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Tips for Planning A Memorable Easter Party

Bunnies, baby chicks, chocolates and more – Easter is an egg-citing holiday for everyone! If you’re planning a celebration, check out these ideas to help you plan a fun event:

Invitation

An obvious and easy shape for your invitation is an egg. Colorful construction paper can be cut out in the shape of an egg with the top attached so that it flips open or simply used as a one-sheet invitation. Add to your egg:

“You are invited to an egg-citing event! Bring your basket and hop over to our yard. “

Decorations

Pastels are the favorite cooler scheme for this holiday. Bouquets of light pink, blue, yellow and lavender balloons will give your room a soft look. Vases filled with flowers such as daisies, lilies, or tulips will add a feel of spring. If your children have a collection of stuffed animals, borrow their bunnies and duckies to set around the room. Lots of great decorations are available at party stores such as Oriental Trading Company.

Food

Aside from all the eggs, chocolate, and jellybeans, guests will need something more substantial to eat. Tasty finger sandwiches are fun and easy to serve and eat. Cut them out using a cute cookie cutter shape or wavy vegetable slicer will make them unique. Even simple peanut butter and jelly will look delightful. Egg salad sandwiches are a nutritious treat that will keep in the theme.

Decorated Pretzel Sticks

Using a good brand, melt chocolate in a double boiler. Dip pretzel rods in the chocolate (half way) and roll in chopped nuts, candy pieces, small marshmallows, or sprinkles.

Decorated Cookies

This food doubles as an activity if you have your guests do their own decorating. Give each guest a large sugar cookie that has been formed in the shape of an egg. Now let them decorate their egg with a variety of frosting, candies, sprinkles, and chocolates.

Drinks

A favorite for many Easter celebrations is lemonade. But this doesn’t have to be your boring mix-it-from-the- container variety. Make your own lemonade with real lemons (or even limes) and mixing in sugar. Jazz things up a bit by adding strawberries, blueberries, or slices of citrus fruit. Another variation is to mix with club soda instead of water for a bubbly treat.

Games and Activities

Egg Hunt

This game is a tradition at almost any Easter celebration. However, this game has been updated since the day of hiding real eggs in the yard. Many now choose to hide eggs in the house to help contain the game to a specific area (this make it easier for young children to locate eggs). In addition, plastic eggs have replaced real ones at most celebrations. Plastic eggs can be filled with candy, coins, food coupons, small toys, stickers, or games. A fun twist to this game is to hide “special” eggs. Using gold, silver, iridescent or other brightly colored eggs, hide one special egg per child. Make a rule that each child can only keep one special egg – the others must be left in its place for another luck child to find. Once the egg hunt is over, allow each child to trade in his/her egg for a special prize. Set up a table with cool prizes and let each child pick out an item.

Egg Race

Divide your guests into two teams and have them line up behind a line. Provide each team with an egg (a hard boiled egg will work best) and a large or soup spoon. Designate a turn-around point about 25 to 45 feet (depending on the age of your guests)) from the starting line. Now have each guest race with their egg on their spoon. Each participant must keep the egg on the spoon, touch the turn around point, return to the line and hand the spoon to the next person in line. If the egg falls off during their run, the participant must start his/her turn over. The first team to finish wins the race.

Who Nose About Egg?

This race requires the use of knees and noses! Begin by designating a start and finish line. Have each guest line up behind the starting line on their hands and knees. Place an egg (bigger, heavier eggs work best) in front of each guest and instruct him/her to push the egg to the finish line using only the nose. The first person to reach the finish line wins.

Egg Decorating

This is a fun activity appeals to all ages of kids and can be adapted to all abilities and ages. Sure there are decorating kits to help in the process, but a little creativity can produce some really unique eggs. Eggs can be decorated with ribbons, dyed with natural materials or collaged with wrapping paper. For lots of ideas on decorating, check out the article “EGG-Citing Easter Decorations” located on the Holiday Party page under Easter/Passover.

Egg Toss

This can be a messy game but kids (and adults) usually have lots of fun with this one. This game is definitely an outdoor only game! Divide your group into teams of two and have them stand five feet apart and facing each other. Now give one person from each team a raw egg and have them wait for your signal. Next, give the command “toss” and have each team toss the egg from one partner to the other. Any team who drops their egg or breaks it in the throwing/catching process is out. The remaining teams are then instructed to take one large step back. Again, have them throw to each other on your command. The last team with an unbroken egg wins.

A cleaner (indoor) version of this game can be played using baskets or buckets and plastic eggs. Rather than catch a raw egg in the hand, participants will try to catch a plastic egg in a basket or bucket. Any team that misses an egg is out.

Tea For Two (or three, four, five . . .)

Easter is a perfect occasion to host an afternoon tea party. Whether you sit outside or inside - lace, linen, and flowers are a must. Ask your party guests to dress up in pretty dresses and outfits. A fun idea is to provide white gloves for each young lady and a tie for each young man. Depending on the age of your guests, your setting can involve real dishes and linen napkins, or you can use paper and plastic. Many party stores have attractive cups, plates and silverware that won’t break and won’t break your budget. An added plus is that cleanup is a cinch! The table should have plenty of lace doilies and flowers. Sprinkling rose petals adds a bit of class. Your food can range from tiny (no crust) finger sandwiches to miniature cakes or cookies. The drink, of course, is tea (or lemonade, juice, etc). Once the guests have finished with teatime, have everyone gather around while you read them a cute Easter or bunny tale. Finish up with a snapshot of each guest for Mom!

Easter Bingo

Make up cards using words such as Easter, tulip, candy, bunny, pink, etc., and use jellybeans or M&Ms for markers.

Drop the Jellybeans in the Jar

Have guest line up behind a wide mouthed jar (such as a mayonnaise jar) and try to drop as many jelly beans into the opening, one at a time.

Matching Eggs

Pill a large basket with plastic egg halves. Have children sit in a circle around the basket and when you say ”go”, the all try to find matching parts. The guest with the most whole eggs wins.

Egg Mystery

Hide a large Easter Basket filled with goodie bags for each child. Fill several large plastic eggs with clues about where the basket is hidden. You can either fill eggs with various clues or fill eggs with clues that will lead the team from one egg to the next, and finally the basket (you would need to give them a starting point for this version). Everyone is a winner in this game of teamwork!

Favors

Candy is always a favorite take-home goodie for kids. And with so many cute things available at Easter, the choices are endless. But sending your guests home with a personalized give makes them feel special; tying on colorful ribbons or curling ribbon and attaching a Polaroid of the guest at your party to their take home gift shows that you care. Chocolate bunnies, a colorful bag of jellybeans or M&Ms, a small stuffed or beanie animal, an Easter book or coloring book all make great thank-you gifts.

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