Easter egg hunt clues for older child

These Easter egg hunt clues for an older child will help your teenager enjoy a more challenging Easter hunt than a typical one where you just hide Easter eggs.

A fun thing to do at Easter is to have your child build an Easter basket with clues. It turns an ordinary holiday egg hunt into an Easter egg scavenger hunt!

I first did this when my daughter was a teenager. She still wanted treats, but didn’t want to feel like a baby.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Easter eggs are a traditional item that we see often in spring. From an Easter egg roll at the White House to Easter decorations at home, eggs are an iconic symbol of Easter. Today we’ll be using some eggs in our fun Easter egg hunt.

Each year, at Easter time, I came up with printed clues to lead her from one Easter egg to the next and she built the basket as she progressed through the clues.

This came to be called an “Easter egg hunt with clues” and Jess loved it each year.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

This fun experience gave us a chance to keep the Easter scavenger hunt going long after kids normally think they are “too old for it.” The idea is great for older kids and teenagers, alike.

You can make the Easter hunt clues as hard or as easy as you like. I also liked to add some other teen stuff to the basket too, and not just candy.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

The basket was fun to shop for. Mini sized candy bars are perfect to put inside of plastic eggs and I also gathered together some fun beauty items, candles and a cute coffee mug.

Once kids become teens, they still love the sweet treats, but teenage items also really appeal to them and makes the hunt more grown up.

Hop on over the the Gardening Cook to learn how to make a teenage Easter Basket with clues. 🌷🍭🐰 Click To Tweet

Note: Hot glue guns, and heated glue can burn. Please use extreme caution when using hot glue. Learn to use your tools properly before you start any project.

Starting your Easter egg scavenger hunt clues project

All fun Easter egg hunts need a basket to hold the goodies in. Also, what good would Easter be if I didn’t have a chance to do something crafty? 😉

I chose a medium sized basket and spray painted it white.

Next, I wrapped the handle with some green paper tape and hot glued a few butterflies to it.

Jess loves all forms of nature, and I know she will want to use the basket in her room later to hold makeup and jewelry.  I wanted the basket to be decorated in a pretty way for her.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

The basket stayed hidden until the morning of the Easter egg scavenger hunt. Overnight while she was sleeping, I put the basket on her bed and the first Easter egg hut clue got tucked into it with a hint about where to progress next.

I made the clue ambiguous enough so that she had to think a bit. After all, “she is a teenager, not a baby!” as she is fond of telling me.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Keep reading to see my hunt went as it progressed To build an Easter basket with clues, you just need a bit of creative thought and clues that are hard enough but not too frustrating.

I’ve given you some tips that I use each year to make my Easter egg scavenger hunt a success.

1. Easter egg hunt clues make this day a special occasion

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Building an Easter basket with clues means that the hunt will be a bit of a challenge. Jess’ father has a lot of old shoes, so trying to find just the right pair was not easy!

Patience is not a strong suit with teens, so I mixed some easy clues and some hard ones as the challenge continued.

Each time Jess found an Easter egg, she added it to her basket and then moved on to the next place that is hinted at in the clue.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Easter egg hunt riddles for teenagers are best if they are both hard and easy

You will want to make this day fun and not too challenging, so mix your clues so that some are easy to figure out and some take a bit of thinking.

2. Don’t make the clues too hard

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

I liked to move around the house, back and forth as we built her Easter basket with clues. Jess knew that if she saw an Easter egg anywhere but didn’t find it with a clue, she had to wait till later to gather it.

Still, I kept most of the eggs hidden out of plain sight, so it was a challenge pretty much all the way through.

Even though I led her to the bathroom sink, the treat is still hidden behind it, not IN it. A little manicure and pedicure set was hidden there as a special teen treat.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

3. Easter egg hunt clues outside are fun too

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Be sure to have a mix of both indoors and outdoor clue areas. This makes things more interesting and also makes sure that there is some fresh air as part of the hunt.

Since the candy bars were all foil wrapped, having them outside is fine. Plastic Easter egg holders also protect the treats.

I placed three treats in a plastic Easter Egg behind a planter near the outdoor candle so it is a bit out of sight.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

4. Easy Easter egg hunt riddles

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Throw in some really easy clues. Don’t make them all hard, or there is sure to be frustration.

This mailbox clue was a great one to have about this time in the teenage Easter egg hunt, since it’s a big enough place to put something really special like this coffee mug filled with candy treats.

The mug has one of Jess’ favorite cup shapes and the colors are perfect for her basket.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Easter egg hunt clues indoors

Behind closed doors are good spots when you build an Easter basket with clues

5. The pantry is a perfect indoor hiding spot for Easter basket hunt clues

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Even though Jess walked right by the pantry earlier, she didn’t see the egg because I closed the pantry door.

Since I had a few cake mixes, she had to look a little to find this treat! A purple plastic egg held 2 more sweets to add to her basket.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

6. Keep the clues out of sight, so they’ll be out of mind

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

The oven was a great hiding place to use during the hunt. It was big enough to add a plastic egg with Easter treats that will start to fill up the basket, but the closed door kept everything well hidden.

Just be sure no one decides to make a breakfast casserole today!~

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

7. More outdoor Easter egg hunt clues

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

The family car is a great place to hide Easter eggs. There are lots of nooks, crannies and places where they can be placed to make the hunt challenging.

I used the glove compartment as a hiding place for the hunt today. Even though she had been out there earlier, this clue was hidden from sight.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Time for a tricky clue!

You child will get used to the rhythm of the hunt early on, so now is the time to throw in a challenging clue. This will keep the interest up and make your child feel as though they accomplished a real discovery when the find the treat.

8. Find a tricky place to hide the next Easter egg hunt scavenger clue

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

This clue was a challenge for Jess, since there is a big hutch filled with plates, glasses and bowls as well as a large credenza in our dining room.

I hid the treats and the clue inside one of the soup bowls in the hutch!

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

9. Have a really easy Easter basket hunt clue near the end of the hunt

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

No matter how much your teen likes the hunt, they will be getting eager for it to be over now, so throw in a clue that basically gives the location away.

Now is the time for another teen treat.

This time, some emery boards, a small bottle of perfume, and pink nail polish were hidden in the clothes dryer.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

10. Keep the biggest stash of treats until the end of the teenage Easter Basket hunt

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Just like fireworks, a good Easter egg scavenger hunt builds momentum. I started with one egg, moved up to a couple, and left the big stash of treats until the end of the hunt.

It made it like having all the fireworks come at one time at a fireworks show. The last stash of Easter eggs got placed in a fun colored bucket near her old playhouse along with a cucumber melon candle.

My girl loves candles!

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

I love the mix of candy and teen things in the basket.

Doing this kind of Easter Egg hunt with clues is something you can do right through the high school years, just by adding new items that they like in each teenage year.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Would you like to build an Easter Basket with clues?

This project is geared to turning an Easter Egg hunt into a different experience by hiding treasure hunt clues around the house and garden.

Preparing for this project to build an Easter basket with clues is as simple as taking a shopping trip to gather your goodies, treats and teen things.

You’ll also want to gather some ribbon, decorative items, a basket and some card stock or photo paper to make your clues.

If you want to copy my clues for hiding Easter basket supplies for an older child, you can print out the filled in clue sheet that I used here in PDF format.

It is a high resolution 8 1/2′ by 1 1″ file. I printed mine on photo paper so the wording stays intact outside.

To print your Easter egg scavnger hunt clues, be sure to choose “fit to page” in your printer settings to fill a whole sheet of cardstock.


Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Blank Easter egg hunt clue sheet

If my Easter egg scavenger hunt clues won’t work for you, you can use these blank Easter egg cards and make your own Easter basket hunt clues for by hand printing them.

You can print the PDF file here, or click on the image below.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

What other things will you hide as well as Easter eggs to build an Easter basket with clues for your teenager?

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you if you purchase through an affiliate link.

Pin these Easter egg hunt clues for later

Would you like a reminder of this teenage Easter basket hunt project with clues? Just pin this image to one of your Easter boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Easter egg hunt clues for older child

Admin note: This post for the DIY Easter Basket Project first appeared on the blog in February of 2017. I have added a printable project card , new photos and a video for you to enjoy.

Active Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour

Difficulty easy

Estimated Cost $25

Materials

  • Candy and other Easter treat goodies
  • Toiletries for a teenage girl
  • Coffee mug
  • Large straw basket
  • White spray paint
  • Green paper tape
  • 2 green silk butterflies
  • Paper straw
  • Plastic Easter eggs
  • Card stock or photo paper

Tools

  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions

  1. Spray the basket with white spray paint and allow it to dry.
  2. Wrap the handle of the basket with green paper tape and attach it in place with a dab of hot glue.
  3. Glue on the two silk butterflies on the handle.
  4. Add some paper straw in the bottom of the basket.
  5. Print out the clues using my sample above, or print out the template for clues and add your own.
  6. Place the basket on your child's bed overnight with the first clue in it.
  7. Each clue leads to a new spot, which has a new clue and treats.
  8. Alternate between candy treat, toiletries and other items for the basket.
  9. Have the last clue lead to a treasure trove that will fill up the basket. Perhaps it's time for a more expensive gift here.
  10. Enjoy!

What do you put in Easter eggs for older kids?

Check out these Easter egg fillers for teens and tweens:.
Lip balm..
Nail polish. What is this? Report Ad..
Small nail file..
Mini hand cream..
Washi tape..
Cute stationery items..
Post-it notes..
Novelty paperclips..

What can I hide in Easter eggs for older kids?

Small Toys. Of course, children will enjoy finding candy in their Easter eggs, but why not also fill them with things they can play with long after the holiday is over? ... .
Scavenger Hunt Clues. ... .
Puzzle Pieces. ... .
Hand-Written Notes. ... .
Beauty Supplies..

What do you put on Easter eggs for a 10 year old?

Here are 10 fun Easter egg fillers that your kids will actually use:.
Small musical instruments. ... .
Stickers. ... .
Egg-shaped crayons and chalk. ... .
Matchstick cars. ... .
Stamps and mini-ink pads. ... .
Small figures. ... .
Mini markers. ... .
Play dough..

What do 11 year olds put in Easter eggs?

Easter Egg Fillers For All Tweens and Teens.
IQ Game..
Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty..
A Brain Teaser puzzle..
Water bottle decals..
Wireless Earbuds..
Slime in an egg..
Code word combination padlock..
Bouncy Balls..