Put a twist on the Easter egg hunt with these chocolate-free ideas

By Dani-Elle Dubé Global News

Posted April 14, 2017 9:00 am

2 min read

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It doesn't matter what's in the Easter eggs, just as long as kids are hunting they'll have a good time, experts say. Getty Images

Scavenger hunts and chocolate at Easter go together like peanut butter and jelly – it’s hard to think of one without the other.

In fact, according to the National Confectioners Association, 90 per cent of parents who celebrate Easter plan on giving their children candy or chocolate this weekend – making this week the second top-selling confectionary holiday after Halloween.

But chocolate isn’t for everyone.

Whether it be lactose intolerance, a peanut allergy, wanting healthier options or the urge to think outside of the (chocolate) box, parents are looking for new and creative ways to incorporate the scavenger hunt tradition that has been passed on through generations.

“Kids like any ‘hunt’ no matter what you find,” parenting expert Alyson Schafer says. “Scavenger hunts combine a challenge with a reward… In the case of Easter, it is also about the rarity of the event since it comes but once a year like Christmas, so it is experienced as a special and outside of the mundane activities of [people’s] daily lives.”

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Schafer adds that kids love rituals and traditions to make them feel safe – so even though it is only once a year, it is still predictable and grounding.

“Hunts also mean you are having family time and have your parents full attention doing something silly, which is also becoming more of a challenge for busy families these days,” she says. “Too often we spend a few hours with our kids taking them to activities that they do with coaches and tutors while we wait and watch.”

So just before the Easter bunny takes his chocolate egg inventory, here are some fun alternative ideas for kids that don’t involve a chocolate prize – but are still equally delicious, fun and inventive.

Happy hunting!