How to Plan Easter Games for a Children's Easter Party

If you're planning to hold an Easter party for children, it's important to have a few games to keep them entertained along with the usual Easter goodies like chocolate and sugar treats. There are a number of Easter-themed games you could include in your Easter children's party and this article has rounded up some really fun ones that are likely to be a big hit.

EditSteps

Plan the Easter party and add the games once you've got a good idea of the overall structure of the party. The games for a party are usually one of the last things to decide upon after you've worked out the time allotment, the catering, and the guests, etc. For an Easter party for children, it's a good idea to mix up games with an Easter egg hunt, some food at a sit-down area, and a bit of rest time as well.
- If you can get hold of a good performer who is willing to dress up as Easter bunny, you can also get this person to perform a few tricks or some face-painting to stretch out the party activities, or to take care of those kids who don't want to participate in the games.

Read through the games in the following sections before selecting them. When choosing a game, keep the following considerations in mind:
- Is this game going to be age suitable for the children attending?
- Is this game going to fit in with the time available?
- Is this game going to give all the participants a chance to be a part of it?
- Is this game going to fit in with the party theme overall?

EditGuess-the-eggs

This is a fun-filled number game.

Assemble the items needed. All you need is a glass jar or basket, a handful or more of small or varying sizes of chocolate eggs or dyed hard boiled eggs, paper pieces, a pencil and an Easter Basket.

Hand out a piece of paper and a pencil to each of the participants.

Ask them to write down their name and their guess as to how many chocolates the jar holds.

Declare the winner. The one who comes closest or gives the exact count wins the jar!

EditGuess who I am?

This game is really funny and your guests will have a great time playing out the guesswork for a good part of the party. This is geared towards slightly older children, say around ages 7 plus.

Assemble the things needed. All you need are some good, small stuffed toys. If possible, it would be good if you can get some related to the Easter tradition, such as rabbits and chicks, etc.

As the guests arrive at the door, pin a stuffed small animal on their back without the guest seeing the animal. Be sure to use safety pins and make sure it is on securely. Ask the child to stand very still while this is happening!

Through the course of the party, guests have to ask each other questions about the identity of their animal. They must be yes-or-no questions.
- For example, they can ask "Do I eat carrots?" "Do I say quack?" etc.

Nearing the end of the party, ask each child what they think they are. Those who guess it right get a prize, perhaps even the animal that is attached to them. Allow children to keep guessing until they get it right (you may need to end the game earlier for those who guess early and don't want the toy dangling off their back).

EditSwitching places

This game requires a fair amount of space, and can get a little hectic but it's a whole lot fun! (Just have some fun band-aids on hand, in case!)

Arrange a few chairs in a circle. Have one less chair than you have guests. Have each guest sit in a chair except for one. Once everyone is settled you can begin the game!

Start by saying something like "I am grateful for those with brown eyes." Everybody then stands up and runs for a different chair. It cannot be a chair directly beside theirs. Once everyone is settled, the person left standing continues with another comment such as "I am grateful for those who have a dog." If you want to relate it to Easter, tell the children to say what they are grateful for about Easter, such as "I am grateful for Easter eggs", or "I am grateful that Jesus has risen", etc.

Continue until everyone's had enough. This goes on until everyone is tired of a game but be warned – it's addicting, so it may last for a while!
- Note that this can be played competitively: while everyone is running for a chair, remove one chair. The one left without a seat is out, and the last one to remain wins a prize. This can be slightly injury-prone, since someone will no doubt be running for the chair you're removing!

EditEaster egg hunt

No Easter party is complete without an Easter egg hunt game. Your guests will enjoy the thrill of searching for eggs and the gratification of finding them in a classic Easter egg hunt.

Place candy, Easter eggs, or other treats inside plastic eggs.
- For garden or yard hunts, if your garden or yard is not wet, slushy, muddy, or snowy, then you can forgo the plastic cover and put the treats out as they are, in their own packaging.

Hide the candy or Easter eggs around your yard, garden or house. Make sure you know how many you hid, and ensure that you have enough for each guest.

Send your guests out to hunt for the eggs. Set a limit for how many they can have each, so that nobody is left out. Once you're sure all of the eggs or other treats have been collected, allow the kids to play with or eat their prizes!

EditEgg and spoon race

If you are lucky enough to have a yard and nice weather, why not take your guests outdoors?

Assemble the items you'll need. You will need one egg (raw or hard boiled but hard boiled is best) and one spoon for each person participating in the race. You might even like to use dyed Easter eggs as something special for Easter.

Line the contestants up next to each other on a starting line. It's best to have this race on grass or some other soft surface, to give dropped eggs a chance!

Have your finish line visible and clear. It's no fun dropping your egg, thinking you've won, only to realize that the finish line is in fact several inches or centimeters away.

Give your signal for the race to start. Everyone then begins to race towards the finish line. The contestants have to keep their egg balanced in their spoon, without using their other hand for support. If the egg drops, but is not broken, the contestant can pick up the egg and resume the race.

Declare the winner. The first contestant to make it to the finish line wins. Have second and third prizes, too.

EditBunny's egg

This is a variation of the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey, only here you pin the egg on the Easter bunny.

Draw an Easter bunny shape. On a cloth sheet or paper, draw a rough sketch of a good-sized rabbit, modeling it on the regular Easter bunny. Draw the rabbit standing on its hind legs, and holding its paws as if it were carrying an egg.

Stretch the sheet of cloth or paper on the wall and tack it firmly in place.

Cut eggs out of different colored cloth to represent Easter eggs. The eggs should be as large as the space between the rabbit's paws. In each egg stick a pin.

Blindfold the players in turn and give each an egg. Each egg is to be pinned on the sheet, and right in the Easter bunny's arms, if possible. As the players take their turns, no matter how straight on the way they were started, the Easter bunny will be surrounded with eggs, until a player pins the egg in the Easter bunny's arms. The player who is closest to the arms, or spot on, wins a prize.

EditDecorate a boiled egg or Easter cookie

Set up a decorating station somewhere away from the more active games. This allows children to sit down at any time and decorate an egg or Easter cookie. It's a great activity and it's restful in between the games.

Prepare a few dozen hard boiled eggs and/or plain cookies in Easter shapes such as eggs, chickens, and bunnies.

Set up a decorating area. Place egg dyes in containers for dipping and other decorative items. See How to dye Easter eggs for details on decoration method and styles. For the cookies, set out different colors of frosting paste (in tubes) and a whole lot of decorative edibles like sprinkles, nonpareils (hundreds and thousands), candies, colored sugar, and other sweet items for decorating with.
- Have a clean-up station for washing dirty hands.

Allow the children to eat or take home their decorated eggs or cookies.

EditGolden Ticket Egg Hunt

Buy some gold paper and some decently sized chocolate bunnies. You'll also need a bunch of plastic eggs and candies to fill them with.

Make at least three or four golden tickets. Or, make as many as you have bunny prizes to give away.

Fill the plastic eggs with candy. Pour the chocolates or candies in the plastic eggs. Occasionally put a golden ticket in one of the eggs.

Go out and hide the many candy-filled eggs in the yard or house.

Have a golden ticket egg hunt. Explain to all participants that whomever finds the golden ticket, wins the chocolate bunny (or bunnies, depending on how you're running this).
- Ask the child to verify by keeping the ticket.

Have all players keep the eggs that they find. This way, everyone gets something for their efforts.

EditVideo

EditTips

For the Bunny's egg game, you could use Velcro dots if using cloth that will allow Velcro to stick on.

Have lesser prizes for everyone else for each game. It stinks to be the only one who hasn't won, and everyone around you is eating candy while you have none!

When sending out invitations, encourage the children to wear Easter themed costumes to add to the fun of the party.

Rabbit's ears on headbands make good prizes; the more you hand out, the merrier.

You could also carve out an Easter bunny and give the kids carrots to toss into the bunny's mouth. Give them 3 or 4 carrots and see if they can make them all through the hole "the bunny's mouth".

EditWarnings

Children invited may be allergic to eggs and milk products. Make sure you get the allergy list from their parents to avoid emergencies.

Children and sugar are a volatile mix. Ask parents to keep an eye on their children's consumption or to ask children to "take it easy". Have a lot of healthy nibbles around too, like carrot sticks, celery pieces, some dip, etc.