As we head into the Easter weekend, your plans and preparation are probably looking a lot different than they did last year. You may not even be sure how to approach the holiday with the current state of the world, but celebrating those good things is something we should all be trying to do every day.
On Monday, April 6th, Ontario premier Doug Ford addressed the province and offered some sage advice—keep your traditions alive, but please stay home.
And we think you should do just that. Find ways to keep your family traditions alive and well, while keeping your family alive and well. We’ve pulled together our favourite ways for you to make your Easter weekend special even though we’re all social distancing.
Send Easter cards
They might not get into the hands of your friends and family before Easter, but imagine the smile on your loved one’s face when they see it in the mailbox. Taking some time to sit down as a family and write a few cards or letters is a great way to not only keep your loved ones top of mind but to also brighten their spirits.
Get dressed up in your Sunday best
Did you already pick out your Easter outfits? Or maybe you even purchased something new for the kids. Easter weekend at home is still a good enough reason to get the kids all dressed up and to even do your hair (maybe). Act as if you’re going to your big family dinner and make sure everyone looks the part.
Decorate you home
A few streamers, maybe some balloons… decorating your home will make it feel like a fun exciting day and will bring some much needed variety to the place you’ve been spending 96.87% of all your time.
Have an egg hunt in your home, or online
Just because we all have to stay home, doesn’t mean the Easter Bunny has to. Set up an Easter egg hunt in your backyard, your living room, or whatever social distant space you have, and let the kids enjoy the most ingrained Easter tradition of all—finding (and eating) chocolate eggs.
And if you aren’t able to host a hunt in your house, take part in one of the many online Easter egg hunts happening virtually.
Whitefish Assembly in Montana hid 1,000 Easter eggs throughout their building. Using mapping software, they’ve created an engaging and entertaining experience for kids to find the eggs. There is even a special golden egg hidden, so keep your eyes out!
ABC Ya! has an online Easter egg hunt game that kids can play, as does Primary Games.
You can also plan your own in-home hunts and use Zoom, Google Hangouts, FaceTime or the like to share the excitement with friends and family while they have their own in-home Easter egg hunt.
Watch an Easter-themed movie
Dive into screen time and watch a movie that has an Easter theme. Netflix has Peter Rabbit and Christopher Robbin on offer, Disney+ has Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade and Prime video is a treasure trove of lesser-known Easter treats—The Dog Who Saved Easter, It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, The Easter Egg Adventure, and the 1977 classic The Easter Bunny.
Schedule a virtual hangout with your family and friends
Easter is a time where we usually spend our weekend with family and friends. And while you might not be able to be in the same room as them, there’s no reason you can’t spend time together. From a virtual Easter egg hunt to sharing dinner via online chat, of course, there are lots of great ways that you can involve your loved ones in your socially distant Easter celebrations.
Decorate Easter eggs
Break out the food colouring, paints or stickers and start decorating some eggs! This is such a classic Easter activity—if it is part of your yearly traditions, don’t skip it and if it isn’t, this year might be the perfect time to try your hand at dyeing some eggs. We love these Galaxy Easter Eggs, as well as these rice and food colouring eggs that are wonderfully simple—any age can participate! But our favourite for this year has to be this tutorial to use vegetable scraps to dye your eggs!
Make an Easter craft
If you aren’t all crafted out why not set up a fun Easter-themed craft for the kids? We love crafts that use things that you already have in the home, like these toilet paper roll chicks, paper plate easter bunnies, and Q-tip lambs. If you’ve got outdoor space, this paint-filled eggs on canvas craft is sure to be a big hit with the kids (and adults!).
Play Easter-themed games
Whether you’re inside or in your backyard, there are lots of fun Easter-themed games you can play as a family. Grab a few pillowcases and start your very own bunny hop sack race. Grab some spoons and some eggs and have an old-fashioned egg and spoon race (opt for plastic eggs to avoid a mess indoors!). Pin the tail on the bunny with this amazing printable from Ella Claire Inspired. Fill a jar full of jelly beans and let your family members guess how many are in the jar—this is a great one to open up to everyone in your life. Share an image of the jar online or share the jar during your family-wide video chat.
Plan a special meal
Don’t shy away from having a special family meal just because your family may feel a bit smaller. And while you’re at it, get the kids in the kitchen and make Easter dinner a family effort this year. (Don’t forget, they can help with the dishes, too!)
