Easter is coming up and I’ve slowly been stocking up on some items to add to the girls’ Easter baskets so I thought I’d share some of the things we have snagged throughout the years for Easter baskets (or other gifts) that aren’t candy or sweets-related.
I am not someone that doesn’t let my kids have candy and other sweets — I want them to learn how to eat sweets without guilt just like I want them to eat vegetables because they enjoy them. I’m a huge believer in the 80/20 mentality when it comes to all things health — clean products, healthy foods, movement, etc. I want to feel my very best and set myself and our kids up for a long healthy life, but I don’t want to dig myself so deep into it that I can’t live and enjoy my life.
This list is full of non-candy ideas because I don’t think you need help picking out the sweets part 🙂 We’re going with Starburst jelly beans in the plastic eggs and princess fruit snacks in the baskets.
12 Non-Candy Ideas for Your Kid’s Easter Baskets
Giant memory game
My sister and brother-in-law got this giant memory game for the girls for Christmas and it was a huge hit. We still play it multiple times a week and we’re a good three months post-Christmas. I’m sure we’ll be playing this outside when the weather warms up.
Swimsuit
I snagged some super cute bathing suits from Walmart and Target for the girls. I was going to put them in their Easter baskets but we are going to a hotel with a mini indoor water park to break up this never-ending winter so I’m giving them the suits early.
Stacking + nesting boxes
One of my sweet coworkers sent us these stacking + nesting boxes from Melissa & Doug in the thick of COVID exposures when I was losing my mind working from home with the girls home (what a time!) and they have remained one of their favorite toys ever since.
Mini digital camera
This mini digital camera is an Amazon find that my brother and sister-in-law sent to the girls for Christmas and it’s been a huge hit!! It even has a selfie mode. Highly recommend.
Super Smalls
This is the first time I have bought something from Super Smalls and I’m actually not sure if they will be getting it for Easter or for their June birthdays, but how adorable are these?
Super Smalls was created by a girl mom whose daughter kept googling over her fancy jewelry. This mom wanted something her daughter could wear that looked like the real fancy jewelry that she wore when she was all dolled up. Hayes is going to freak about these.
Colorful sorting + counting bears
I think I originally saw these sorting + counting bears on Liz Adams’ Instagram years ago when Hayes was a baby. I love these bears because we’ve played so many games with them. Sorting colors, counting bears, and taking turns hiding them in the room to find. They are great!
Note: they are now a table toy for us because they are a choking hazard so make sure you monitor when kids play with them and keep them high up if you have little ones that like to be everything in their mouth.
Hair accessories
Hair ties are a lot like socks. You have no idea where they all go. I like to put hair ties, clips, and headbands in the girls’ Easter baskets. It’s an easy filler that they usually need anyways!
Markers + crayons – ultra clean washable
I’ve raved about these for quite some time. I love the ultra-clean washable line of markers, crayons, and colored pencils from Crayola. We don’t let us girls use anything else.
Coloring books
I finally bought these amazing Catholic digital coloring books. They will be printed out and on a clipboard for the Easter basket and for church. I’m excited to see how this goes.
Sidenote: this makes me want to make some adult coloring pages, maybe with self-care sayings on them. Comment if you like that idea!
Nailpolish
When you have a girly girl as we do, a new nail polish color is a perfect Easter basket addition. She has a couple of pink and glitter options so I think I’m going purple.
Spring clothing or shoes
This won’t fire every kid, but hey, throwing in the things you would buy them anyways into the Easter basket is a win-win. Also, I think a rain boot Easter basket moment would be adorable!
Flashlights
A day has not gone by that our girls haven’t used their mini flashlights. I got this pack from Amazon for stocking stuffers and they are the perfect size for kids.
Do you celebrate Easter? What do you put in your Easter baskets?
We don’t go BIG for Easter baskets, but it’s fun to pick out small items that will be fun for the kids to open up. The real tradition that we practice in our house is hiding the Easter baskets and making the kids find them. My dad was ruthless with this when I was a kid and it’s fun to pass along the tradition. Do you celebrate Easter? What do you put in your Easter baskets?