8 Ways to Celebrate Easter During the COVID-19 Lockdown

I can’t remember a single Easter in my life that didn’t include attending church. For many of us, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this Easter will include a number of “firsts” in regards to how we celebrate.

Thankfully, even for folks under the most stringent stay-at-home orders, there are ways to celebrate. Here are 8 ways to make Easter special while practicing social distancing.

How to celebrate Easter during a pandemic lockdown

Stream a church service

If you regularly attend church, then you likely already know how your church is using technology to meet and stay connected while congregants remain safe in their homes. Take advantage of this technology to “attend” Easter services and celebrate the Resurrection with your church family. (I purchased Easter dresses for my girls a couple of months ago and I think I’ll go ahead and dress them in these even though we’ll be attending church from our living room!) If you don’t regularly attend church, then don’t hesitate to call a local church and get details on how you can stream a service on Easter. I’m certain they’d be happy for you to join them!

Videoconference with loved ones

For many families, gathering together is an important part of celebrating Easter. Though this can’t happen this year, it doesn’t mean we must remain disconnected from our families. There are many videoconferencing options (Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, etc.) that allow us to see and connect with family and friends! Make plans to spend some time together on Easter (perhaps even share a meal together). You can even use my 20 questions to ask around the Easter table to generate meaningful conversation.

Prepare a special meal

If your family is anything like mine, then food is an important part of your holidays. Stores across the country still have unpredictable stocks of many food items, so families may or may not be able to make traditional Easter foods. However, we can take whatever we have access to and make a special brunch or supper.

Because many of us are at home looking for things to keep us busy, this might be a great time to try to make homemade varieties of some traditional Easter foods including hot cross buns and carrot cake!

Read Easter-themed books

We usually get a bunch of Easter books from the library in the weeks before Easter. Our libraries are closed, of course, but thankfully our library system offers a couple of apps that allow patrons to check out ebooks and audiobooks. Check with your library system to see if they offer these because they are a great way to have access to new books during lockdown. It’s not the same as having print books (it’s much harder for kids to see the pictures and they miss turning the pages), but it allows us to access some great books about Easter. Of course, if you have an eReader, you can always consider purchasing some books to read on it.

Watch Easter-themed movies

Another activity that can be enjoyed from home is streaming movies. There are many Easter movies available, so families can make some popcorn and gather around the TV for a movie night!

Have an egg hunt

If you have Easter eggs on hand, are able to get some of these, or have real eggs to dye, then you can have an Easter egg hunt. Hide them in your house or in your yard and let your kids have fun searching for them. If you don’t have eggs and aren’t able to get any, then you can cut eggs out of paper or hide something else. For example, you can hide puzzle pieces and then work together to assemble the puzzle once you’ve found all of the pieces.

Complete Easter crafts

Pull out the crayons, markers, paper, and glue to make some Easter crafts! Things you have around the house, such as cereal boxes, egg cartons, and water bottles, also make great craft supplies. Search using your favorite search engine or Pinterest to find ideas.

One idea I really like for this Easter-at-home is to paint a stained glass window. I’ve seen pictures on social media as people have painted these in their homes. Using painter’s tape and washable paint, you can create an Easter-themed design (such as a cross) and let your kids paint a temporary stained glass window in your home! See an example here.

Go on a scavenger hunt

My girls love going on scavenger hunts during which we diligently search for specific items. This week we will go on a walk and complete the spring scavenger hunt that I included in my spring worksheets for preschoolers. Scavenger hunts like this are great because they allow you to get out of the house, but you don’t have to come into contact with anyone. I’ve found two others that are specific to Easter. One is designed to be completed indoors and one outdoors.

Final thoughts

I don’t think any of us planned on spending Easter under a pandemic lockdown. Many of you aren’t just facing a lockdown; you’re facing illness or job loss (if you’d like prayer for specific needs, please let me know). Regardless of what you’re facing, I hope you are able to take a bit of time to reflect on the Resurrection and connect (at a distance, of course) with loved ones.

I’d love to hear your ideas! How are you making Easter special while under a stay-at-home order?

Shared at the following:

Farm Fresh Tuesday, Busy Monday, Over the Moon, and Encouraging Hearts and Home.