Organizing an Easter egg hunt for a large crowd requires early planning, fun ideas
If you’re in charge of an Easter egg hunt for your town, church or organization, start planning at least six weeks in advance. Use these helpful ideas and tips to establish lasting traditions:
Community Easter egg hunt ideas for big groups
You’re in charge and the pressure is on! Don’t panic. You’ve got this. Take a look at our planning tips and advice:
1. Promote it well.
Start advertising your Easter egg hunt about a month prior by placing a customized banner or sign in a high-traffic area in the community. Be sure to include your group’s name and logo, and the date, time and location of the event. Place a similar banner at the site of the event.
2. Calculate the number of attendees.
If this is the event’s debut, it might be difficult to estimate attendance. You can check out attendance of similar activities in the area to get a ballpark figure. Calculate 10 eggs per participant. If you’re using hard-boiled eggs, find out ahead of time if there is a place to donate leftovers.
3. Order supplies at least a month in advance.
Don’t put off shopping because you don’t have a place to store everything. Many retailers will hold bulk-sized orders until the day of the event if asked. Ordering early also gives stores plenty of time to fulfill your needs, and increases your odds of negotiating a deal for items such as eggs and refreshments.
4. Help the hungry.
Require each egg hunt participant to bring a non-perishable item that will be donated to a local food pantry.
5. Furnish extra baskets or bags.
Ask committee members or others to bring extra Easter baskets or other containers for families who arrive without them. Consider ordering customized tote bags or plastic bags with your logo for participants to use.
6. Set age divisions.
Avoid crying kids and angry parents by dividing participants into age categories. If there are an abundance of children in one age group, divide them up and send them out in waves.
7. Make it kids only.
Unless a child has special needs, children over 3 should participate parent-free. Parents can get too competitive when assisting their kids and may ruin the fun for everyone.
8. Set a hunt deadline.
Give each age category an appropriate time to find their eggs. Fifteen minutes is usually ample time.
9. Hide eggs according to age.
Keep eggs very visible for children under 2 who will easily get frustrated and lose interest if the hunt is difficult. Be a little more strategic when hiding eggs for older children who enjoy a challenge!
10. Create teen tag teams.
Let teenagers form teams. After the first team member finds an egg, he or she must return to the starting line to tag the next team player. This continues until all eggs are found.
11. Do an egg scavenger hunt.
Create a list of specific eggs to find such as a plastic egg filled with pink jelly beans. This is especially fun for kids ages 6-10.
12. Fill a few eggs with prizes.
Place coupons to local ice cream shops or other kid-favorite places inside a few plastic eggs. If your budget allows, fill a grand prize egg with a gift card of a sizable amount.
13. Create a group activity.
Hide pieces of an Easter-themed puzzle inside the eggs. Award prizes to each child who finds a piece and helps put the puzzle together.
14. Choose prizes kids want.
Select durable awards that won’t land in the trash the next day. Customized gifts can be purchased in bulk to reduce expenses. They also advertise your group’s name or message for a long time.
Popular personalized Easter egg hunt prizes include youth sunglasses, stuffed animals, imprinted flying discs, promo water bottles and backpacks. Be sure prizes are appropriate and safe for each age group. Food prizes are not recommended due to possible allergies or other health issues.
15. Easter egg hunt alternatives.
It’s good to have other activity options for children who cannot physically participate in the egg hunt or for little ones who need to be kept busy while they wait. Check out these fun Easter activities!
16. Save the (plastic) eggs!
Ask the children to help gather all the plastic eggs when the hunt is over. Reusing them will help cut down on expenses next year!
17. Serve healthy basket snacks.
Use Easter baskets, egg cartons or decorated pails to serve grapes, raisins, crackers and other light snacks after the egg hunt. The healthier foods will help balance the traditional sweet treats.
18. Promote a hashtag for photos.
Create an event hashtag so parents and others can share their photos with you. The posted images can be a positive promotion for your organization. Example: #fallscityegghunt
19. Easter Bunny photo opp.
Set up a photo station where kids and families can have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. Charge a small fee to help a local charity. If you can’t afford to hire a photographer, create a self-serve photo booth with props and a background banner printed with your logo.
20. Shop for next year.
The week after Easter is the best time to buy reduced supplies such as plastic eggs and prizes that aren’t edible.
Easter egg hunt ideas for large groups is doable!
I’m sure many of you have fond memories of Easter egg hunts as a child. Some may have taken place in your own backyard with family members or neighbors. But if you’re hosting a big event, be sure to order printed Easter supplies early for a celebration everyone will enjoy!
Happy Easter from Totally Promotional!
