28 Easter egg hunt clues

Ten outdoor rhymes, ten indoor riddles and eight picture prompts. This host pack includes answers: copy only the quoted clues for players, and draw the pictures before play. The picker mixes all three groups; use the lists when you need a particular deck.

How to play

Use only the cards whose hiding spots fit your home or yard. Keep the answers with the host.
Place eggs before play, explain the egg colors and basket limit, then hand out one selected clue at a time.
At ten ordinary eggs, return to the prize table. The optional golden egg is counted separately.

Random clue card

Draw one when the room is ready

Card 1, mailbox: 'I hold the letters and the cards, I wear a flag on top. Look beside me for your egg — this is your first stop.' Place the egg beside the mailbox, within easy reach.

Card 1, mailbox: 'I hold the letters and the cards, I wear a flag on top. Look beside me for your egg — this is your first stop.' Place the egg beside the mailbox, within easy reach.
Card 2, tree base: 'My branches hold the leaves up high, my roots are down below. Look beside my trunk to find an egg before you go.' Rest the egg where the roots show.
Card 3, birdbath: 'The sparrows splash, the robins drink, I hold my water high. Look beside my sturdy base — an egg is waiting nearby.' Place the egg beside the base without moving the birdbath.
Card 4, flower bed: 'Tulips nod and daisies blink, the petals bend down low. Part the leaves and gently look — an egg is hiding below.' Lay the egg under the widest leaves.
Card 5, wheelbarrow: 'One wheel below, two handles behind, I carry soil all day. Look inside my open tub — an egg is tucked away.' Drop the egg inside the tub.
Card 6, bike basket: 'A bell to ring, a seat to sit, two wheels that love to roll. My basket rides out front — an egg hides in that bowl.' Sit the egg in the front basket.
Card 7, doormat: 'I greet your guests both big and small and wipe their shoes all day. Lift my corner, count to three — an egg has come to stay.' Slide the egg under one corner.
Card 8, patio chair: 'Pull me up and take a seat, four legs upon the ground. Peek beneath my cushion now — an egg waits to be found.' Balance the egg under the seat pad.
Card 9, hose reel: 'I nap beside the garden tap coiled up nice and neat. Look beside my coiled-up hose — an egg waits at my feet.' Park the egg beside the coiled hose.
Card 10, fence corner: 'I march along the yard's far edge on post and rail and board. Walk me to my last corner — an egg is your reward.' Rest the egg at the corner post's foot.

Card 1, umbrella stand: 'The rain taps on the window, umbrellas stand upright. Look inside their holder — an egg hides out of sight.' Put the egg within reach inside the stand.
Card 2, egg carton: 'Little cups sit in a row, where breakfast eggs once stayed. Find the empty box on the table — a bright surprise is laid.' Put the egg in a clean empty carton on a low table.
Card 3, bathtub: 'You take your baths inside me, but now I'm dry for you. Look beneath the rubber duck — an egg is waiting too.' Set the egg under the duck in a dry tub.
Card 4, sock drawer: 'Toes and heels in stripes and spots, in pairs I fold up tight. Lift the wool and peek beneath — an egg is wrapped in white.' Bury the egg under the socks.
Card 5, bookshelf: 'Stories line up spine to spine and wait for reading time. Slide a tale and open it — an egg hides in that rhyme.' Place the egg in an open picture book on a reachable shelf.
Card 6, laundry basket: 'Clean towels rest inside my sides, folded in a stack. Peek beside the softest one — an egg is looking back.' Tuck the egg beside a folded towel in the basket.
Card 7, napkin basket: 'After snacks I wipe your chin, then settle in a pile. Lift one paper square to see an egg that makes you smile.' Tuck the egg beneath paper napkins in a basket.
Card 8, shoe rack: 'Boots and trainers take a rest, their laces tucked away. On my lowest shelf beside a shoe, an egg has come to stay.' Put the egg beside a shoe on the lowest shelf.
Card 9, lamp table: 'I switch on when the evenings dim and glow beside your chair. Look beside me on the table — an egg is waiting there.' Place the egg beside the lamp without moving it or its cord.
Card 10, prize basket: 'You've hunted high, you've hunted low, through every drawer and shelf. One last egg among the treats — come find it for yourself!' Wait in the prize basket.

Draw a red mailbox with its flag up — hunters find the egg placed beside the mailbox.
Draw a thick tree trunk with grass at its feet — hunters search where the roots show.
Draw a tulip with two wide leaves — hunters part the leaves in the flower bed.
Draw a wheelbarrow with one wheel — hunters look inside the tub.
Draw an egg carton with six cups — hunters check a clean empty carton on a low table.
Draw a rubber duck in a tub — hunters look under the duck in a dry tub.
Draw a striped sock — hunters open the sock drawer and lift the pile.
Draw a shoe rack with a star beside one shoe — hunters check the lowest shelf.

Easter egg hunt clues to print

Prepare a hunt with ten outdoor rhymes, ten indoor riddles or eight picture clues for children who aren’t reading yet. The clue pack above includes the answers for you. Copy just the quoted riddles onto player cards, or draw the pictures, and keep the hiding instructions on your host sheet. There is no separate ready-cut download.

What do you need? Prepare the cards Find the hiding spots

Which clues fit your hunt?

Use the outdoor clues if you have the listed yard features; use the indoor clues for a hunt at home or a rain backup. You can leave out any card whose location doesn’t fit. The picture prompts cover four outdoor and four indoor spots, so select the ones that match where you’re playing.

For ages 3–4, try pictures with an adult buddy. For ages 5–7, read the rhymes aloud or let pairs solve them together. Older children can work in teams of two or three. These are ways to adapt the game, rather than fixed age requirements.

This hunt sends children to eggs, with the host handing out one clue at a time. If you want the next card hidden at each stop instead, the birthday treasure hunt clues explain that different trail format.

How to print the clue cards

The pack’s Print all 28 control prints the page, including answers and instructions. For cards children can solve without seeing the answers:

Copy only the text inside quotation marks into a document, one clue per card. Leave out the location labels and hiding instructions.
For picture cards, draw the listed objects in marker. Use the same recognizable features as the object children will look for.
Print one test card at actual size, check that the words or picture are clear, then print and cut the cards you will use.
Keep outdoor, indoor and picture cards in separate stacks with binder clips. Number the backs so you can match them to your answer key.
Print the host answer key below. Mark unused locations and write down any replacements.
Gather tape, a marker, baskets and eggs on one tray. Prepare one prize bag per hunter.
Walk the route before play. Use reachable spots away from appliances, sharp items, steps and heavy objects. Read clues aloud when children need help.

Prepare both weather decks before guests arrive if you want an indoor backup. The printable party games guide has more advice on keeping player sheets separate from helper notes.

Host answer key

Card numbers refer to each group’s order in the pack. Hide enough eggs at the selected stops for the children using that route; ten clue cards do not mean ten eggs for the whole group.

Outdoor hiding spots

Card	Answer	Where to put the egg
1	Mailbox	Beside the mailbox, within easy reach.
2	Tree base	Beside the trunk where the roots show.
3	Birdbath	Beside the base, without moving the birdbath.
4	Flower bed	Under the widest leaves.
5	Wheelbarrow	Inside the tub.
6	Bike basket	In the front basket.
7	Doormat	Under one corner.
8	Patio chair	Under the seat cushion.
9	Hose reel	Beside the coiled hose.
10	Fence corner	At the foot of the far corner post.

Indoor hiding spots

Card	Answer	Where to put the egg
1	Umbrella stand	Within reach inside the stand.
2	Egg carton	In a clean, empty carton on a low table.
3	Bathtub	Under a rubber duck in a dry tub.
4	Sock drawer	Under the socks.
5	Bookshelf	In an open picture book on a reachable shelf.
6	Laundry basket	Beside a folded towel.
7	Napkin basket	Beneath paper napkins.
8	Shoe rack	Beside a shoe on the lowest shelf.
9	Lamp table	Beside the lamp, without moving it or handling its cord.
10	Prize basket	With the treats at the finish.

Picture clue answers

Card	Picture to draw	Answer
1	Red mailbox with its flag up	Beside the mailbox.
2	Thick tree trunk with grass at its feet	Tree base where the roots show.
3	Tulip with two wide leaves	Under leaves in the flower bed.
4	Wheelbarrow with one wheel	Inside the tub.
5	Egg carton with six cups	Clean, empty carton on a low table.
6	Rubber duck in a tub	Under the duck in a dry tub.
7	Striped sock	Under socks in the drawer.
8	Shoe rack with a star beside one shoe	Beside a shoe on the lowest shelf.

Notes for your hunt

Hunters: __________ Ordinary eggs: __________ Spare eggs: __________

Cards we’re using: ____________________ Finish point: ____________________

Card and deck	Replacement spot or note	Eggs hidden	Checked
__________	________________________	______	______
__________	________________________	______	______
__________	________________________	______	______
__________	________________________	______	______
__________	________________________	______	______

How to run the hunt

Two days before, copy the riddles and draw the pictures. On party morning, check the route. About 20 minutes before guests arrive, place the eggs and set out the prize bags. Allow extra preparation time if you’re drawing all eight pictures or preparing both routes.

During the hunt:

Explain the colors and basket limit. Show each group which eggs they may collect and where to meet afterward.
Start the younger children first. Give under-fives a five-minute head start with a picture-clue buddy.
Hand out one clue at a time. Older teams solve a rhyme, find their eggs and return for the next card. Keep the remaining clues with you.
Check baskets at the prize table. At ten ordinary eggs, a hunter finishes and trades them for a prize bag. Keep spares for stops that need refilling while others are still hunting.
Finish together. Award the optional golden egg prize, gather any uncollected eggs and move to the next activity.

Example 25-minute hunt: allow five minutes for the younger group’s head start, 15 minutes for older teams to follow ten clues, and five minutes for the final prize swaps. That totals 25 minutes. Ten clues at 90 seconds each take 15 minutes; actual time depends on the route and how much help children need.

If rain interrupts, pause and gather the children before switching rooms. An adult needs to place the remaining eggs indoors before handing out that deck. Keep eggs already collected toward each child’s limit. Indoor card 2 is the egg carton; it is not a direct replacement for the outdoor tree clue.

Egg colors, basket limits and the golden egg

For this small-group version, use pink and yellow eggs for under-fives and blue and green for ages five and up. Put the younger group’s eggs low and in plain sight. Put older children’s eggs farther along the route, while keeping every hiding spot reachable. Children collect only their group’s colors.

Prepare ten ordinary eggs per hunter plus ten spares, divided according to the size of each age group. For six hunters, that’s 60 eggs plus ten spares, or 70 ordinary eggs. Give every hunter the same-size prize bag at the ten-egg limit. Pair non-readers with a picture-clue buddy; let readers work in small teams.

For a larger gathering, the fair Easter egg hunt for different ages describes a separate three-zone arrangement with different age caps. Use one rule set consistently rather than mixing its counts with this ten-egg version.

If you’d like a golden egg, hide one away from the clue locations after placing the ordinary eggs. Its finder trades it for a special prize such as bunny ears or a bubble wand, rather than extra candy. It does not count toward the ten ordinary eggs. You can also offer first pick of a sticker tray. For more than 12 hunters, you can add a silver egg for a second special prize. If you play a second round, move the special egg and change its prize.

Games and food after the hunt

Set out Easter picture bingo for children who want a seated game after searching. It uses drawings, so non-readers can take part with help preparing their boards. For another active round, Easter games beyond the egg hunt include an egg-and-spoon relay and games that reuse the eggs.

If the group wants more time outdoors, browse outdoor party games for activities that fit your yard. If everyone has moved inside, easy party games offer options such as Freeze Dance and Cup Stack Challenge with short rules.

Plan snacks or lunch for when the baskets are handed in. The picnic party food guide includes sandwiches, fruit cups and drinks you can arrange around your guests’ food needs. For a gathering with more activities, seasonal party ideas can help you think through supplies, food and the indoor backup before shopping.

Easter egg hunt questions

Are these ready-cut printable cards?

No. The pack contains clue text and picture drawing prompts, with host answers. Copy only the quoted riddles into a document for player cards, and draw the picture clues. Printing this page includes the host notes; there is no separate ready-cut download.

How many eggs do I need?

For the ten-egg basket limit, prepare ten eggs per hunter plus ten spares. For example, six hunters need 70 ordinary eggs: 60 for the hunt and ten spares. Add the optional golden egg separately. Divide ordinary eggs between the age groups according to the number of children in each group.

What if it rains halfway through?

Pause the hunt and bring everyone together. Use the indoor deck only after an adult has placed the remaining eggs at the chosen indoor spots. Keep each child’s collected eggs toward their ten-egg limit. Outdoor and indoor cards are separate routes, not matching locations.

Can I use fewer than ten clues?

Yes. Use only the locations that fit your home or yard, and leave the other cards out of the player stack. Hand out one selected clue at a time. Tell children where to meet at the end; fewer clues do not have to change the basket limit if you put more than one egg at a stop.

What if I do not have a hiding spot on the list?

Leave out that card or rewrite its clue for a reachable spot you have checked. Change the host answer key to match. For the birdbath clue, a large flower pot can replace the location, but the rhyme must change too.