Spring is officially here, which means it’s time to prepare for Easter festivities. Whether Easter is a religious tradition for your family or not, preparing Easter baskets can still be really fun to get into the spring spirit.
This is one of those areas where, much like Christmas stockings, I personally believe you can set a precedent to go as simple or extravagant as you want. There’s no right or wrong way to put together an Easter basket.
Purchasing the Basket
To start, purchase either a throwaway basket or bucket, or consider purchasing a nicer basket that they may use for several years. This year I bought some cute baskets at Dollar Tree to hold their Easter gifts, but they also have some more sturdy baskets we are going to re-use from last year to hunt eggs. If you’re looking for something a little nicer that will last for a few years, consider Pottery Barn or Duck Duck Goose (Duck Duck Goose is located in Columbia on Devine St.).
Filling the Basket
Next comes the fun part; filling it up! This is where you can get really creative. Below are some of my go to Easter basket items for toddlers and preschoolers. Make sure to start with the larger items and work your way to the smaller items, for better visibility.
For Girls
- Stick on earrings: You’ll find some cute ones at both Duck Duck Goose and on Amazon.
- Hairbows: We like what Duck Duck Goose and Amazon have to offer.
- Nail polish: You can never go wrong with nail polish for little girls! This nail polish from Target has been our favorite nail polish for years. It’s non-toxic and washes off in the bath!
- Jewelry – Our girls love costume jewelry, and the Easter basket is a fun place to get creative with it! You could even include a small jewelry box or purse for them to store their new things.
For Boys
- Hot Wheel Easter Eggs – These are fun pre-filled eggs with toy cars inside! You can find them on Amazon.
- Parachute Men – Such a simple toy but one that will occupy your child for a long time! We purchased these on Amazon.
- Dino Eggs – Dinosaurs are always a hit! Why not get these adorable dinos in eggs? They even have wheels to roll around!
Gender Neutral
- Books – We have found the best Easter books over the years at Target, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Duck Duck Goose.
Some classics include: God Gave Us Easter, The Easter Story, The Golden Egg, The Easter Egg, Pat the Bunny, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You, The Runaway Bunny, Happy Easter, Mouse!, How to Catch the Easter Bunny, Happy Easter Little Pookie, Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure, Somebunny Loves You, Llama Llama Easter Egg, The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story, The Velveteen Rabbit, Home for a Bunny, It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny and Little Blue Truck’s Springtime.
- Stickers – What kid doesn’t love stickers? Always fun! You can buy stickers from just about anywhere, but I thought these ones from Target were cute.
- Bunny Ears – Those Easter pictures wouldn’t be complete without some adorable bunny ears. We We have used these from Duck Duck Goose and Dollar Tree.
- Stuffed bunnies – If a new stuffed animal is an Easter tradition in your family, you can go with one that will last or go with something a little less expensive to stay on budget and still honor your tradition.
- Bubbles – What child doesn’t love bubbles? These always make for hours of fun!
- Sunglasses – Just like adults use sunglasses to protect our eyes from the sun, so should our kids. Find yourself some cute sunglasses to add to your kids Easter basket fun!
- Travel Size Magna-Tiles – Magna Tiles are a great way to feed your child’s imagination and creativity! A travel size set will not only fit perfectly into their Easter basket, but will be great for those days when you’re on-the-go and need a way to entertain your kids.
Play-Doh Eggs – Take your Play-Doh experience to the next level with these fun Easter eggs filled with doh! Another wonderful gift that provides hours of fun!
- Egg Chalk – Spring is the perfect time to break out the sidewalk chalk! These Easter egg chalks will add some sparkle to your child’s drawings.
- Treats – We typically skip candy in the basket at this age but there are a lot of cute individually wrapped Easter themed treat bags such as fruit snacks or veggie crisps. These are great for the Easter basket, as well as class parties.
For the final touch, you may want some tissue paper or shredded paper to fill in the gaps. If you want to make it extra fancy, you can add some cellophane and ribbon. Kids at this age get excited about the little things so don’t overthink it.
I hope this guide gets you started if this is your first year packing an Easter basket, or if you’re looking for some new ideas, I hope you feel inspired.
