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8 Ways to Celebrate Easter at Home

Being homebound doesn’t have to make your holiday any less special.

Social distancing requirements will keep you from a neighborhood egg hunt, but there are so many other ways to make Easter fun at home. Here, we’ve rounded up several ideas for making the most out of the holiday this year.

1. Plan Your Day Together

Having a routine is helpful during a time that’s filled with so much uncertainty. It can be special to plan a day together as a family. From pulling together all the details of your Easter brunch menu to writing out games and crafts you want to complete, set aside a half hour or so to come up with a plan. Consider decorating the plan and hanging it up on your fridge or pinning it to your bulletin board so you can reference it throughout the day.

2. Make Your Egg Hunt Colorful (and Fair!)

Searching for eggs on Easter morning is a tradition most kids look forward to. Even though community egg hunts are cancelled, you can still host your own in your front or backyard. To keep your kids on their toes, assign a couple of specific colors to each of your children. They’ll have to search the yard for only the color they were assigned. This makes an ordinary egg hunt a bit more challenging and limits the number of fights that could potentially result in one sibling finding more eggs. Use plastic or decorated hard-boiled eggs and hide them between bushes, tucked inside low branches, throughout the grass, or behind play structures and trampolines. You can also add some fun by hiding one large egg that has a golden ticket stashed inside—whoever finds it first gets a special treat!

If you’re in an apartment or townhouse and you want to make the hunt a bit more challenging, consider hiding jelly beans inside rather than large, easy to spot eggs.

3. Make an Elaborate Easter Brunch

Lindsey Morgan, owner of Bello & Blue Events, says this is the perfect opportunity to appreciate the quality time we’re getting with our loved ones. “We are getting to spend so much time together now that we’re all at home a lot more. Try to focus on family involvement and the importance of being together by working as a team to make something special,” says Morgan.

One idea: Make a fancy brunch with the help of your own personal sous chefs. As you plan out your day, ask your little ones what type of food they would be excited to make with you on Easter morning. Suggest simple recipes since groceries are somewhat limited right now. If they need a little inspiration or if you’d like to avoid some wacky responses, print out photos of different options for them to choose from, or scroll through Pinterest together. Once you land on a decision, work together to make a tasty family meal. Psst: Don’t forget to set up a mimosa bar for you and your spouse!

Have your kids craft their own placemats using cardstock, colored pencils, stickers, and other art supplies before they set the table, or let them pick flowers from your yard to put in a vase. Rather eat outside? Let them venture out to find the perfect spot in your yard to lay out a blanket for a special Easter picnic.

Don’t forget to indulge in some dessert! Olive & Finch Eatery and Bakery is selling decorate-it-yourself cookie kits complete with a dozen sugar cookies, icing, and sprinkles for $35. Happy Bake Shop in Denver is open from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Easter Sunday if you’d rather pick up your favorite treats.

4. Play Outdoor Games

Getting outside during this new (temporary) normal is a great way to bring some happiness and positivity to your family’s life. The opportunities for play are endless, but to really hit home with the Easter theme, try to coordinate activities that have subtle hints to the holiday. Put together a family egg toss, compete in an egg and spoon race, or test your skills with an egg roll (players try to roll eggs back and forth to each other without cracking them).

5. Focus on Mother Nature

Morgan suggests you also use this time to connect with nature, especially now that the weather is getting nicer. One tradition you could start: Plant a tree or rose bush in your yard every Easter. Your kids will love watching the tree change and grow, and after a few years, your yard will serve as a reminder of all the special memories you made together. You could also start your own garden full of colorful flowers and fresh fruits and veggies.

6. Get Crafty

After spending some time outside, unwind by making a simple Easter craft. Several of our easy-to-make activities only require a few supplies but will keep your kids busy for a good chunk of time. Display your child’s creations in the windows at the front of your house for neighbors to see as they walk or drive by.

Another simple way to add some cheer to your neighbors’ day is by hiding plastic eggs all over your front yard. Make and hang a sign that says, “Can you spot 12 eggs?” Kids walking down your street will love the activity and it’s something anyone with plastic eggs can do. Don’t have any? Paint rocks with acrylic paint or nail polish and hide those.

Another way you can make your house feel festive is by following the German tradition known as Ostereierbaum. Snip a small branch from a flowering bush in your yard, add it to a vase that’s filled with water, then hang decorative egg ornaments from each of the branches. If you don’t have any ornaments on hand, try making your own garland with ribbon or by stringing candy together to create your own decor.

7. Connect with Family and Friends

Google Hangouts and Zoom have been popular as we’ve all been separated, so take some extra time to call your extended family or friends from your child’s school or sports team. You can even coordinate the time you call so you can all share a meal together or play a virtual game. Remind your kids that although we’re all doing our part by social distancing, there are still fun ways to communicate with the people we love—even on a holiday.

8. Make it a Party

Now more than ever it’s becoming clear that we should all be celebrating the little things in life, and Easter is no exception. Turn the holiday into a full-blown party by making your own paper bag piñatas. Fill each bag with candy and little prizes before blowing air into them. Tie them with string or ribbon and hang them from a tree or between two posts outside. Watch as your kids get out some of their pent-up energy as they whack the bags with a stick or bat to break them open.

After that, bake some cupcakes together and let your kids decide how they’d like to decorate them. You could also put up streamers or garland to make your house feel more festive, wrap a couple of small gifts or treats for your kids to open, or play dress up together. Some of these things might seem silly to you, but your kids will always remember the unique Easter they had.

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