Yes, kids love candy, but there is definitely such a thing as too much. This year, swap out some of the chocolate or jelly beans with these clever items for your Easter egg hunt. Your kids will be excited by the treasures they find inside their plastic eggs, and you won't have to deal with an afternoon sugar crash.
Puzzle pieces
Get a blank puzzle from an arts and crafts store. Then decorate it with a clue to where your kids' Easter baskets are hidden. Once they have collected all the pieces and assembled the puzzle, they'll be able to find the rest of their loot.
Chore and treat coupons
Steal this idea from the coupon books you get from your kids on Mother's Day and give them a few free passes in return. You can give them coupons for a one-on-one dinner out with a parent or a movie night with a friend, or a voucher to let them get out of chores for a day. (Now how do we get one of those chore vouchers for the laundry?)
Building block sets
Give your little builders a sneak peek at what's waiting in their Easter baskets by stashing a few pieces of a new LEGO or other building set in the plastic eggs. We've got our eye on this cool LEGO space shuttle.
Temporary tattoos
What kid doesn't love temporary tattoos? We're big fans of these clever designs from Tattly. And each set comes with two of each design, so your kids can put on one and give another to a friend.
Magnetic
refrigerator letters
Fill plastic eggs with magnetic letters and have your kids see what kinds of words they can spell with the letters they find. If you have older children, add a few magnetic poetry tiles to each egg and have a poetry contest once all the eggs have been found.
Mini cookie cutters and modeling clay
These spring cookie stamps make for perfect Play-Doh toys as well. And the Play-Doh eggs save you time — they're ready to hide straight out of the package.
Bingo cards and numbers
Make the hunt only one part of the Easter games. Hide eggs that match the designs of the ones on these bingo cards. Then, on Easter morning, give each child a card and see who can score a bingo first.
Board game pieces
Fill the eggs you're hiding with pieces from the game, and put the board and instructions in your kids' Easter baskets. Suggested games: Mouse Trap (lots of funny pieces), checkers or Monopoly (put the cards in the eggs and see who has the most valuable property after the egg hunt).
App downloads
Have digital kids? Print out the icons of the games they've been begging you to download on your smartphone or their iPods, and stick them in the eggs. Once they've found the icons, your kids can "redeem" them with you. Check out games like Super Why! or Talking Carl!
More family fun
20 Indoor activities to do with the family
6 Ways to bring your family closer together
Cool craft: Turn old crayons into fun, colorful shapes
EXTRA ELEMENT
Did your family have Easter egg hunts when you were growing up?
- Yes
- No