Easter Egg Hunts originated in the 17th century in Germany. Children wake up on a Sunday morning to search for colourful chocolate eggs around the garden. The night before Easter, the Easter Bunny will meticulously place the bundles of joy high up in trees, below couches, in flower bushes or on a little one’s pillow, readily awaiting someone to discover them. Whilst the hunt brings us all happiness, it encourages our bodies to work hard with a physiotherapy benefit too. Let us all crack open the importance of an Easter Egg hunt.
- Physical activity: Easter Egg Hunts encourage children to get up, run around, bend down, reach up, or even hop around while searching for their chocolates. This increases the child’s cardiovascular endurance, builds muscle strength, and improves flexibility.
- Balance and coordination: When a child finds a hidden treasure on the top of a tree branch, they must plan and coordinate how to retrieve the egg. They might have to travel through bushes and obstacles to get to the tree first. The child will stand on one leg while reaching up with their arms, possibly climbing up the tree with a yummy prize. This encourages precision and good balance so the child does not fall down the rabbit hole. Different eggs have various textures, sizes and shapes. This promotes using different hand grasps, which challenges the child’s coordination.
- Problem-solving: During the Easter Egg Hunt, the child may encounter unexpected obstacles and must think and work out how to tackle the problem. This encourages cognitive flexibility, which is essential in rehabilitation and in completing typical daily tasks.
- Social interaction and well-being: Easter is a time of year when friends and family come together to celebrate. Completing the Easter Egg hunt with others encourages teamwork and develops social skills. Physical activity also releases endorphins, which boosts children’s happiness.
- Exploration: Children learn through play. By navigating along the trail the Easter Bunny left, the child learns how to hop, jump, run, reach, and play on different terrains, which helps the child discover new environments.
The famous Easter Egg Hunt is more than just a joyful experience but rather takes a child on an exciting journey through which the Easter Bunny places physiotherapy eggs around your garden. These treasures are physical activity, balance and co-ordination, problem solving, social interaction, exploration and the improvement of the well-being of your little one.
Happy Easter and Happy Hunting!
