The Easter Egg Roll is the name given to an annual event held at the White House on Easter Monday. The Easter Egg Roll is for kids aged 13 years or younger. During the event, the children play a game where they roll hard-boiled eggs across the White House lawn.
Never fear, you don’t need to take your kids to the Washington D.C. to enjoy this fun event. You can host your own Easter Egg Roll and make it a wonderful experience for the kids. To make your event merrier, invite your children’s classmates, family members, or neighborhood friends.
Hosting your own Easter Egg Roll can be low maintenance with a little advanced planning. In this guide, we will not only show you how to host your own Easter Egg Roll, but we will also discuss factors to consider if you want to keep things convenient and hassle-free. Let’s get started!
Factors to Consider Before You Host Your Own Easter Egg Roll
Here are the things you will want to consider before inviting anyone to your event.
The Age of the Participants
The age range of your participants is essential to the success of an Easter Egg Roll. If you have children across several age groups, have them play the game according to their age. Doing this will prevent instances the older kids from having an unfair advantage over the younger ones.
An Easter Egg Roll is fun for children and adults of all ages. Encourage everyone to participate. Children will love seeing their parents taking a turn on the course.
The Location of the Event
Easter Egg Rolls are generally held outdoors, on a grassy area. However, the weather is one of the significant concerns with hosting this event outdoors.
For instance, if it starts to pour during the race, you may be forced to interrupt it, which will be a disappointment. So, check the weather forecast to ensure that the weather on the day you choose will be perfect for the event. You can also host this event indoors, but it will require a fair amount of space, so keep that in mind.
If you plan to host a small event rather than a large one, an indoor setting will be suitable. Events with more people are best hosted in an outdoor space because they allow participants to move around freely.
Real v. Plastic Eggs
Will you use real or plastic Easter eggs for your get-together? There are pros and cons for using each during an Easter Egg Roll.
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Real Eggs-Pros:
- festive and fun
- you an dye and decorate to suit your event
- heavier than plastic eggs, so some think they are easier to roll
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Real Eggs-Cons:
- they can break causing participants frustration during the race
- broken egg pieces will need to be cleaned up before the next race can begin
- you will need to prepare your eggs close to your event so they do not spoil (not much advance prep time)
- you will have to keep your eggs refrigerated to stay fresh-you will need plenty of refrigerator space
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Plastic Eggs-Pros:
- you can prepare these well in advance and they are easy to store
- they are very durable and won’t break when rolled
- reusable year after year
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Plastic Eggs-Cons:
- lighter weight than a real hard-boiled egg so some think they may be more difficult to roll
- lighter weight may cause them to roll away on their own in the wind (Pro-tip: add a small rock to each plastic egg if it’s a windy day)
The Event Date
The Easter holiday means different things to different people, which you should consider, especially if you plan to invite several families to your event.
Many people plan to spend Easter with their families. Often, these traditions may include going to church on Easter Sunday. So, you should choose a date that people will have free time to attend.
Keep in mind you don’t have to host your event during the busy Easter weekend when your guests may have a full calendar of annual traditions. We recommend choosing the Saturday or Sunday afternoon immediately proceeding Easter.
You may want to consider scheduling the event for Easter Monday, which often seems like the appropriate day for an Easter roll. The famous White House Easter Egg Roll holds on the same day. However, some of your guests may have work or school, so be sure to take that into consideration as well.
Prizes for the Participants
Only the first, second, and third winners receive prizes during most races. But you can do something different at your event by giving something to every participant. Your potential participants will be motivated to join the race when they know every participant gets a gift at the finish line.
Even if you decide to give each person a prize, you may still choose to award the most significant rewards to the top three participants. More importantly, ensure that the gifts are age-appropriate for your participants.
We recommend Easter stickers, a small box of sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, or bubbles for younger children. A fun beach towel, silly Easter glasses, or $5 gift cards are fun for teens. Choose what works best for your age groups.
In the Know: What to Do With Leftover Easter Eggs?
Gather Your Supplies
Before the big day be sure you have gathered all of the appropriate supplies. The quantities will depend on how many people you plan to invite to your event. The good news is you don’t need that many items so this is an event you can likely host on a budget We recommend you get the following items ready prior to the day of your event.
Easter Eggs
Make sure you have plenty of eggs for your event. Plan for a few to get lost or broken. If you plan to host an Easter Egg Roll for 10 children we recommend 15 eggs. If you plan to have 5 children go with 10 eggs, and for extra large groups (100 or more) add 10% more eggs than children.
You can use real or plastic eggs. The choice is yours.
Large Spoons
Your guests will need a spoon to roll their egg through the course-since using their hands is not allowed. You can buy festive wooden spoons in bright colors or use spoons you already have around the house. This all depends on how many people you plan to include in your Easter Egg Roll.
Tape or Rope
You will need brightly colored painter’s tape or rope to outline your course. You want players to easily identify the starting line, finish line, etc.
Prizes
Prizes for participants or winners are a fun addition to this event. Choose items that are age-appropriate. We love the idea of using mini trophies. (Pro-tip: you can make your own trophy using a soup can with a plastic egg glued on top. Spray paint and add some text. Consider, “Easter Egg Roll Champion 202#” or “#1.”
Prepare Your Easter Egg Roll Course
Step 1 – Mark the Starting Line
As with most races, you will need a starting line for your Easter Egg Roll. This is where you will position the participants before the race begins.
To create the starting line for your race, you can use tape, spray paint or lay a cord on the lawn. Consider using light-colored tapes and ropes to make it easy for your participants to identify the boundary, so everyone starts the race from the same point.
Step 2 – Mark the Finish Line
A finish line is also necessary for participants to know where the race ends. Use the same material you used to create your starting line for your finish line.
But before you do that, you need to determine how far the starting line will be from the finish line. Please consider the age of the kids racing before you set a distance, You can use 5 feet for kids below five years and up to 15 feet for the older kids.
Step 3 – Create the Lanes
Now that you have a start and finish line, the next step is to create the lanes. Creating lanes in your Easter Roll event will help prevent chaos and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to reach the finish line.
Create the lanes with the same material you used for the start and finish line. Also, ensure that they are evenly spaced.
Step 4 – Gather Your Participants at the Starting Line
Before the race begins, choose how participants will play the game and demonstrate. You can decide how each participant will roll their eggs across the lawn. Participants can use a large handled spoon to push the eggs or crawl on their hands and knees using their noses or elbows to roll the eggs. Bonus-everyone doesn’t have to do it the same way. You can choose to have different age groups do it different ways. Pro-tip: grab some outdoor plastic cones to use as obstacles for adults or teens.
Step 5 – Explain the Rules
Give instructions to all of the players so they know the rules of the game.
- The object of the game is to have your egg cross the finish line the quickest.
- Players must stay in their ow lanes.
- No one may use their hands. Only spoons may touch the eggs.
- Players may start rolling their eggs when they hear the signal (a whistle or an announcement)
- Good sportsmanship is expected.
Step 6- Let the Race Begin
The participants should start rolling their eggs across the course as soon as the organizer shouts, “On your mark, get set, go!” The winner is the child who crosses the finish line with their egg first.
Final Thoughts
Hosting an Easter Egg Roll is a fun addition to your Easter celebrations. Do one along with your annual Easter Egg Hunt this year or host a separate event altogether. No matter how you execute an Easter Egg Roll your family and friends are guaranteed to have a fun time! Now…get rolling!
