Party Whammy

Easter party games for kids: nine ideas for indoors or outside

Planning Easter games for children can get tricky when the weather might change or toddlers and older kids are playing together. Start with the space you have, then pick a few rounds that fit your group. These nine games include rules, supplies and age suggestions, plus a sample hour with the egg hunt set for 2:35. If rain moves you indoors, use the swaps listed below where they fit your room.

What do you need to figure out? Pick games for the space See all nine games Set the party schedule

Which Easter games fit your space?

If the yard is dry, you can use the egg-and-spoon relay, sack race, egg roll ramp, carrot-pull tag or water relay. For a living room or rainy day, try Bunny Says, picture bingo, the egg-puzzle scramble or Pin the Tail on the Bunny. A hallway can fit the relay if you have a clear 20-foot stretch; otherwise shorten it or choose a seated game.

You do not need all nine games. For a 60-minute gathering, try one quick opener, one active game, the egg hunt and a seated round. The sample below uses a 2:35 hunt start, so families know when to expect it. If your celebration continues after the hunt, Easter party games beyond the egg hunt has ideas for the rest of the gathering.

Nine Easter party games with rules

Pick games that match your room, yard and group. Age labels are starting points; adjust the rules and distances to the children playing.

Egg-and-spoon relay

Ages and space: Ages 3+; backyard lane or a clear hallway. Have ready: One spoon and one hard-boiled or plastic egg per runner, plus painter’s tape.

Mark a start line and a turn line 20 feet apart. Divide children into teams of four to six with the same number of runners on each team. For a smaller group, use two equal teams; if numbers are uneven, agree on the same number of turns per team and let a runner on the smaller team take an extra turn. The first runner carries an egg to the turn line and back with their free hand behind their back, then passes the spoon and egg at the start. Keep the extra spoons and eggs as spares. If the egg drops, the runner restarts from where it fell. The first team to complete all its agreed turns and cross the start line with the egg wins; teams finishing together share the win.

For different ages, mark 10-, 20- and 30-foot lanes. Use the shortest lane with a wide serving spoon for toddlers and the longest for readers who are ready for that distance; choose the distances that suit your group.

Bunny Hop Sack Race

Ages and space: Ages 4+; backyard or long hallway. Have ready: One pillowcase or sack per racer, plus chalk or cones.

Mark a 15-foot lane. Each racer steps into a sack and holds its sides at the waist. On “Go,” everyone hops with both feet leaving and landing together. If someone stumbles, they freeze for a count of three before hopping again. The first to cross the line wins that heat. Run heats until each racer has had two turns.

Partway through a heat, call “Carrot!” and have everyone stop for five hops in place. Under-5s can start five feet ahead. If racers tie, they share the heat win.

Egg Roll Ramp

Ages and space: Ages 3+; driveway, porch step or gentle grass slope. Have ready: One hard-boiled egg per player, a plywood plank or cardboard ramp, and chalk.

Set a plank or flattened box against one porch step and mark a finish line six feet beyond the bottom. Players release their eggs together without pushing, then wait until all eggs have stopped before retrieving them. The first egg across wins the heat. If every egg stops short, wait until all eggs stop and let the egg that traveled farthest win that heat. Tied players share the win. Run three heats, then a final with the heat winners; tied finishers share the win. Write each player’s initial on their egg to help tell them apart.

Carrot-Pull Tag

Ages and space: Ages 4+; backyard or open playroom. Have ready: Ribbons or felt strips, a bucket, a timer, and paper and a pencil for a helper’s score tally.

Tuck one ribbon into the back of each player’s waistband or pocket. Set a four-minute timer. Players try to collect ribbons from one another. Each player brings a captured ribbon to the helper, who adds one point beside that player’s name before putting the ribbon in the shared bucket. Anyone who loses a ribbon does five bunny hops, takes a replacement from the bucket and rejoins. Start with spare ribbons in the bucket so replacements are available while captured ribbons are being tallied. At the four-minute beep, stop play and tally any ribbons already captured. The highest tally wins; tied players share the win. Reusing a ribbon does not erase the point already recorded, and no one sits out.

For an indoor version, clear a 10-by-10-foot area, move furniture to the walls and have players walk rather than run. If that leaves too little room to move comfortably, choose Bunny Says or a table game instead.

Egg-Carry Water Relay

Ages and space: Ages 5+; backyard. Have ready: One full bucket and one empty 2-liter bottle per team, one plastic egg half with pinholes plus a spare scoop per team, towels and tape.

Set each team’s bucket and bottle 15 feet apart. The first runner scoops water with the egg half, walks it to the bottle, pours it in and brings the scoop back for the next runner. Use matching bottles and equal starting amounts of water. After five minutes, stop pouring and compare the water levels against tape marks set at the same height beforehand; the team with more water wins, and equal levels mean a tie. If a bottle fills before the timer ends, that team wins; simultaneous fills tie. Play on grass and keep each team’s spare scoop ready.

Bunny Says

Ages and space: Ages 2+; any room. Have ready: Nothing.

One person calls actions such as hopping on one foot, twitching a nose or freezing like a chocolate bunny. Players follow a command only when it starts with “Bunny says.” If someone moves at the wrong time, they take one slow waddle across the room and rejoin. After three waddles in a row, that player can take over as caller. Change callers every two minutes. Agree on the round’s length before starting; stop when the timer rings, with no overall winner. Use simple one-part actions for toddlers and two-part commands for children who are ready for them.

Pin the Tail on the Bunny

Ages and space: Ages 3+; any wall. Have ready: A bunny poster, cotton balls or paper tails, double-sided tape, a blindfold and a marker.

Hang the poster at children’s height. Put tape on each tail and have players write their names on them before taking a turn. Blindfold a player, turn them around twice, then let them place the tail. The tail closest to the marked spot wins. One turn per guest keeps the line moving. Let the youngest players turn around once instead of twice. Allow about 30 seconds per guest: 24 turns take roughly 12 minutes, plus setup and judging. Schedule this earlier if you choose it, with enough time for your actual guest count. If tails are equally close, those players share the win.

Egg-Puzzle Scramble

Ages and space: Ages 3+; table or floor. Have ready: At least 12 plastic eggs for a two-player heat and a permanent marker. For larger simultaneous rounds, provide at least five whole eggs per player: 30 eggs for six players or 120 for 24.

Split plastic eggs into halves. Write matching pairs on them, such as uppercase and lowercase letters for readers, or draw one chick across the two halves for pre-readers. Mix the halves in a pile and hide a few around the room. Set a two-minute timer for each heat. Players race to make five matching whole eggs; the first to finish wins, with simultaneous finishers sharing the win. If the timer rings first, stop and count each player’s completed matching eggs. The higher count wins; equal counts tie. Then return all halves to the pile before starting another heat. With 12 eggs, limit each heat to two players; new arrivals join the next heat. As a noncompetitive early-finisher activity, let children join whenever they arrive, match eggs and return the halves for the next child. Keep it at the snack table and reuse empty hunt eggs once they are available; set out a separate batch while the hunt is still running.

Easter Picture Bingo

Ages and space: Ages 3+; party table. Have ready: One printed picture board per guest, caller cards and 20 buttons or cereal pieces per guest.

Give each player a board and markers. The caller draws a picture card, holds it up and names it. Players cover the matching picture. The first to cover five in a row across, down or diagonally calls “Bingo!” The caller checks the row before declaring the winner, who can call the next game. Players completing a row on the same call share the win. Clear the boards and return all caller cards before a new round. Children who are not reading yet can match by picture. Bingo works well during snack and can be played again with a new caller.

For more options suited to the yard, see outdoor party games. Easy party games has additional rounds that need little setup.

How to adjust Easter games for different ages

Let younger children play the same game with a shorter distance, a simpler rule or a partner. For the relay, use 10-, 20- and 30-foot lanes as appropriate. For the sack race, children under five can start five feet ahead. In bingo, younger players can match pictures while older children help call the cards.

Use relay teams of four to six, and adjust the number of teams and lane lengths if children wait too long between turns. The wait depends on the distance and the runners’ pace. If the group has fewer than six players, choose another game instead of carrot-pull tag. When the room gets noisy, switch to bingo or the egg puzzle. When children are ready to move again, use a yard game if space and weather allow.

If you need an indoor activity that takes less room, try these quiet party games for shared walls. For a mixed-age hunt, Fair Easter egg hunt for different ages explains how to set up age-based areas.

A 60-minute Easter party schedule

Here is one example for a party from 2:00 to 3:00. The intervals add up to 60 minutes, and the egg hunt starts at 2:35. Adjust the times to suit your guests and how long each activity takes.

  1. 2:00–2:10 · Arrivals (10 minutes). Put picture bingo out while a helper hides the eggs.
  2. 2:10–2:20 · Opening game (10 minutes). Play Bunny Says; it needs no supplies.
  3. 2:20–2:35 · Relay (15 minutes). Run two egg-and-spoon relay heats, using lanes that fit the ages and space.
  4. 2:35–2:45 · Egg hunt and snack (10 minutes). Post the hunt time where parents can see it. Children who finish early can start matching plastic eggs at the puzzle table.
  5. 2:45–2:55 · Seated round or sack race (10 minutes). Keep bingo boards out during snack, or move to the sack-race lane if the yard is dry and children want to play.
  6. 2:55–3:00 · Group goodbye and pickup (5 minutes). Gather everyone for a goodbye, hand out any prepared prizes together, and collect belongings before 3:00 pickup.

Blank schedule to print or copy

Use these blank lines to write down your own start time, activity and helper. The example above is only one way to arrange the hour.

TimeGame or jobHelper or supplies
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

What to print and set out before guests arrive

Gather the supplies and printed pages you plan to use the night before. You can leave out games that do not fit your space or group.

  • Put each game’s supplies together: spoons, eggs, tape, ribbons, a blindfold and any lane markers you need.
  • Write the 2:35 hunt time on a welcome board where parents can see it at drop-off.
  • Put split plastic egg halves and bingo boards on the snack table for early finishers.
  • Choose an indoor option for each outdoor game you expect to play. Use a hallway relay or walking tag if there is enough room. Swap the ramp for Pin the Tail on the Bunny, allowing time for every guest’s turn, and swap the water relay for the table puzzle. Use a seated game if your room is too small.
  • Prepare a picture bingo board for each player and matching caller cards. The linked guide explains the grid and picture strips; allow time to draw, cut and assemble the materials before the party.
  • Print hunt clues if you plan to use them. Easter egg hunt clues to print has clues you can print for the hunt.

Easter party game questions

How many games fit a 60-minute Easter party?

Four parts can fill the hour: an opener, a main game, the egg hunt and a seated round. The sample schedule also leaves time for arrivals, snack and pickup. Treat the times as a starting example and adjust them to the children and activities.

What can we play if it rains?

Try Bunny Says, picture bingo, the egg-puzzle scramble or Pin the Tail on the Bunny indoors. A relay can move to a clear hallway if you have enough room. Carrot-pull tag can use a cleared indoor area with walking only; if the room is crowded, choose a seated game instead. Decide which games you would move inside before the party.

When should the egg hunt start?

In the example schedule, the hunt starts at 2:35, 35 minutes after the 2:00 arrival time. Post your own start time where parents can see it. You can hide eggs while guests play bingo during arrivals.

What can children do after they finish the hunt?

Set out the egg-puzzle scramble so children can match split plastic eggs while others are still hunting. Picture bingo is another seated option and can continue through snack.

How can toddlers and older kids play together?

Use the same game with different distances or roles: use 10-, 20- and 30-foot relay lanes, a five-foot sack-race head start for under-fives, and picture matching in bingo. Let children help each other between turns if they want to.

More Easter and party game ideas

Use the related guides for the part of the party you are still planning:

Printable planning help

Pick the Weather Plan

Save the details that matter most so the plan is easier to revisit before party day.