With Easter just around the corner, many parents will be getting ready to host an Easter Egg hunt. It’s a great chance for families to get creative, but parents of children with a disability know that these much-loved egg hunts aren’t always accessible. However, this doesn’t have to be the case.
Here, Emmie Harrison-West has rounded up 10 ‘cracking’ tips to help make your hunt both disability-friendly and fun for all children.
Have a hunt indoors or on flat terrain
Many families associate Easter egg hunts with chocolate delights hidden in bushes or amongst flower beds, but grass and gardens aren’t always accessible for children with limited mobility. Grass, stone, mud, and other rough terrains can be difficult for children with wheelchairs or crutches to navigate, so choosing to move the hunt indoors or to a wide, flat terrain could be easier. If you’re moving indoors, be sure to eliminate any obstacles and move furniture to the edges of the room.
Hide eggs at eye level
Children with mobility requirements can often find it difficult to turn their body or bend down, potentially missing eggs that are low-lying. Hiding eggs at eye level for children with disabilities can make them much easier to find – think about on TV cabinets, sofa cushions, benches, dining tables, garden walls, or shelves.
Attach baskets onto wheelchairs and walkers
Many children with limited mobility can’t hold a basket as they need to hold onto walkers or operate their wheelchair instead. Additionally, if a wheelchair user were to gather their finds in their lap, there’s a chance their eggs could fall off, or get crushed. Consider attaching or a basket or bag to the wheelchairs or walkers to help children with a disability gather their eggs easily – especially if there are lots of them to find!
Hide eggs with accessories
Visually impaired children may struggle to find eggs in the undergrowth or if they are too well hidden. Instead, you could hide treasures with accessories that make noises, guiding them with sound toward their finds. Hiding eggs with blinking, battery-operated tealights could also be helpful for children with hearing loss.
Make picking the eggs a game itself
Some children may find it difficult to bend or kneel to pick up eggs. One option is to place eggs in a handled basket for them to hook, or use magnets attached to the egg and one on a long stick to make picking up the prizes a game in itself, this is fun for all types of ability.
Extendable hand-grabbers
This is perhaps the most expensive option on this list, but investing in extendable hand grabbers (those with rubber tips are best) could be helpful for children with mobility issues. With this handy device, you can hide eggs high or low, pegging them to washing lines or hiding them in the curtains!
Set a limit
Ready, set… go! There’s no denying that a gaggle of excited children can be chaotic once your Easter egg hunt begins, and many children with mobility or sight issues can be left behind. This makes it even more important to encourage children to share and be kind, by setting a limit for egg collecting. By doing this, it guarantees goodies for all children. Set a limit to how many eggs a child can collect by painting or wrapping your eggs in a range of colours, assigning a different one to each child.
Create a treasure map or recite clues to children
You could help children work as a team to find eggs by creating a treasure map or reciting clues to where you’ve hidden their chocolatey goods. This encourages teamwork, ensuring that nobody gets left behind. There’s no need to go overboard – a simple piece of A4 paper, decorated with a fun design will do.
Hide eggs in sensory boxes instead
Easter egg hunts can be overwhelming for children with extra needs, but it doesn’t mean they need to miss out on all the fun. You can fill up empty shoe boxes with sensory items like pasta, rice, water, or packing peanuts, and then hide eggs in them for children to fish out. This is a fun, unique, and inexpensive way to adapt an accessible Easter egg hunt.
Whether you hold your egg hunt indoors or outside in the garden, with these tips under your belt, you can make it accessible to all. And of course, the main thing is to remind your mini hunter-gatherers that it’s not a competition, but a chance to play and have fun together. Happy hunting!
About the Scheme
The Motability Scheme makes leasing a car an easy, hassle-free experience. With the Scheme, you can exchange part or all of your qualifying mobility allowance to lease a brand-new vehicle of your choice. Insurance, breakdown assistance, servicing and maintenance are already arranged and included in the price you pay, so you can enjoy the freedom that comes with a worry-free lease.
Read more about the types of vehicle available to lease through the Motability Scheme
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