A year ago the pandemic threatened our Easter traditions and we were thrust into uncharted waters. Now a year later many of us will still be missing out on our "traditional" Easter celebrations. One thing remains, the meaning of Easter is unwavering, and for that we are grateful. Here are five quick and easy Easter traditions that you can start today, that are pandemic friendly, but timeless! Traditions are about creating activities that you do every year. Try to choose just one or two ideas to incorporate. If you try to shake things up too much, then you might get overwhelmed and lose steam for the following years.
1. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
Head out to your local hardware store or craft store and pick up a few terra cotta pots, acrylic paints, potting soil, and fresh flowers. As a family decorate the pots and deliver them to your neighbors to spread Easter cheer and brighten their day! Consider painting a different theme each year to make a collection! Some designs to consider are painting the cross, a palm leaf, spring flower, or a bunny. Maybe you can make it look like an Easter egg or paint scripture or words like Blessings, He Is Risen (you can use a sharpie for this!). There is nothing sweeter than little ones delivering handmade gifts to an adult with a smile on their faces! Or we have also heard of the "you've been egged" tradition where you can deliver an anonymous gift basket to a neighbor with a card that says, you've been egged! See last weeks blog where we show you how to fold an easy basket out of wrapping paper!
2. HE IS RISEN
Gift your child a new kite or spend some time crafting one! Then head outside to fly it! Too windy? Consider a bubble blowing activity and make bubbles that rise to the heavens! You can use this time to talk to your child about the meaning of Easter and the phrase "He Is Risen".
3. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER
This tradition works better with older children. Consider stuffing your plastic Easter eggs with puzzle pieces instead of candy. Each family member works individually to find the hidden eggs and together you can work to build the puzzle. You can use this opportunity to talk about how we are each God's children and we can do amazing things when we work together and share our strengths with one another. We were each crafted individually by God, and only God knows every piece to this “puzzle” and though we cannot ever fully comprehend every piece, we can find peace knowing that God knows and can put us/me back together when we are/I am struggling and things aren’t going quite how I/we pictured them to work out. When the puzzle is complete write the year on in the inside of the box cover. Have everyone write their name and a personal message that reflects on the way God has helped over the past year, or a favorite memory from the year to remember.
4. OUR WALK
We are god's children and have chosen to walk the path of God. Every Easter create a stepping stone for your garden with your child's footprint imprinted in the cement to show how their love of God is growing! Don't have a garden? Do painted footprints in a keepsake album! On the first page decorate it with the words, "Our Family's Walk with God" and each year stamp each family member's foot into the book and along with it write a note reflecting on the year and how God lead you over the past year.
5 TEACHING OUR LITTLES
Using a few eggs and some visuals to help tell the Resurrection story can be an effective way to help even the youngest littles understand. We love this short version from Happy Home Fairy which helps keeps toddlers engaged and is a fun activity. To begin you only need 6 plastic eggs, a bread crumb, small picture of a cross, strip of cloth, a rock, and some candy. Fill each one with the listed items and use the guide below to explain their signifiance. For older kids, refer to the Bible verse listed as well.
BONUS IDEAS!
throw back to the "Porch-raits" of 2020 - why not repeat the same family portrait every year from here on out! looking back you can remember exactly when the tradition started!
for kids who are allergic to eggs, try making vegan egg-shaped cookies with vegan white royal icing then let them paint on the cookies with diluted food dye to create a watercolor cookie perfect for Easter!
bunny olympics or training camp - create a series of games to compete in, like hopping through an obstacle course, egg toss, bunny long jump, egg carry (spoon in mouth balancing egg), and more!
scavenger hunt - write a series of clues to lead your child to their easter basket
bunny's been here clues
feed the bunny - leave carrots and a note for the Easter Bunny!
get creative with your food on Easter - bunny shaped pancakes or sandwiches, bunny shaped cinnamon rolls or biscuits, carrot muffins, carrot soup, carrot cake, etc.
create a prayer tree and hang Easter eggs on it, inside each egg children can add prayer requests
deliver Easter baskets to the local nursing home
Let us know which ideas you love!