Celebrating Easter With Your Foster Child!

Easter is a special time of year for many families—an uplifting celebration filled with faith, tradition, and togetherness. Church services, Easter egg hunts, chocolate treats, and family meals all come together to create joyful memories. But for a child in foster care, especially one from a Christian background, this season can be bittersweet.

Being away from their birth family during a significant holiday may stir up difficult emotions. Easter could be a time they associate with painful memories or deep longing. That’s why it’s so important to approach the holiday with compassion, sensitivity, and a focus on making new, positive memories together.

With a little planning and a whole lot of heart, Easter can be a meaningful time of connection and comfort for your foster child. Here are seven thoughtful ways to celebrate:

1. Share What Easter Means to You

As a Christian foster carer, you have the unique opportunity to share your faith with your foster child. Start by gently opening a conversation about what Easter means in your household. Ask if there are any traditions they remember or would like to continue, and listen closely to how they feel about the season. Some children may be excited to join in your family’s celebrations, while others may feel unsure or hesitant. Respect their boundaries, and find ways to include them that feel natural and safe for them.

2. Make Church a Welcoming Experience

Attending church services is often central to Easter celebrations. But remember, a new church environment may be intimidating for a foster child, especially if they’ve recently joined your family. To ease their worries, consider arranging a visit to your local church ahead of Easter Sunday. Introduce them to the parish priest or youth leaders, and talk through what to expect during the service. These small steps can go a long way in helping your foster child feel more comfortable and included.

3. Get Creative with Easter Crafts

Art and craft activities are a great way to bond and have fun as a family. Younger children might enjoy decorating their very own Easter bunny or making cards, while older children may like colouring faith-themed images, such as crosses or pictures of Jesus. You can also create handmade Easter baskets or spring-themed decorations for the home. These creative moments help nurture connection and bring the holiday spirit to life in a relaxed, joyful way.

4. Decorate Easter Eggs Together

Classic, simple, and always fun—painting or colouring Easter eggs is a lovely tradition to share. All you need is a box of eggs, some markers or paints, and a bit of imagination. Once decorated, you can use the eggs as part of a table centrepiece or as part of an Easter egg hunt. It’s a hands-on way to create lasting memories.

5. Share a Meaningful Easter Meal

Easter lunch is often a highlight of the day, and it’s a wonderful chance to come together as a family. Traditionally, many Christian families enjoy roast lamb to mark the occasion—symbolising sacrifice and renewal. If your foster child is open to it, this can be a good moment to share the spiritual meaning behind the meal. That said, food can be a sensitive subject for children in care. If they’re not ready to try new dishes or prefer their ‘safe foods’ like pizza or chicken nuggets, that’s perfectly okay. What matters most is sitting down together and sharing quality time.

6. Organise an Easter Egg Hunt

You can’t go wrong with an Easter egg hunt! Whether it’s in the garden or around the house, hiding eggs is an activity that brings smiles to faces of all ages. You can use the eggs they decorated earlier or add little treats or notes inside. Maybe even make it a light-hearted competition with a small prize for the winner. The laughter and teamwork that come with an egg hunt can help build a sense of togetherness that some foster children may be experiencing for the first time.

7. Plant Flowers as a Symbol of New Beginnings

Spring is all about growth and renewal, making Easter the perfect time to plant flowers together. Take a trip to pick out seeds or blooms, then work side by side to plant them in the garden or in pots. Not only is it a lovely springtime activity, but it’s also a beautiful metaphor for your journey together as a foster family—planting roots, nurturing growth, and watching something beautiful bloom.

Are you interested in fostering? Enquire now about fostering with us and receive a call from a member of our recruitment team