody is safe

Before you start hiding eggs it’s imperative that you consider a few safety precautions. Some things you’ll need to consider is:

  • Will your dog try to eat the chocolate eggs? Chocolate is very bad for dogs, so it might be a good idea to either switch over to decorated traditional hard-boiled eggs, put the dog on a leash take them with you or maybe just leave them in the garage with a tasty treat while the Easter egg hunt takes place.
  • Do any of your family or guests have allergies? It’s not uncommon for people to have severe allergic reactions to things such a bee or wasp stings, as well as bull ant bites. It’s important that you assess the risk of hiding the eggs outside before you start devising eggcellent hiding spots for your eggs in your backyard.
  • Are there any dietary requirements? Some people are allergic to chocolate or may be lactose intolerant. In this event chocolate eggs aren't always ideal but you could substitute them for beautifully decorated hardboiled eggs, dark chocolate or maybe even carob alternative to chocolate. Shops like Crazy Clarks normally have plastic eggs that you'll be able to fill with all sorts of allergen-free delights!

Though in all likelihood everyone will remain safe during the Easter egg hunt, it’s good manners to ensure that everyone feels safely included in the activities at Easter.

5.       Colour code the eggs to level the playing field

For small families:

Some savvy Easter egg hunters cam up with the idea of colour coding the eggs so that everybody has a fair shot of finding some. If you are in a family of four you could easily assign everybody a colour and hide them accordingly. For example, the family could hide mum’s blue eggs in slightly trickier hiding spots because everyone knows mums can find everything! If you’re family doesn’t mind a bit of friendly competition you could always include another coloured egg which is up for grabs and anybody can pick them up. The options are really endless!

For big families and Easter parties:

If you have a large family and all the grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and their partners and their kids are coming over that is still no reason not to include everyone in the Easter egg hunt – though it might be a challenge dragging some of the uncles away from the BBQ and the esky. One idea to make sure everyone has a good time is to colour coat you eggs for different age brackets in the family. Alternatively you could always divide the whole family into teams, mixing the more mature guests with the young ones - after all, what the kids make have in speed the grandparents will make up for in wisdom.

Pastel coloured easter eggs

6.       Don’t be afraid to get a bit silly

If you come from a quirky clan who isn’t afraid to look a bit ridiculous you could always provide small little bits of costumes for your guests. Bunny ears and tails, along with white gloves is an easy way to put your family into the silly spirit of Easter. If your friends and family really like to dress up you could always request they come in their finest Easter egg hunting outfit – safari hats, khaki jacket, binoculars – the more outrageous the better! Prizes for best dressed might be a greater incentive than the eggs themselves.

7.       Put your own personal spin on the rules

Not everybody wants the Easter egg hunt to be complex and challenging, yet lots of families go absolutely loopy for challenging games, interesting twists and crazy concepts! An Easter egg hunt is the perfect way to put your family to the test if they like a challenge!  If you’re the type of family that likes these types of things you know doubt are already boiling over with all types of ideas, but here are a couple just to get you started:

  • Leave rhyming clues to help guide the Easter Hunters towards the next bounty of eggs.
  • So long as it's safe, why not host the Easter egg hunt at twilight!? Send everybody out towards the end of the day with torches!  After all, who doesn’t like a nice big walk after a large lunch?
  • Paint or stick letters onto each of the eggs. Get everybody to come together at the end of the hunt to crack a code using the letters on the eggs. Make sure nobody prematurely starts eating their eggs though.
  • You could always make treasure maps to help guide your Egg Hunters to the hiding spots. Use pictures and images on your treasure maps instead of words, so even if you have kids who can’t read they’ll be able to fully participate.

You know what your family will enjoy best, so don’t be afraid to customise the rules of the hunt to suit you clan.

Boy holding easter egg in backyard

8.       Give funny little prizes for all sorts of reasons

Once the egg hunt is over it’s a nice idea to give out prizes, but, please don’t just give out more chocolate eggs – everybody will no doubt already have plenty! Think outside the box and give your friends and family decorated cards, cupcakes, fresh eggs from your own coop! An Egg Skelter - it'll make the perfect gift for any egg or chicken lover! Remember, we’ve all been on the losing side of an egg hunt at one point in our lives. Don’t just reward the person or team who has managed to collect the most eggs, you can give out prizes for all sorts of things! Such as:

  • Most Eggpressive Egg Hunting Outfit
  • Most Energetic and Eggcitable Egg Hunter
  • Most Eggcellent Example Of The Spirit Of Egg Hunting Altruism

Get a little loopy with the awards! At the end of the day, the more silly the prizes and the more ridiculous the awards, the more everybody will understand it’s all in the spirit of fun.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the different ways you can run a really relaxed of eggtremely extravagant Easter egg hunt! Don’t be afraid to use your own creativity to come up with an eggciting and unique approach to this popular Easter tradition.

If you are looking for a really great hiding spot for your eggs, why not consider a Taj Mahal, Penthouse or Mansion chicken coop. Each come with an externally accessed nesting boxes, which will be great for hiding an abundance of eggs! Make sure your chickens don’t eat the eggs though.