For many, Easter is a time to celebrate faith and family while enjoying the trappings of spring. During the COVID-19 outbreak and social distancing measures, this Easter might be a little different for most families. Here are some activities to make it a little easier to still enjoy Easter with your loved ones.

Share Your Family Recipes

Like any great family gathering, the food usually takes center stage. Is it your dad’s famous honey-baked ham? Your grandma’s key lime pie? Don’t miss out on all your favorite staples! Compile a list of everyone’s dishes and send them out via text or email to the whole family. Have everyone try out creating the dishes in their own kitchens and enjoy a virtual meal with your whole family.

Not sure what to make? We really do think of everything! Try these healthy Easter brunch options or these delicious and refreshing strawberry shortcake English scones.

Host an Easter Egg Hunt

Invite the littlest members of your family to participate in a virtual egg hunt. This one takes a little bit of planning on the frontend. Make sure each family that is participating has some treats at home. As the host of the hunt, hide eggs around your house or yard in places that would be easy to see on FaceTime or Zoom. Turn the camera around so that the kids on the call can see your house or yard as you walk around. When they say they see an egg, pick it up and award the child who spotted it a point. At the end, count each child’s points and have their parents give them the treats that correspond to each virtual egg they found.

Attend an Online Church Service

Many churches have begun streaming their services for their congregations to enjoy virtually. If your family tradition is attending church to celebrate Easter, have the family tune into your church’s online service from their own homes. After the service, set up a Zoom call to discuss the message of Easter with your loved ones.

Reach Out to Your Elderly Relatives and Neighbors

The holidays can be a hard time to be away from family. During the coronavirus outbreak, the elderly population is highly at-risk and therefore has to practice social distancing from even those closest to them to prevent the spread. Make sure they feel loved on Easter (and every day) by connecting with them via text, call, FaceTime or Zoom. Here are some ideas for how to stay connected with the elderly during quarantine.

Create Your Own Dye for Easter Eggs

No need to run out to a grocery store for a fancy dye kit. You can make your own dye at home with what you already have in your pantry. All you need are eggs, vinegar and food coloring to make beautiful Easter eggs with your family. Check out this recipe for step-by-step instructions. Bonus: if you have vegetable oil on hand, jazz up your Easter eggs with a marble design using this recipe.

Support Small Businesses for Easter Basket Goodies

While the easiest way to provide an Easter basket for your kids is usually to pick up a pre-made one from the store, this year it is especially important to support small, local businesses instead. Get creative with your basket stuffings such as locally made candies, clothes from a small boutique or knick-knacks from a gift shop.

Have a Meet and Greet with the Easter Bunny

Does one of your family members own a bunny costume? They definitely get the cool relative award, if so. Forgo the usual pictures at the mall and set up a video chat to let the kids talk to the Easter bunny instead.

The information in this blog post is accurate at the time of publication. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to change, it's possible that information has changed since being published. While Ochsner Health is trying to keep our blog posts as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations by using the CDC website.