Looking for a way to make Easter more meaningful? This Christ-centered Easter egg hunt is a simple and fun way to help your children focus on Jesus Christ—with a free printable to make it easy to set up.
This post may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
Easter is such a special time of year. It’s full of pastel colors, baskets, bunnies, and of course… egg hunts (see our favorite Easter egg hunt tips here). And honestly, those are some of the sweetest memories for kids—racing around to see how many eggs they can gather and what surprises are hidden inside.
But lately, I’ve been wondering how we can keep all of that joy while also helping our children focus on the true reason we celebrate Easter—Jesus Christ.
A Shift Towards a Christ-Centered Easter
I love holidays. They break up the humdrum of everyday life and give us something to look forward to, and Easter is no exception. It’s fun decorating with all the spring pretties—soft pastels, baskets, and bunnies—and enjoying the typical traditions like dyeing eggs and participating in an egg hunt.
But if I’m being honest, none of my Easter traditions really pointed to the reason for the season, which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
A few years ago, Gary E. Stevenson gave a talk about making Easter more Christ-centered. In it, he quoted New Testament scholar N. T. Wright:
“We should be taking steps to celebrate Easter in creative new ways: in art, literature, children’s games, poetry, music, dance, festivals, bells, special concerts. … This is our greatest festival. Take Christmas away, and in biblical terms you lose two chapters at the front of Matthew and Luke, nothing else. Take Easter away, and you don’t have a New Testament; you don’t have a Christianity.”
Wow. That really hit home with me.
There is so much emphasis on Christmas (which is wonderful), but Easter feels very small in comparison—especially when it comes to focusing on the Savior.
Since then, I’ve tried to be more intentional with our Easter decor. I’ve added simple reminders to our Easter mantel, like a “He is Risen” print and artwork of the empty tomb.
But I didn’t just want to decorate differently—I wanted our Easter experiences and traditions as a family to reflect Him too. And not just for a few days, but as a very meaningful, special season.
How to Put Christ at the Center of Easter
One new tradition we started last year was baking homemade bread and attaching “He is Risen” printable tags to each loaf. I thought—if we bake and deliver goodies during Christmas, why not do the same for Easter?
Such a simple way to spread a little Easter cheer!
This year, I wanted to build on that and create another tradition that would more intentionally point our hearts to Christ.
That reminded me of when our house was “egged”—don’t worry, it was just plastic eggs!
Someone had anonymously hidden eggs in our yard, along with a note sharing the good news that Christ had risen. One of the eggs was empty, representing the empty tomb.
My kids absolutely loved it.
And they already love what we call “elfing” (basically the same idea at Christmas—leaving a surprise on someone’s doorstep, ringing the bell, and running away as fast as you can!).
So I thought—this could be such a fun tradition to start for Easter.
But… I wanted it to go a little deeper. Something that would help my kids and others connect with the story of Easter in a way they could understand and remember.
Creating a Christ-Centered Easter Egg Hunt
I thought back to my mom and her incredible ability to create meaningful, spiritual moments for us.
One Easter, she gathered a few objects—a nail, a sacrament cup, 30 coins, a rock, other small items—and we talked about how each one pointed to Jesus Christ.
It was simple… but powerful.
Even as a child, it made Jesus feel more real to me—to hold something that represented His life.
So I thought—what if I combined those two ideas?
A Christ-centered Easter egg hunt—hiding eggs filled with symbols that point to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And that’s when everything started to come together.
What Makes This Easter Egg Hunt So Meaningful
Instead of just candy (you can absolutely still include candy!), each egg would also hold a symbol of Jesus Christ.
I wanted something simple and meaningful without needing to gather a bunch of physical objects or figure out how to fit them into eggs—something easy for both our family and others to do.
So I created a printable with beautiful illustrations of symbols that represent Jesus Christ—especially His final week and resurrection—along with a corresponding scripture for each one.
It makes the activity simple to put together and an inexpensive way to share with others.
My hope is that this simple activity becomes a meaningful way for your family to focus on Jesus Christ this Easter season.
As each egg is found, you can talk about what the symbol represents, how it connects to Christ, and read the scripture together.
Or, if you prefer, you can go through them all at the end as a family—even lining them up to walk through the story of Easter.
The artwork is beautiful, so even just seeing the symbols helps children become familiar with them.
It keeps all the fun and adds meaning.
How to Do This Easter Egg Hunt
We’ll be using this in two ways this year—both for our own family and as a surprise for others. But first, let’s talk supplies.
What You’ll Need
I’ve tried to make this as simple as possible to put together (because let’s be honest—nobody needs added stress), so here’s what you’ll need:
- Plastic eggs (jumbo size works best!)
- Christ-centered symbols printable (download below)
- Scissors
- Candy (optional)
1. Egging Other Families
My kids love what we call “elfing” during Christmas, so “egging” felt like a fun Easter twist.
We’ve chosen a few families we plan to “egg,” and instead of waiting until Easter, we’re starting on Palm Sunday—because I love the idea of making this a season, not just a day.
Inside each egg will be one of the Christ-centered symbol printables… and a piece of candy (hey—they’re kids!).
We’ll hide the eggs in their yard before church (yes… early morning!) as a fun way to build anticipation leading up to Easter and remember what this season is all about. We’ll also leave a loaf of homemade bread and a note explaining how many eggs to look for.
A simple, fun way to share the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ with others.
2. For My Own Family
On Palm Sunday, I plan to hide the eggs for my children—without candy this time (we’ll save that for our backyard Easter party the following week, where they’ll get plenty during our egg hunt!). Then after church, during our Sunday family study time, we’ll all go on an egg hunt.
Afterward, we’ll talk about what each symbol teaches us and read the corresponding scriptures, walking through the story of Easter.
It may take more than one sitting (depending on how many questions come up!), but I love the idea of doing this during the week leading up to Easter—giving us time to ponder and reflect without feeling rushed.
Sometimes when I try to fit too many meaningful things into one day, it’s hard to fully enjoy them, because I feel pressed for time.
We also plan to act out the resurrection story on Easter Sunday, just like we act out the nativity at Christmas.
Free Christ-Centered Easter Egg Hunt Printable
To help you become more intentional with your Easter, I’m sharing this Christ-centered Easter egg printable set for free. It includes:
- 15 beautifully illustrated symbolic images of Jesus Christ
- With coordinating scriptures
- A “He Is Risen” instruction page
The Easter printable includes two pages: one with 12 eggs, and another with three eggs and the “He is Risen” instruction page. They fit perfectly in jumbo plastic eggs, but you could also roll them up to fit into the smaller eggs if needed. Feel free to print as many copies as you need to spread the joy of the season to others!
Grab your free Christ-Centered Easter Egg printable below and print at home:
Download the Christ-Centered Easter Egg Printable Here
All designs are for personal use only. You may not forward, share, sell, or redistribute the file. Ownership and copyright of all designs and graphics contained in these files remain the property of AspenJay.
A Simple (& Fun) Way to Remember Him
I love that this takes a fun tradition and simply adds meaning to it. You can keep the candy if you’d like, while also including symbols that point back to Him. It’s an easy way to help our children (and ourselves) remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His great atoning sacrifice.
My hope is that this becomes something your family looks forward to each year—not just as an activity, but as a way to feel closer to Him.
And maybe… just maybe… it helps your children remember who Easter is really about—Jesus Christ.
If this is something you’d like to come back to, be sure to pin it to save for later so you can use it year after year!
This Christ-centered Easter egg hunt is wonderful and inspirational. Would it be OK if our Sunday School used it for their participants during the Easter season?
Of course Janette! 🙂