When springtime rolls around, children start dreaming about the end of school getting closer. If they’re very young, they may think about Easter and all the fun associated with the holiday. Easter baskets and Easter egg hunts are what younger children usually think of, so why not organize an Easter egg hunt for your own children and possibly their friends?

Start by deciding how close to Easter Sunday you actually want to have your Easter egg hunt. If you and your children normally attend local Easter egg hunts at churches or those put on by civic organizations, you’ll want to plan your hunt at a time different from those. Set a date, time, and location and then send out invitations to your children’s friends and family.

Consider purchasing some small items to give away as well as candy eggs for the children to find. You can include stickers, small toys, or other small items in the eggs. Don’t be afraid to ask the other parents to help supply Easter eggs to be hidden.

You can plan on having a small table of drinks and snacks for the children after they’ve hunted for eggs. You may also want to have some adult snacks that the parents can enjoy while the children are busy hunting.

Create several areas to hide Easter eggs in, one for each age group of children you expect to be hunting. You could also buy a specific color of egg for each age group so older children will know to leave those eggs alone. Ask the older children to wait while the younger children search for the eggs designated for them if all of the eggs will be hidden in one general area.

Remember the age of the children hunting for eggs when you hide them. If there will be very small children – crawlers and toddlers – you’ll want to make the eggs easily visible. For older children you can be a little trickier when hiding the eggs. Put them under leaves, in pipes, up the gutter spout, and higher than ground level. Make them really hunt for them.

Keep safety in mind while hiding the eggs. Avoid places around water or near electrical outlets. It would also be a good idea to have a first aid kit on hand, in case someone falls down and scrapes a knee.

You may want to have a few extra plastic pails or baskets on hand in case someone forgets to bring one. This would also be a good time to invite a new family from the neighborhood or ask a family you know is struggling financially to join in the fun.

Easter is more than chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets, but that doesn’t mean you can’t organize an Easter egg hunt for your children, their friends, and neighbors. It’s a great time to reach out to those who are new or struggling and include them in the joy of the season.