Hidden Treasures “Sans Mr. Bunny” (Ages 3-8)
Next to Christmas, probably the next most magical and exhilarating moment a child in a Christian family experiences is finding hidden eggs on Easter Sunday. The adrenaline that flows at the anticipation of finding them, and the explosive surge of pure happiness when he or she finds them, makes merely thinking about an egg hunt as vivid as the real thing.
So why limit your children to this feeling just once a year? No, you don’t need to summon the Easter Bunny to your home once a week, like we once did the milkman. There are some everyday ways to give your children that “hidden eggs” feeling, sans Mr. Bunny.
You can, for instance, draw a picture of something they really want, such as a piece of cake, toy car, or stuffed animal. Cut the picture into four squares and hide the pieces around the house. When they are all retrieved, the children get the actual reward.
You can buy a nominal trinket they really want and place it under a box. Add a number of empty boxes (maybe10) around it. Tell them that when you spot them being, or doing something good, they can pick a box. If they pick an empty box, they have increased their chances the next time.
As you will find out, B. F. Skinner was right about motivating good behavior with random positive reinforcement. Here are more ideas you don’t need Mr. Bunny for:
1. Are you ready to take a break from the children? Break open a roll of pennies and scatter them all over the backyard. “No, that’s only 47. You have three to go.”
2. When siblings are fighting over something, it’s game time. Hide the item and the first to find it, gets it. (Right, make it impossible.)
3. Are the children fighting over who will help mix the cake batter and who will frost the cake? Hide the items and, well, you get the idea.
4. Hide a number of different objects under boxes. Let them see you hide them. Then ask them which box an object is under. (Somewhat like the game show Concentration.)
Hide a ticking clock, and hear it out. Hide a fresh brownie, and sniff it out. Hide a particular book, and read it to them when they find it. You are only limited by your imagination.
And Mr. Bunny, you don’t have to worry; you will still have a job once a year.
Rex Bowlby is the father of two boys. He is the author of the book, Why Would I Want the Toy, When I Can Have the Box? (101 Ways to Make the Most of Your Children, With the Least from Your Wallet*) *For parents with children ages 3-8. He lives in Los Angeles, California, USA.