One of my favorite parts of being a parent is getting to celebrate all the various holidays throughout the year with my daughter. Seeing her excitement just adds so much fun and brings me back to the small joys I experienced as a kid. Although it’s fun to celebrate with her, I do find myself looking for new ideas for gifts and experiences, and filling her Easter basket each year is no exception. Leading up to her first Easter, I asked my friends on Instagram to suggest Easter basket fillers for kids, which was so helpful.
Some of the most common suggestions were items for the upcoming spring/summer seasons, like a new bathing suit. I would much rather gift items that will be put to good use, will feed her creativity and keep her active, or that are experiences we can do together, rather than filling her basket with a bunch of “junk” that will just lead to more clutter around our house. So, here’s a list of 30+ “junkless” Easter basket fillers for kids:
Clothing & Personal Items
- Bathing suit for the upcoming summer
- Sunglasses (love the retro style of these)
- Sun hat (this is our favorite style, which comes in a two pack) or a monogram baseball cap
- Sandals
- Socks in spring colors
- Rain boots, rain jacket, umbrella
- Hair accessories like these cute clips and these bows
- Hair care items like our favorite styling pomade and detangling spray
- Necklace and bracelet set (this locket is so cute and I have my eye on this ‘Mommy and Me’ set)
- Small purse or wallet (I bought this one for my three year old)
- Piggy bank like this adorable bunny or this one
- Spring and summer pajamas
- Fun printed bandaids (this little kit is adorable and comes with it’s own tin)
- Chapstick
- Bubble bath
- Nail stickers (these are great alternative to nail polish for squirmy toddlers)
- Reusable water bottle or smoothie cup (and these personalized water bottle bands are fun & practical, too)
- Personalized items like a backpack key chain or room decor…I love these cute felt pennants!
- Homemade items like a photo book or a framed photo. I used these self-seal laminating sheets and binder rings to put together a photo book for my daughter with pictures of her family, friends, and pets
- Library book reusable tote bag (I ordered this personalized bag)
Playtime & Creative Activities
- Spring themed books like the Bunny Roo series for younger kids, this fun board book all about spring, this top rated picture book, and this Caldecott Honor winning book about a bunny and a cat
- Bubbles
- Sidewalk chalk
- Reusable and refillable water balloons
- Sand toys (this pastel set is absolutely adorable)
- Flower seed packets, gardening tools, or these Easter flower seed kits
- Outdoor scavenger hunt cards (could make your own or use this one)
- Reusable water painting books (this is a favorite activity for my toddler and is mess-free…we use a regular paintbrush rather than the water pen that comes with it)
- Watercolor paint set
- Arts & Crafts (this animal footprint stamp kit, ink stamp kit, or bunny embroidery kit look so fun)
- Binoculars and outdoor exploration kit
- Walkie talkies
- Small musical instruments like a kazoo or egg shaped maracas
- Digital camera (we have this small, inexpensive, kid-friendly camera and it’s so much fun)
- Butterfly Garden Kit (this kit has everything you need to watch real caterpillars turn into butterflies)
Experiences & Activities
- Tickets to a museum or show
- Ice cream parlor and/or donut shop gift card (even for $5 or $10 to your local DQ or Dunks)
- Magazine subscription (we love High Five magazine, which is the version of Highlights for younger kids)
- Kite (perfect for a trip to the beach)
- Baking mix/apron or kids cookbook (then have fun making something together)
- Coupon book of dates with just Mom or Dad (something fun to do throughout the year)
I would also suggest visiting your local thrift store to see what gently used games or spring clothing and accessories you might be able to find to add to an Easter basket. In fact, the thrift store is where I found the actual basket which became my daughter’s Easter basket, then I sewed a fabric liner to jazz it up a bit! Here’s a similar wood bunny basket tag to the one I personalized with my Cricut machine.
Regardless of what you choose for Easter basket fillers, hopefully it will be a holiday spent making memories together, enjoying one another’s company, and looking forward to all that the springtime season has to offer!
