Start an Easter Basket Hunt Tradition

Start an Easter basket hunt tradition that is fun for the kids and the parents. Fun for the parents? Yes because coming up with rhymes for the kids to figure out is quite challenging. This is also a great way to slow down your Easter morning and make memories with your kids.

23 years ago I started an Easter basket hunt tradition with my oldest son when he was 2. It was simply putting in a picture of where the next egg would be and watching him as he would go running to find the next one. I made sure to take pictures of what he knew (like the refrigerator, dryer, and his bed and hid the plastic eggs in areas he could reach and/or open. He had so much fun running from one place to another searching for the next clue to find his basket. As I write this I still can picture him in his pajamas opening up the egg with a big smile and getting so excited to find the next one. The memories of him finding his Easter basket and the smile that lit up his face- priceless.

I did this tradition with all my children. Unfortunately my step daughters ended up only experiencing this fun once or twice as young teens because their mother used the custody paperwork to her advantage and so most major holidays the girls had to hear about how much fun the boys had searching for their baskets. I do remember one year when they were teens after we moved to Virginia and we made about 10 clues for each kid. It took my husband and I hours to come up with rhymes for the eggs (we had 4 kids so 40 different rhymes!) We had the kids running up the stairs, outside, and down the stairs and then finally to their prize- which that year I had placed in the their rooms. I have to tell you the best memories of the family were that Easter- I can still hear the laughing and giggling as the kids would mumble and go running around bumping into each other searching for their eggs.

For smaller kids and with the age of digital cameras and wireless printers, you can snap a picture of the intended hiding spots and print them off and place in the eggs. Back when I started, I had to take the pictures, run to the store to the have the film developed, and then try to fit the picture in the egg. It is so much easier now because you can print all the pictures on a sheet of paper, cut them out, and fold and place in the egg. As the boys grew older, I added words to the pictures and eventually they could easily read we started writing rhymes. You can adapt the clues to best fit your children’s individual skills and watch as the children light up when they figure out what your crazy rhyme means.

As a parent for 25 years, I can say that this was the best tradition with my kids. I hope when I am a grandma I will see my kids pass on this tradition to their kids (or come to grandma’s house for an Easter basket hunt). Making memories with your kids is what makes being a parent so worthwhile. Thanks for stopping by and reading.

Have a blessed Easter and may your life as a parent be filled with lots of memories and traditions.