5 Fun Easter Egg Hunt Alternative Ideas for This Spring

Easter is the foundational holiday for Christians. The entire Christian faith is based on the Easter holiday! It is a time to reflect on the death of Christ and his resurrection and celebrate the new life he gives. This should be a time to grow in your faith. 

Here are five activities that can be done with families or in Children’s Ministries to help emphasize the meaning of Easter instead of diminishing it. Each one is a thoughtful Easter egg hunt alternative that helps keep the focus on the resurrection of Christ.

One Easter egg hunt alternative would be a scavenger hunt using items that represent the Easter Story. In this activity, you would have several different items that tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. For example, a rock represents the tomb, cloth represents the linens found in the tomb, etc.

You would first need to show pictures of the items or describe them to your participants so they know what they are looking for. Then, they would search for the items. After finding all of them, you would tell the Easter story together using the items.

This scavenger hunt teaches the importance of Easter as well as retelling the events that took place and gives the children a kinesthetic way of learning the story. Children will not only have fun looking for the items, but they will also learn about Jesus in a memorable, personal way!

This activity is a perfect Easter egg hunt alternative for churches and families wanting to highlight the true meaning of Easter. Our free product The Story of Jesus Told in Easter Eggs is a good resource for this. 

Many families give their children Easter baskets with candy and toys. Do you want to do something different that includes a spiritual aspect? For another Easter egg hunt alternative, try filling the baskets with different spiritual items that will enhance the children’s spiritual lives instead of candy.

For instance, you could include a devotional to help them with their daily walk with the Lord and bookmarks or magnets that include spiritual messages: 

• For boys, include a keychain with a cross or fish pendant

• For girls, include a cross or fish necklace

• For young children, include a small stuffed lamb or another stuffed animal that represents spiritual value. 

• A small pocket Bible is always a nice addition for children who do not have a Bible.

Then, after you have packed the baskets with similar items, you can hide them and have the children find them! They still experience the excitement of an Easter egg hunt, but with something that includes spiritual gifts! Children will love the thought that was put into these gifts and will enjoy finding them!

This meaningful gift activity serves as a thoughtful Easter egg hunt alternative that nurtures children’s spiritual growth.

If you're more comfortable with a traditional egg hunt, try adding a little twist! Instead of candy inside the eggs, include Bible verses that support the Gospel story of Jesus. This is a meaningful Easter egg hunt alternative that helps kids memorize and reflect on Scripture.

You could even arrange the verses in order and number them so children can find the entire Gospel story. Gather everyone after they find the eggs, call out a number, and have them read their verse. As each person reads their verse (or verses), they are telling the story of Jesus Christ. This Easter egg hunt alternative activity will help your students learn the story of Jesus in a fun way.

Another Easter egg hunt alternative is rock painting! Painting rocks has become very popular in communities in the last few years. People paint rocks with a picture, theme, or message and hide them somewhere in the community for other people to find. When someone finds the stones, they then hide them again, passing on the joy to someone else.

This Easter activity could be a powerful way to spread the Gospel in a community. You could have children or families paint the Gospel of Christ on a few rocks (for instance, paint one with a cross and one with a tomb) and then hide them in your community for others to find. What a great way to spread the message of Christ!

Another option would be to paint eggs. This is something that is already done in many households and could also be done in Children’s Ministry. Instead of just dying them or painting them, you could paint the message of Christ. Paint the entire story of Christ on a dozen eggs!

Painting rocks or eggs with the Gospel message is an inspiring Easter egg hunt alternative that engages creativity and faith. Many children are artistic and would love a way to express what the Gospel means to them! 

A favorite activity at Easter time for Christians is to make Resurrection Eggs. Resurrection Eggs offer a powerful Easter egg hunt alternative that helps children connect each part of the Gospel to a tangible object. They can be found on many Christian websites and stores, and they include a dozen eggs, each filled with something that represents the Gospel story. 

For example, you could fill eggs with 

• A small cup to represent the Last Supper

• A nail to represent the cross

• A stone representing the tomb

If using tangible objects is not feasible, you can put slips of paper inside the eggs with words or images instead. You can even use our free Easter Eggs Coloring Pages!

Resurrection eggs usually also include a typed-up story recounting the Gospel. One person reads the story while the children open each egg when they get to that part of the story. This is an excellent Easter egg hunt alternative for children to learn about the Gospel, and the objects stick in their minds as they learn what each one represents.

A variation on the resurrection eggs would be to provide children with empty plastic eggs and have them create pictures or find objects to represent the events in the story. They can create their own resurrection eggs and even have other children open up the eggs and tell the story!

Each of these options gives you a creative and Christ-centered Easter egg hunt alternative that children will remember for years to come. They give children a tangible way to learn the Gospel story and emphasize the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They all enhance the spiritual life of a child rather than take away from it. 

So this Easter season, try implementing one of these activities and watch as children not only learn more about Jesus, but have fun doing it!