Have an Egg-cellent Easter with These Fun Ideas for the Family ...

I don’t know about you, but I used to really enjoy playing this traditional game of ‘hide and seek’ with my family. I’m thinking ‘hide and seek’ in terms of an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt. Mix it up – play this game in a communal park or inside your home. Buy some Easter-themed stuffed animals (chicks or rabbits) and small toys and keep things interesting by creating a treasure hunt map, leaving clues for the next ‘treasure’ hiding spot. Make sure to set some boundaries too, so that the participants are wandering far and wide! When a family member finds the animal or toy, they should be able to trade it in for ‘treasure;' maybe a fabulous Easter basket or some homemade chocolate crispy nests and other goodies.

I used to decorate and dye hard-boiled eggs with my parents literally the day before Easter, so that the eggs kept their freshness. Large white eggs are the best as they maintain the colors over traditional brown eggs. The simplest non-messy way is to decorate non-cooked eggs using wax crayons. Draw as many patterns, themes, add names as you like, and even place stickers on the eggs! Place the eggs in a large pan of boiling water and simmer them for 10 minutes. Let the eggs cool, refrigerate them and place them in your Easter basket for a centerpiece or play Easter games with them (see number 4 and 5 of this article). If you don’t feel like decorating eggs, balloons and streamers work just as well!

Whether you are a family full of actors or not, it doesn’t hurt to improvise and put on a fun play. If you have children, assign them roles and either the eldest children or eldest adults can oversee the action sequences. Depending on the weather, try hosting your play outdoors and even press the 'record' button on your Video App of your Smartphone for those future memories!

You’ll need one decorated hard-boiled egg and one tablespoon per person. Line the participants up behind a starting line and the goal is to make it to a 'landmark' and back with the egg still intact on the spoon. Players must essentially balance the egg without using their other hand for support (the other hand must be behind the back the entire time). If an egg drops ‘en route’ and is not damaged, they can resume the game. If the egg breaks into pieces, that person is disqualified from the game. The first person to make it back (egg intact on the spoon) wins a prize.

This is another fun game you can play outside. You’ll need to find a reasonably steep hill, so that you can roll the eggs downwards. Line everyone up behind a starting line at the top of a fairly steep hill and everyone receives a decorated egg. Participants gently ‘throw’ their egg down the hill. It's not as easy as it sounds as eggs aren't round. Whoever’s egg lands the furthest from the starting line wins a prize.

After your chocolate indulgences and traditional Easter Sunday fare, it’s probably best to burn some of those calories off by going on an Easter Sunday stroll. Head on a hike somewhere you’ve never been or venture to your tried and trusted destination, if you're not feeling that adventurous.

I realize piñatas are a Mexican Christmas tradition, however it doesn’t mean you can't create them at Easter time! The piñata could be egg shaped or resemble a bunny rabbit and make sure to stuff it with confetti, lollipops and candy treats. Hang it from a tree or something up high, blindfold the children and have them swing at the piñata with a baseball bat or stick. Whoever hits the piñata open wins a non-chocolaty prize, while everyone else gathers up its contents.

I hope your Easter is fun, full of the traditional chocolate eggs, rice crispy nest treats and adventures with plays, games or hikes. What will you be doing that's fun this Easter?