Easter Basket Fillers for Toddlers, Kids, Tweens & Teens

With Easter just days away, I, like many other parents, am scrambling to fill those Easter Baskets! We accumulate plenty of junk between four kids, so we try to make sure that almost every item in their baskets is useful or meaningful. And with a toddler/preschooler, a 6 year old, a tween and a teen, we have a lot of ideas to come up with!

I feel like somehow Easter became a second Christmas, and that just doesn't make much sense. Since when is Easter all about bikes, video games, and electronics? To each their own, but for our family, it's both expensive and unnecessary.

Times have changed, and Easter Baskets are no longer filled with just candy. There's nothing wrong with that, and we, too, have embraced that trend. But there's definitely a way to add in fun, non-edible goodies, without breaking the bank!

Now...I can't exactly share everything we are putting into our kids' baskets this year. I have a few big kids who like to regularly read my blog now, and I wouldn't want to ruin anything. But I can share a few things for my youngest two, and share ideas from the past few years!

Easter Basket Fillers for Toddlers, Kids, Tweens & Teens

For Kids of ALL Ages:

There are a few things we always include in the Easter Baskets, in additon to some candy. I keep five things in mind while brainstorming ideas: Read, Play, Need, Wear, and Want!

✦READ

We ALWAYS encourage reading, so adding a new book in each Easter Basket is a regular tradition!

✦PLAY

Play is such an important part of childhood, so we always include an item that will encourage our child to play. Whether it be a felt playset for a younger child or a ball for an older child, the point is to include something fun, that will keep them busy!

✦NEED

What do our kids need? New pens for school? Bubble bath or bath crayons? Lip balm? New toothbrush? We think of stuff they currently need or use regularly, and grab a few things for their baskets.

✦WEAR

Our usual tradition is to add a new swimsuit or swim trunks and flip flops to the baskets, but every so often we switch it up a bit. While our kids usually need those items for the upcoming warm weather, sometimes they need something else...like rain boots!

✦WANT

We always dig for ideas before Easter, to find out what small items our kids really want. Even though we don't believe Easter should be the new Christmas, we do like to add a small toy or item to the baskets, that our kids really want...think $10-15 MAX!

For Toddlers/Preschoolers:

✦Books
✦Coloring Books and Crayons
✦Notebooks, Pencils, Erasers, Stamps, or Stickers
✦Flashcards
✦Bubble Bath, Fun Body Wash, Color-Changing Bath Tablets, Bath Toys, or Bath Paints/Crayons
✦Character Toothbrush and Toothpaste
✦Travel cup
✦Playdough, Kinetic Sand, Silly Putty, Modeling Clay, or Slime
✦Puzzles
✦Felt Activity Sets
✦Small Sensory Toys like bouncy balls, flingers, textured balls, or squishies
✦Small Toys, Dolls, Action Figures, or Matchbox Cars
✦Bubbles, Jump Ropes, Balls, or Sidewalk Chalk
✦Gardening Tools, Flower Pots, and Seeds
✦Socks
✦Swimsuits, Swim Trunks, Sandals, or Water Shoes
✦Rain Boots, Rain Coats, or Umbrellas
✦Hair Accessories, Watches, Sunglasses or Jewelry

For Kids Ages 5-9:

✦Books
✦Arts & Crafts Supplies
✦Notebooks, Pens, Pencils, Erasers, Stamps, or Stickers
✦Flashcards
✦Bubble Bath, Fun Body Wash, Color Changing Bath Tablets, or Bath Paints/Crayons
✦Electric Toothbrush
✦Lip Balm
✦Travel cup
✦Playdough, Kinetic Sand, Silly Putty, Modeling Clay, or Slime
✦Puzzles or Card Games
✦Felt Activity Sets
✦Small Sensory Toys like bouncy balls, flingers, textured balls, stress balls, fidget spinners or cubes, tangles, or squishies
✦Small Toys, Dolls, Action Figures, or Matchbox Cars
✦Bubbles, Jump Ropes, Balls, or Sidewalk Chalk
✦Gardening Tools, Flower Pots, and Seeds
✦Socks
✦Swimsuits, Swim Trunks, Sandals, or Water Shoes
✦Rain Boots, Rain Coats, or Umbrellas
✦Hair Accessories, Watches, Sunglasses or Jewelry

For Tweens:

✦Books
✦Arts & Crafts Supplies
✦Notebooks, Pens, Pencils, Erasers, or Stamps
✦Bubble Bath, Bath Bombs, Body Lotion or Body Spray
✦Electric Toothbrush
✦Lip Balm, Hand Sanitizer, or Hand Lotion
✦Reusable Water Bottle
✦Playdough, Kinetic Sand, Silly Putty, Modeling Clay, or Slime-or DIY ingredients
✦Card Games
✦iTunes Gift Cards
✦Stress balls, fidget spinners or cubes, tangles, or squishies
✦Frisbees, Balls, or sports items
✦Gardening Tools, Flower Pots, and Seeds
✦Socks
✦Swimsuits, Swim Trunks, Flip-Flops, or Water Shoes
✦Rain Boots, Rain Coats, or Umbrellas
✦Hair Accessories, Wallets or Small Purses, Watches, Sunglasses or Jewelry

For Teens:

✦Books
✦Arts & Crafts Supplies
✦Notebooks, Pens, Pencils, or Erasers
✦Bubble Bath, Bath Bombs, Body Lotion or Body Spray
✦Electric Toothbrush
✦Lip Balm, Hand Sanitizer, or Hand Lotion
✦Reusable Water Bottle
✦Playdough, Kinetic Sand, Silly Putty, Modeling Clay, or Slime-or DIY ingredients
✦Card Games
✦iTunes gift cards
✦Stress balls, fidget spinners or cubes, tangles, or squishies
✦Frisbees, Balls, or Sports Items
✦Gardening Tools, Flower Pots, and Seeds
✦Socks
✦Swimsuits, Swim Trunks, Flip-Flops, or Water Shoes
✦Rain Boots or Raincoats
✦Hair Accessories, Wallets or Small Purses, Watches, Sunglasses or Jewelry

And to top it all off? Add a super sweet, festive touch! This year, we opted for tiny stuffed animals! (Pssst...99 cents at Aldi!)

I know there are many people who choose not to focus on the commercialized aspect of Easter, but for our family, we maintain a good balance between religion and the Easter Bunny/Easter Baskets. We focus on what the holiday is all about (and it's one of our favorites), but we also allow our kids to get excited about receiving their Easter Baskets on Easter morning! And we want those baskets to be good!

What do you add to your Easter Baskets?



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