10 Reasons to Get Out the Easter Eggs {today}

We love plastic Easter eggs. I suspect it all started on Ben’s first Easter egg hunt. I remember it well, because I spent the entire morning trying to keep him from crawling into ant hills and eating pine needles while the rest of my friends sat and chatted with their cute babies sitting beside them {Babies sit???? How did we skip that stage???}.

Actual footage from the first Easter egg hunt. Notice how relaxed everyone looks.

But, ha . . . I suspect their babies didn’t find any eggs on their first egg hunt!

Ben finds his first plastic Easter egg!

And so, Ben’s love affair with plastic Easter eggs began. He plays with them for months after Easter. In fact, I had to secretly throw the Easter eggs away last July while he was napping because I got tired of having to snap and match all the broken tops and bottoms together.

This year I’ve decided to be one step ahead of the game. I am buying them early (with hopes to get rid of them early too). And, here are ten reason why you should get out your Easter eggs {today}:

1. You can teach your preschooler basic math. Count the eggs before you hide them and then count them again after they are found. Teach addition and subtraction by trying to figure out how many are left.
2. Easter eggs make great props for imaginative play. Let your child pretend to be the Easter Bunny or cook with them in a toy kitchen.
3. You can practice color matching skills. Most egg packages come with sets of the same color. Sort them by color or hide some and ask your child which colors are missing.
4. Have your child learn sequencing. Use the eggs to create a pattern (ex. blue egg, red egg, blue egg, . . .). Ask your child what color comes next. (Use an old egg carton or muffin tin to hold the eggs in order.)
5. They make slippery, bobblely water toys. Add them to a sink of soapy water or give your kid an egg bath instead of a bubble bath!
6. Easter egg hunts encourage problem solving. Always hide a few eggs in tricky spots. When your child is stumped (or tired of trying) give clues until the child finds the remaining eggs.
7. Cherrios (or any snack) taste so much better inside an Easter egg! Try placing different snacks inside of plastic Easter eggs and serve them up on a plate. Have your child shake each one and try to guess what is inside before opening it. (Maybe a special treat could be stowed away in the last egg!)
8. Learn letters and words. Write letters and words on tape or stickers and label the tops of the eggs. Place small toys that either start with that letter or match the word (example: a small duck would go within an egg that is labeled as “duck” or “d”). Have your child try to name the letter or read the word before opening the eggs. Or, leave the eggs empty and see if you child can place the correct items inside of them.
9. Hold an Easter egg scavenger hunt to encourage thinking skills (and reading skills for older children). Hide the eggs in hard-to-find nooks and crannies and then place a clue in each egg that leads to the next egg. Need inspiration or want free printables? See The Pink Elephant and The Happy Home Fairy.
10. Last, for all the great moms out there . . . the best reason to get out the Easter eggs is because egg hunts are a lot more fun when the the house isn’t super tidy (not to mention, you can hide the eggs easier)! So take a little break.

Yes, we keep our toys in the entry way (one of the many reasons why I do not write a decorate-your-house-cute blog). You should see the look that the mailman gives me when I trip over them to answer the door.

Every kid loves playing with Easter eggs. Even the good, cute babies at Ben’s first egg hunt eventually realized that he was the one having all the fun:

It’s hard to be good all of the time.

So, give it a try. You may even find yourself keeping your plastic eggs around until July too!

What are your favorite Easter egg activities?