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50 Non-Candy Ideas for Your Easter Basket

In our house, the Easter Bunny is a really cool Dude! 

He doesn’t just bring jelly beans and chocolate bunnies but also some great fun & educational items that the kids just LOVE! 

Really – they spend more time with these items than they do asking me if they can eat just one more jelly bean 🙂

I’ll let you in on a little secret – kids love almost anything that comes tucked into a fun-filled basket! 

So why not take the opportunity to include a few items that won’t be played with once and tossed aside.

 

50 Non-Candy Ideas for Your Child’s Easter Basket

There are so many fun ideas for basket stuffers that aren’t candy! 

Items that are useful, will encourage creative thinking, fun ways to practice math/reading/writing and great activities for fine motor and large motor skill developement are perfect to include in your Easter baskets.

My kids LOVE getting these personalized Easter Coupons each year — a great option for both kids & teens when you’re looking for something useful & inexpensive to include in your egg hunts or baskets.

Focus on the categories your child loves and they will have some wonderful items to enjoy this Spring and Summer.  We’ve also included affiliate links for many of the items for your convenience.

 

Art & Creative Activities

Spring is a great time to replenish the art cabinet! 

And kids can learn so much by having fun art supplies on hand – coloring and using playdough enhances fine motor skills, paper crafts and art kits encourage creative thinking and having a variety of items increases the liklihood that your child will experiment with different art mediums.

 

Paint a design on this fun Alex Paint Pinwheel Flower

 

Add in a seasonal coloring book with some of these cool Crayon Rocks Eight Colors Spring Bag

 

Let the kids try their hand at origami with the Creativity for Kids Awesome Origami kit!

 

Go retro and enjoy making shrinky dinks with the kids with the Alex Toys Shrinky Dinks & Jewelry Kit

 

More Crafty Items:

Easter Egg Stamp set

♦ A new box of Crayola 64 Ct Crayons (they’re not just for back to school time 😉

♦ Colored pencils

Easter Egg Playdough

♦ Craft-tastic String Art Kit

♦ Stencils

♦ Paper dolls like this Flower Fairies Paper Dolls set

♦ Ceramic eggs that can be painted

 

Science & Nature Ideas

Keep those kids thinking and experimenting by providing some fun ways to explore science. 

Outdoor toys such as kites and planes let kids experiement with the laws of physics and learn more about the weather.  Mini science kits allow kids to test theories and learn science principles.

 

Explore electric circuits with one of these fun Snap Circuits Flying Saucer mini sets!  We’re HUGE fans of snap circuits!

 

Head out to test the wind strength with a Kite – Large Easy Flyer – Panda Bear.

 

Explore gravity and the science of light with this fun 3″ Glow In Dark Coil Spring

Encourage kids to explore righ in their own backyard with an Adventure Kids Bug Catcher Box Set

Toss in a few packets of flowers seeds with this adorable Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Blossom Bright Gardening Bundle and let the kids plant something this Spring!

 

More Favorite Science Items:

♦ Magnets

♦ Kids Test Tubes Set

♦ ‘Grow your own’ flower or herb set

Kids size set of binoculars

Kids Nature Journal

 

Reading & Book Ideas

Of course, any holiday or occasion is a great time to give a book as a gift! 

And the Easter Bunny loves to encourage kids to read too.  There are so many fun holiday-themed books and seasonal items that will fit nicely into those baskets.  Be sure to see our list of Classic Easter Books Kids & Parents will LOVE! in addition to these great books!

 

Where Are Baby’s Easter Eggs?: A Lift-the-Flap Book

 

 

Duck & Goose, Here Comes the Easter Bunny!

 

Happy Easter, Mouse! (If You Give…)

 

Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure

 

The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story: Stickers Included! (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights)

 

Yep, they have Mad Libs for Easter!  Easter Eggstravaganza Mad Libs

 

Quiz Cards kids really love these!  And they come in a sets for all ages.

Brain Quest: Preschool (Ages 4-5)

Brain Quest Grade 1

Brain Quest Grade 2

Brain Quest Grade 3

Brain Quest Grade 4

Brain Quest Grade 6

 

More Book Ideas:

♦ Puzzle books

♦ Joke books

♦ Activity books

 

Fun Ways to Improve Life Skills

Why not give the kids a fun self-care item that you wouldn’t normally buy them — my kids often see these types of things while we’re shopping.  A toothbrush with a favorite TV character is much more fun to use than a plain one, right?! 

 

Match these Strawberry Shortcake Suction Cup Toothbrushes  with the blue bubblegum flavored toothpaste and the kids will WANT to brush off those jellybeans!

 

How about this adorable Bunny themed Skip Hop Hare Brush and Comb Set?!!

 

Give the kids some extra shoe-tying practice with the Alex Toys Little Hands, One, Two, Tie My Shoe!

 

And bathtime was never this much fun!  Let the kids practice their writing in the tub with these Toysmith Bath Time Crayons.

 

Additional Items for Life Skills:

Kids Apron /measuring cups with cookie mix

♦ Fun Stationary (for thank you notes)

Kids Fork & Spoon Set – World of Beatrix

Personalized Easter Placemat with their name on it!

 

Outdoor Play

Include something that will encourage the kids to get outside and play. 

I’m talking about a non-battery, no plug needed type of toy!  Many of these items encourage large motor skills, balance and coordination.  In addition, a new toy and some fresh air does wonders for creative thinking 🙂

 

Our kids went crazy for this Crayola 3-D Chalk kit one year!  They would draw huge pictures on the driveway and make everyone wear the glasses to see it ‘come to life’ 🙂

 

Get them up and moving with a Disney Deluxe Jump Rope

 

Or let them put on Monster Feet and stomp around the yard 🙂

 

More Outdoor Fun:

♦ Gliders or Planes

Aeromax TangleFree Parachute

♦ Family games like bocce or Bowling for Bunnies Easter Game

♦ Sandbox or beach toys

Easter No Spill Mini Bubble Bucket

 

Learn about the World

Remember, the Easter Bunny visits kids all around the world – so he might just leave a cool item that teaches the kids about another country or a fun toy that’s popular with kids of a different culture.

 

Kids will enjoy these fun Bunny Easter Nesting Dolls – perfect for stacking, measurement and fine motor skills!

 

Learn a fun game from another country like Mancala For Kids or !  These are great ideas for tween & teen baskets.

 

Egg Shaker Maracas were also a big hit in our house.

 

Enjoy a fun game that travels the globe with Prof. Noggin’s Wonders of the World! This is another great idea for older kids.

There are so many versions of the Professor Noggin card sets that are great for learning about all types of things:

Ancient Civilizations

Creatures of Myths & Legends

Life in the Ocean

 

And older kids will appreciate the pun of this ‘Easter’ building set as they use Nano Blocks to create Easter Island heads!

What fun items will the Bunny leave in your baskets?

 

More Easter Activities!

Free printable Easter Egg Hunt {works in any home!}

Vintage Easter Books for Kids                

Fun Ways to Use Plastic Eggs

 

      egg-jar