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Over the last several weeks, we’ve collectively tried to adjust, understand, and even embrace a new normal. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has uprooted our way of life. Kids are home from school and many parents are working from home or unable to work at all. Many are also now tasked with the logistics of how to celebrate Easter during a global pandemic.
Why it's important to celebrate Easter
1. Maintain a sense of normalcy during the holiday. This is especially important during difficult times. If your family is the type that tends to go all out during the holidays, it will likely be difficult to keep up with those expectations. There are ways, however, to incorporate family traditions with a twist to help your kids feel as though they aren’t missing out.
“Sharing memories helps children feel connected to their family, and to their past,” child development expert Denise Daniels told Mom.com. “It provides a sense of security, stability, and continuity. It also offers a sense of comforting reassurance during times of crisis.”
Darcy Zalewski, mom of two, shared how her family is adjusting to this new normal this year. “We usually go to my mother-in-law’s house for Easter,” she told Mom.com. “So this year, she is planning to do a porch drop-off of cooked ham and a few sides plus baskets for the kids. My kids will be waiting by the window to wave, blow kisses, and give air hugs to her.”
2. Ask your kids how they want to celebrate Easter. Easter celebrations often center around the kids, so be sure to get them involved in the planning as much as possible. We’re all regularly being inundated with press conferences, escalating statistics, and petty arguing on social media right now. Our kids can see that we’re preoccupied. Take time out to acknowledge their opinions and let them take the lead. This extends beyond the home, but within the community as well, including online church services.
“Since we can’t get to church, we’re innovating from home,” Brandi Riley — mom of a tween and a toddler — told Mom.com. “Some of the kids at our church are recording Easter readings. They’ll be edited together as a video and shared on Sunday as part of our church’s livestream.”
A new twist on Easter traditions
3. Switch things up for Easter dinner. Getting dressed up for Easter is likely not on the list of things most children like to do but suffer through for the promise of chocolate bunnies and Easter egg hunts. Since many of us are having a difficult time finding popular items in the grocery store, consider breaking from tradition and enjoying a fun takeout meal instead. This will save parents hours in the kitchen and provides a fun, new element to an otherwise unusual time for families.
“We are focusing this year on ensuring that the kids have fun rather than having things like a formal dinner for the adults,” mom of two Krystal Chiarolla told Mom.com. “We plan to order from a locally owned Mexican restaurant. It isn’t traditional ham and potatoes for us but we would rather support someone local to us.”
Daniels further encouraged parents, “The important thing to remember is that rituals and traditions may be tweaked over the years to suit your family’s needs. The memories you create for your family during this unprecedented Easter will later become part of a treasured family memory.”
4. Get together with family members through technology. Tech solutions have been a popular way for families to reconnect during this crisis. Schedule some time to get the extended family online. Share a virtual meal together or take part in a TikTok dance challenge.
New ways to celebrate Easter with your kids
5. Consider a virtual egg hunt. If you’re wondering how to celebrate Easter when you can’t go anywhere, get creative. Neighbors are coming together to create virtual Easter egg hunts.
Some families are taking the virtual egg hunt a step further. “We’re doing a family virtual Easter egg hunt. Coloring pictures of Easter eggs, hiding them in our house and taking selfies with them hidden but in sight and trying to find the eggs in each others’ pictures,” Cyn Gagen told Mom.com.
6. Get crafting with food. If you’re looking for fun ways to celebrate Easter with kids, look no further than your Easter candy. Spending all this extra time at home can also allow us the time and space to work on fun DIY Easter projects. Tina Harper shows how to make DIY Edible Slime from Marshmallow Peeps on her YouTube channel. Now is the perfect opportunity to get creative and make special memories with your kids.
While the full weight of what this global pandemic holds for our future remains unknown, many families are choosing to embrace the Easter spirit of hope that can only come with faith that this too shall pass.
