Holidays are a time for families, friends, and loved ones to come together. Easter, especially, typically calls for events, parades, and egg hunts hosted by schools, churches, and local communities. Although some events may carry on while adhering to adjusted social distancing guidelines, many Easter traditions have been put on hold to keep everyone safe amid the coronavirus outbreak.
But even in these uncertain times, the Easter Bunny will still find a way to make it to your house. That means, Easter egg hunts — both indoors and out — are still in the cards in 2021. If you typically spend Easter Sunday with family, friends, and loved ones outside of your household, then plan a virtual Easter egg hunt this year. Follow this simple step-by-step guide to get ideas on how to throw a fun, family-friendly egg hunt that lets everyone — even the big kids a.k.a. adults — search for treasures and treats without leaving the house.
Invite friends, family, and neighbors.
Send out a mass text or email to everyone on your list detailing the time, date, supplies needed, and hiding spots. Be sure to include the videoconferencing app of choice — FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype — along with set-up instructions in case they’re new to the platform. If you want to take things up a notch, send an electronic invitation from Paperless Post or Evite for free or a small fee.
Test out FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype ahead of time.
Work out the kinks before you have any sugar-crazed kids at the party. A day or two before the virtual Easter egg hunt, run a test call with the other guests to walk through the game plan. That way, if someone doesn’t know how to turn on their audio or video, they can handle it before the big day.
Not sure which videoconferencing app to choose? All of them have their strengths, but some are easier to use than others. For smaller gatherings with one or two guests, go for FaceTime. Zoom allows 100 guests to chat for 40 minutes with a free account subscription and Skype permits 100 guests on a four-hour call, making them great options for larger (virtual) parties.
Coordinate with other parents and guests.
Here comes the tricky part: You want to make sure that all the kids and adults — whether they’re with you or tuning in via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime — get the same level of attention and well, treats. Chat with the other guests ahead of time to discuss the egg hunt’s theme — non-candy or candy-filled eggs, for example. Then each guest will make sure that they have the appropriate amount of filled eggs at their house, and distributes them in similar-size rooms.
If you really want to make sure that all households have an equal mix of treats and trinkets, then fill a bunch of plastic eggs and drop them off at the other houses (as long as you live fairly close by). First, count out the plastic eggs and divide them by the number of participants — kids, adults, you name it. Then pack each plastic egg with candy, coins, small toys, or whatever you and the other adults agreed upon. Pick out a few eggs that should get an extra-special treatment, then follow this easy DIY:
- Wrap the plastic eggs up with crepe paper like a bon bon for a clever disguise.
- Stick a label on each wrapped egg with a holiday-specific word or phrase like “Easter bonnet” or “jelly bean.”
- When someone finds one of these special eggs, they have to act out their word just like a game of charades!
To make your virtual Easter egg hunt even more personal, ask each host to designate one special egg per person, labeling it with their name. As soon as they find their special egg, they can show it off to their loved ones on video.
Create markers and clues.
First, all hosts must hide the filled eggs in the same places in each home: under the couch cushion, on the TV stand, behind the living room pillow, and so on. In the initial invite, include detailed descriptions of hiding spots, so other guests can give hints during the egg hunt (if the participants want to phone-a-friend, of course).
Mike Garten
If you happen to live near the other houses participating, you can also make a bunch of egg hunt markers and drop them off beforehand. That way, you can guarantee that every house has the same number of clues to guide the egg hunters. Egg hunt markers, like the ones shown above, are incredibly easy to make: Just cut bunny, egg, and carrot shapes out of sturdy card stock, write helpful phrases like “more eggs here” and “look left,” and glue the cut-outs to wooden sticks.
Let the virtual Easter egg hunt commence.
Once everyone is logged in, the scavenger hunt begins: Guests read the clues and participants work together to find the eggs in their respective hiding places.
Create small challenges along the way by requesting that each participant performs a “victory dance” when they track down an egg, give others pep talks throughout the egg hunt, show a close-up shot of each discover, or find different creative ways to keep spirits up.
Count up the eggs at the end.
The same rules apply: Once all the eggs are found, ask the participants to tally up their loot to reveal the winner. If your group has a competitive side, agree on a special prize — a mini trophy, chocolate bunny, or homemade treat — and have each household crown their respective winner.
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