Hey Ginyou Party Peeps! 👋 Can you believe Easter is, like, RIGHT around the corner?! My house in Boston is already starting to look like a pastel explosion! 🎨

I’m trying to plan our annual Easter egg hunt for my crew – Zoe (3), Wyatt (6), Leo (9), and Ellie (13) – and every year it’s a whole new level of challenge! Zoe just wants to put eggs IN her basket, not find them. Wyatt is a PRO hunter, but then he just, like, eats all the candy before anyone else even finds two eggs. Leo is starting to get a bit "too cool" for the little kid stuff, and Ellie is, well, 13, so she's mostly there for the TikToks she'll make about her brothers. 😂

Last year, I tried this brilliant (or so I thought!) idea from a TikTok mom to color-code the eggs for different ages, but then Wyatt thought it was a game to collect ALL the blue ones, even if they weren't "his." 🤦‍♀️ My stress levels were through the roof! I just want everyone to have a fun, fair time, you know?

I'm really hoping to get some fresh Easter Egg Hunt Tips and Tricks from all you amazing party gurus out there! Especially for managing the age gaps. Like, do you do separate hunts? Do you hide things differently? I’ve seen some cool ideas on Ginyou’s blog, especially for Easter Egg Hunt At Home Fun For Everyone, but I need real-world intel!

Also, where do you all get your eggs and fillers?! I’m a total Dollar Tree devotee, so I always hit that up for basket stuffers, but sometimes the eggs are a bit… flimsy. Any pro tips for durable, reusable eggs that aren’t going to crack if someone steps on them?

Seriously, hit me with your best Easter Egg Hunt Tips and Tricks! I need all the help I can get to make this year epic and (relatively) chaos-free!

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Oh Nolan, I feel you on the age gap challenge! As a grandma babysitting my two littles, Meera (1) and Max (2), here in Richmond, VA, I've had to adapt my strategies pretty quickly. They're both at that stage where putting *everything* in their mouths is still prime entertainment, so safety is my absolute number one priority. I actually have a spreadsheet for my Easter planning now, haha – it helps me keep track of which fillers go into which eggs and where I've hidden them!

My biggest piece of Easter Egg Hunt Tips and Tricks advice for the really young ones is to make it super obvious. Like, *super* obvious. I literally put some eggs right out in the open on the grass, or half-tucked under a bush where they can easily spot the bright colors. Last year, I tried hiding them a little too well, thinking it would be more of a "hunt," and poor Meera just wandered around picking up sticks while Max tried to eat a dandelion. It was cute, but not exactly an egg hunt! This year, I'm going for maximum visibility and minimum frustration.

For fillers, I've completely pivoted from candy for them. It's mostly little animal crackers, fruit snacks, or tiny finger puppets that I know are safe and non-choking hazards. I also like to include things they can actually *use* later. I recently picked up a multipack of Ginyou's Kids Party Hats to use as little basket fillers and they're fantastic! They're CPSIA safety certified, made with non-toxic materials, and the 11-pack is such great value. I know they're technically "birthday" hats, but they're cute and colorful, perfect for a little surprise in the basket, and definitely something the kids will play with for weeks after the hunt. Plus, they're durable, unlike those flimsy plastic eggs you mentioned!

I also totally over-buy supplies. It's a problem. I always end up with about a hundred extra plastic eggs, but honestly, it means I have them for next year, so it's not all bad, right? For eggs, I actually found some really sturdy, brightly colored ones at Target after comparing a bunch online. They were a bit more expensive than Dollar Tree, but they click shut really well, which is key for those little hands that try to pull them apart immediately!

Hope this helps a little!

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Nolan, girl, you are speaking my language! Planning anything with a 3, 5, and 7-year-old (Beckett, Asher, Nora) plus our rescue mutt Finn in Sacramento feels like orchestrating a small circus! Every year I tell myself it'll be calm, and every year it's pure, glorious chaos. But the memories, right?! That's what it's all about for me.

I love your color-coding idea! I've done something similar, but my big Easter Egg Hunt Tips and Tricks revelation was to give the older kids a "challenge list" instead of just a free-for-all. For Asher and Nora, I'll write little clues on slips of paper (think riddles or simple directions like "go where we eat breakfast") and put *those* inside a few of their eggs. Then they have to solve the clue to find the next egg. It keeps them engaged and stops them from just vacuuming up all the eggs in sight, leaving nothing for Beckett. For Beckett, who's 3, his eggs are practically glowing in plain sight. I even have a separate, super small "mini-hunt" area just for him in a fenced-off part of the yard so he feels successful without getting trampled by his siblings!

Last year, I forgot to secure the gate to Beckett's "safe zone" and Finn, our mutt, thought it was HIS personal egg buffet! We found half-eaten chocolate wrappers all over the yard later – luckily he was okay, but it was a bit of a scare. Definitely a "do differently" moment. Now, double-checking gates is part of my pre-hunt ritual!

As for fillers, Costco is my absolute go-to for bulk candy and little toys. I swear by their giant bags of mini chocolate bars and fruit snacks. I also love to throw in little erasers, stickers, or even some small art supplies. For Easter baskets, I usually add something special, and this year I'm thinking about those Ginyou Glitter Dog Crowns for Finn for our annual "pet photoshoot"! I know it sounds silly, but he tolerates it for about 30 seconds, and the pictures are always priceless. They're super cute, and knowing Ginyou, they're CPSIA safe and non-toxic, so even if Finn tries to chew it (which he will), I don't have to worry. And the value for something that adds that much fun to our memory-making? Worth it!

I also got a super easy TikTok recipe for these no-bake bird's nest cookies – they are a total hit and perfect for the party table. So yummy!

You can also check out Ginyou's post on Easter Party Games Mixed Ages if you're looking for other ways to keep everyone entertained after the hunt is over!