We do not have family to spend Easter with. Our family consists of my husband, our 5 year old daughter and me. If it were up to my husband, we would not do anything different than any other day. His family never made a big deal out of holidays. My family was the opposite, holidays were a big event were the entire family came together for the day.
Unfortunately, over the years, my extended family has broken up and no longer get together like they used to. Instead they spend time with their immediate family only. My parents are divorced. My father is no longer interested in participating in events and my mother is a waitress, so she has to work.
So, I need some ideas on how to make the day special for my 5 year old daughter. Is anything open on Easter besides resturants? In the past I made food, we have had a little Easter egg hunt (in our back yard or living room depending on the weather), and daughter did crafts.
I would just like to do something fun for her.
why not go out for an early dinner? You will be among a lot of other people and it could be quite fun!
what's wrong with your past plans? they sound very nice to me.
a special dinner, a little easter basket, an egg hunt, some fun activities.....what's not to love?
and of course, dyeing eggs! heck, my hulking sons, both in their 20s, come streaming back to the farm, dogs and girlfriends in tow, to dye eggs!
surely your husband, even if he's not a big holiday guy, can get into the sweetness of a 5 year old doing an egg hunt, can't he?
khairete
S.
Plan a scavenger hunt in addition to Easter Egg hunt with games and crafts for prizes that you can do throughout the day.
Bake egg shaped cookies for her to frost.
Buy one of the gingerbread house kits for Easter at Target for her to decorate.
Remember the night before to put out carrots for the Easter bunny to eat.
Many churches have breakfasts and other gatherings that day.
Sounds like what you've been doing is great. With my family we have an easter egg hunt and food, generally a ham. Do you belong to a church? Our church has an easter egg hunt. So does our zoo, although it isnt traditional. They have giant easter eggs in exhibits and as you go look at the animals you keep track of where you see them and then there are prizes at the end. It's the day before easter, but it's fun.
We also color easter eggs. I love doing that with my dd.
Remind your husband that this is part of the joys of being a child and insist that he at least put on a supportive, happy face. You don't have to go all-out for the meal just make it maybe something nicer than a usual Sunday night dinner that everyone would enjoy. Maybe you all (including husband) make some Easter shaped cookies to decorate along with eggs. That, in and of itself, would be a fun activity that she will remember. Easter isn't about being with extended family it is about being together with YOUR family no matter how big or small.
SO MANY churches have egg hunts open to the community. Start researching now. Color your own eggs the night before and hide them so she can find them in the morning. make a special breakfast and have an Easter basket of goodies waiting for her when she wakes up.
Hubby works weekends so this year we'll be doing a glow in the dark egg hunt (hosted by mom and dad since it will be the night before easter). Put glow bracelets into eggs and tape them shut!
We will also be dying eggs...saw on Pinterest you can use food coloring mixed with shaving cream (a big fav in our house) so I think we'll try that one this year!
We will also be 'planting' jelly beans in dirt (inside) a pot this year and on easter, large circular Lollipops will have 'sprouted' (another Pinterest idea).
We go to chuch with my family and then have lunch with them. We do an early dinner with hubby's family. Kids get easter baskets from us and both sets of grandparents.
Before we moved back to FL to be with family, we were usually on our own for Easter. The night before my husband and I would hide 15-20 eggs all over the house and leave an empty basket by our son's bed. When he woke up in the morning, he hunted the house for the eggs and then came to wake us up and show us his loot. My husband made Belgian waffles while he opened his basket and we headed off to Mass.
We usually spent the afternoon playing with his new Spring toys and then dinner was filet and crab legs with several sides (my son LOVES them) and cheesecake for dessert.
Nothing "super special", but a "dialed up" version of our Sundays.
Most communities have an Easter egg hunt. Check with your community center, city offices or Parks & Rec dept.
I would look for a community egg hunt, usually offered before Easter Sunday.
If you do not typically attend church, then I would go straight to baskets in the AM, and an Easter brunch, either at a restaurant (ask around) or make something at home. If you do not have family around, consider inviting a friend with kids to come over.
If your mom has to work AM or PM, see if you can see her (even if just for a short visit) when she is not working. Have your DD make her a small gift and deliver it. Maybe be sneaky and have it waiting for her when your mom gets home.
What we will do is I will go to the sunrise service at 6. Then we will do a basket for DD (she hunts a few eggs in the house and finds her basket) and then we will try to go to my mom's church for their service. I am torn on that as now DD has friends in our own church, and last year it was such a rush to try to get to Mom's church that we missed it. Then we go to Mom's for a special lunch, see my sister and her family and have a small gathering without all the cousins, etc.
I would start the morning with a church service, even if you don't belong to a church. Find one to visit. The music is lively, the message uplifting and the service is usually short. Then a nice brunch or mid-afternoon meal, either at home or at a restaurant. What about watching the movie, "Hop?" I haven't seen it for a couple of years, but I thought it was really cute. We do an egg hunt every year even though my kids are now teenagers. Maybe either you or your husband could hide the eggs and whichever parent isn't the hider could participate in the hunt with her to add a little friendly competition. We use those plastic eggs and fill them with coins or small gift certificates. We used to put stickers and candy in them when the kids were younger.
If you want to make it a fun weekend the Minnesota Zoo opens its Farm Babies exhibit on March 29. I don't think they are open on Easter Sunday (or at least not sure), but on the Friday and Saturday before Easter they have a lot of special family activities. It does get crowded though so keep that in mind.
You can also purchase "Resurrection Eggs" online or at a Christian gift store. They can be an interesting way to teach the Easter story. However, some of them are a little intense. When my kids were that age I think I "edited" some of the eggs. It is the Easter story though; it has intensity.
Happy Easter.
ETA: After looking up the movie "Hop" (rated PG), she might be a little young for it. I had boys ages 11 and 14 at the time, but we really liked it. Looks like the critics weren't crazy about it.
Find a church that has the Easter egg hunt after service. Also take her to church on Easter. It will be very intreasting for her. Dying eggs is always fun time and blowing bubbles, sidewalk chalk. you can keep it simple with decorations and crafts , including the food in crafty influence.
We go to church for the Easter breakfast followed by an Easter service, then an Easter egg hunt. We come home and the boys look through their Easter baskets. We go to the zoo for the afternoon, then I cook a ham dinner.
