Yet another Easter is just around the corner; my how the year goes by! Springtime is ahead of us which not only means it’s time to get out in that garden, but it’s also time to start thinking about your yearly Easter traditions! If you have children, then it’s a given that the Easter Bunny might need a little assistance from you when it comes to the Easter basket!
How to Make an Easter Basket
Rule number one to making Easter baskets is to not wait until the last minute to put one together! Often times, this leads to the need for purchasing one of those boring, generic, pre-made ones at the store that are less than awe-inspiring. Also, waiting until the last day, there will be very slim pickings on all things Easter, so it’s best to get a head start!
Rule number two to making Easter baskets is that they must contain all of the following elements: (Okay, not mandatory, per se, but it’s a great general guide so take from it what you will!)
- The basket: Or a bucket, or those bucket-looking-stuffed-characters-with-handle things that are all in the same isle. Whatever you choose, it just needs to be big enough for what you and Mr. Bunny are planning to do!
- Easter grass: Your basket needs some kind of fluffy material, whether you use the plastic, paper, or edible grass!
- A fun plush: These make great filler items for large baskets and kids always love a good squeeze from a soft plush!
- Spring activities: You know, the little things that encourage kids to go outdoors such as bubbles, chalk, jump ropes and so on!
- Easter story: Whether it’s Peter Cottontail or a story about Jesus’ resurrection, I always like to include something to encourage the development of literacy skills.
- Jelly beans: There are so many kinds of jelly beans out there that you’re bound to find one that will be a child-pleaser! If you’re planning on making a healthier basket or a non-edible basket, skip this element and the next few also!
- Large chocolate something: One of the things that kids look forward to most is that oversized chocolate bunny or cross!
- Peeps: You know, those colorful, sugar-covered marshmallow chicks and bunnies!
- Loose candy: This is pretty much to fill up the empty spaces so go easy if you want, or overkill if you don’t mind (because you know the kids won’t mind!)
Of course, this is just a general guide for a traditional Easter basket setup, and many families have other ideas for “traditional” for their families. Some like to go easy on the sweets, some like to go with a specific theme, some like to go organic, and some like to keep it totally handmade for a more personal touch! No matter what kind of style suits your family Easter traditions, here are a bunch of ideas for various different groups of kids, along with a few non-traditional Easter basket setups.
Easter Basket Ideas for Babies
Babies, meaning under age 1, will not remember their first Easter, and certainly don’t need to be given tons of sweets. I say this is the year of the easy Easter basket!
- Board books: You can never read too much to a baby! After all, reading to them lays the foundation to learning new words, and eventually learning how to read on their own!
- Bath toys: Soft and colorful, two things that go hand-in-hand when it comes to babies! Rubber ducks and various other rubber sea creatures will spark a few of those heartwarming smiles.
- Baby snacks: If your baby is of age and development to be eating solids, babies love those puffs snacks and yogurt melts! I’m sure there are a few other fun snacks to pack in the basket.
- Instruments: Babies love to experiment with noises so instruments like little drums, tambourine, hand shakers and so on are fun!
- Keepsakes: A nice blanket with a name embroidered, a stuffed animal with a personalized recording of mom and dad, you know, something they can use and enjoy now that will also make for an item you give to them later in life!
- Plushies: Babies get a kick out of stuffed animals as big as they are!
- Baby toys: This may be a given, but what I really mean is something that will help them develop their sensory and motor skills, like different textured balls, wooden blocks, stacking rings, etc.
Sample Baby Easter Basket Idea
- Large basket with multiple colors of easter grass
- Oversized stuffed bunny
- Sandra Boynton book “The Bunny Rabbit Show!”
- Three rubber bath toys
- Baby snack cup
- Bag of Happy Baby Yogis
- Easter sippy cup
- Two egg hand rattles
Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers
During the toddler years is when Easter really starts to get fun and they begin to remember things and make connections. This is the time to really start making it special! So, it’s right around these years when families start to incorporate the sweeter elements of the Easter basket, such as chocolate!
- Art supplies: Fingerpaints and crayons are a really big hit for this age group so fill their baskets with many things that will encourage their creative side! Crayola has a great line of “mess-free” and “my first” art supplies for the littles!
- Sunglasses: Kids love sunglasses and they will surely be needing them in the spring!
- Sun hat: Hats are fun, and what better way to keep the sun from burning their sensitive, little heads!
- Bubbles: Anyone who knows kids or has been a kid (ahem, everyone!) knows the magic in bubbles! If you really want to wow them, make it a kit made by Flubbles! It comes with the bubbles, a huge bubble wand, and a dipping tray.
- Snack crackers: Okay, so maybe you don’t want to quite load them up on sugar yet, but toddlers would have a bunch of fun opening plastic eggs filled with Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies!
- Plushies: If you’re still reluctant at this age to allow a giant chocolate bunny, you should still totally opt for an oversized Easter plush!
- Books: At this age, it would be a terrific idea to include books that help teach letters, numbers, and shapes.
For even more ideas, check out: 101 Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers.
Sample Toddler Easter Basket
- Large Easter basket filled with multiple colors of Easter grass
- Oversized stuffed bunny
- Small chocolate bunny
- Crocodile Creek playground ball
- Bubbles
- Chalk
- Sunglasses
- Sun hat
- Pinwheel
- Dr. Seuss “ABC: An Amazing Alphabet book”
- Jumbo coloring book
- Jumbo crayons
- Jellybeans
Easter Basket Ideas for Preschoolers
By now, your child has all of the holidays down and knows what each one is all about! This is also right around the age where the Easter bunny really starts hiding the eggs and even the baskets, so have fun with it all around!
- Play-Doh: Art is still a big one at this age, but by now, they have mastered their fine motor skills enough to be able to start making some cool, molded creations!
- Art supplies: Glittery markers, scented crayons, watercolor paints, or whatever else you find appropriate.
- Puzzles: Whether it’s a smaller 16-piece puzzle or a larger 48-piece puzzle, this is a good busy activity for preschoolers when they can’t get outdoors.
- Wipe-clean activity books: Since they’re now at that age where they’re learning how to write, wipe-clean activity books are awesome because they can be practiced on over and over again as it’s all dry erase pages!
- “I Spy” books: These books are fun search-and-find books to either do with parents or in their spare time.
- Card games: Games like Go Fish and Old Maid are easy for preschoolers to catch on to!
- Music: This is an age where kids really start to find their moves! Find a CD or two that’s kid-friendly to help them get their groove on! Dancing is great indoor exercise!
Sample Preschooler Easter Basket
- Large basket with Easter grass
- Large chocolate bunny
- Jelly beans
- Robin eggs (Whoppers candy)
- Jump rope
- Kite
- Egg-shaped chalk
- Coloring and activity books
- Markers
- CD
- Sunglasses
- Bubbles
- Play-Doh
Easter Basket Ideas for Older Kids
It’s hard to tell if kids get easier or harder as they get older when it comes to holidays! All expense aside, it’s easier in the sense that they are beginning to really establish their identities and find who they are, which in turn helps the parents help the Easter Bunny!
- Diary/journal: As children get older, they begin to appreciate the little things, such as a private place to record whatever their big mind is thinking!
- Book set: Whether it’s Goosebumps or Diary of a Wimpy Kid, cease this opportunity to stock them up on any they might be missing in the collection!
- Candy, candy, candy: For this age group, you can probably completely fill a basket with candy and nothing else, and they’d be happy.
- Bible: They’re beginning to learn how to really respect personal property, so including a nice Bible, preferably one made for kids, would be a nice gesture!
- Bathing suit: Their growing body is going to need a new bathing suit this year anyway so including it in an Easter basket arrangement is a no-brainer!
- Craft kits: Beads, painting, pipe-cleaner monsters, or what have ya, busy activities are a great thing to include for those rainy spring days!
- Outdoor activities: Frisbees, boomerangs, jump ropes, Skip It (or whatever they’re called these days!) You know, anything that’s going to encourage active play outside!
Sample Easter Basket for Older Kids
- Large basket with edible Easter grass
- Large chocolate bunny
- Giant gummy bear
- Fun Dip
- Peeps
- Jelly beans
- Reese’s peanut butter eggs
- Bathing suit
- Flip flops
- Silly string
- Sidewalk paint
- Bible
Easter Basket Ideas for Tweens
Oh the woes of being a tweenager! This is the age where their independence really begins to show (or so they think)! They have this need to isolate and do things on their own, so it becomes even more important (and harder) to encourage healthy habits!
- Sports: Whatever sports or extracurricular activities your tween is involved in, load them up with anything relevant!
- Headphones: Tweens can always use a new pair of headphones, whether it’s to listen to music on their cellphones or playing games on their iPad!
- Music: CDs might be out for this age group, but you can always get them a gift card to give them some download credits!
- Nice journal: Barnes and Noble has a whole bunch of really nice journals! I’m talking leather! Get them something nice and durable to keep with them.
- Beanboozled jelly bean game: This is a fun game made by Jelly Belly! Most kids already know about it, but it’s a game where you spin a spinner and you have to eat the jelly bean that it lands on. The catch it each jelly bean has two different jellybeans that appear to be the same, one tasty one, one disgusting one! Strawberry banana smoothie or dead fish, which will it be??
- Belt/accessories: A new belt, sweatbands, a hat, or whatever is relevant to them, it would be great for the basket!
Sample Easter Basket for Tweens
- Large basket with Easter grass
- Large chocolate bunny
- Beanboozled jelly beans
- Peeps
- Belt
- Flip flops
- Headphones
- iTunes gift card
- Sports ball
- Fun Dip
- Airheads
- Cadbury Eggs
Easter Basket Ideas for Teenagers
By the time the actual teenage years hit, they care less about the candy (but they still do enjoy it!) and more about things they find practical for everyday use. Here are a few things a teenager would love in an Easter basket:
- Water bottle: Reusable water bottles are the perfect thing to have with them at school, work, and on the field or court! Make it a durable steel one, or any other kind of heavy duty bottle.
- Music: Music is a big part of most teenagers’ lives so anything related to their favorite bands or singers is always a nice surprise! A poster for their room, the new album, a gift card for downloads and so on.
- Gym-related: Workout clothes, a gym bag, a sweat towel, or whatever else they’ll use at the gym.
- Car accessories (driving age): Whether it’s a decal for the window or something fun to hang from the rearview mirror, car accessories are always fun!
- Portable phone charger: With their phones seemingly glued to their hands, their batteries are draining away! Portable phone chargers are win-win; their phone will never be dead which means they don’t have that excuse when you can’t reach them!
- Sandals: Warm weather means they’ll be living in sandals or flip flops for a few months.
- Summer apparel: An outfit for summer is a good idea! Tank tops and shorts, easy-peasy!
- Toiletries: Teenagers come with all kinds of funky smells, so be sure to include a few things to encourage good hygiene such as a nice body wash, body spray, and deodorant.
Sample Easter Basket for Teens
- Large beach bag with some Easter grass
- Chocolate bunny
- Jellybeans
- Reese’s peanut butter eggs
- Breath mints or gum
- Band t-shirt
- Summer outfit with sandals
- Water bottle
- Portable phone charger
- Toiletries with new shower pouf
Easter Basket Ideas for Boys
Boys will be boys, which means there are lots of things boys like that most girls don’t really care for! For a few more gender-specific ideas for various ages, here’s a list of things those rough and tumble boys like!
- Play guns: Squirt guns, cap guns, Nerf guns, guns, guns, guns! There could be a new Sheriff in town!
- Fishing supplies: If your boy is a Boy Scout, or simply enjoys the great outdoors, get him a little tackle box with some lures and such!
- Survival supplies: A Flashlight, a hand-crank radio, Swiss army knife, a paracord bracelet. All of these things can help your boy be ready in case of an emergency!
- Critter cage: Boys love bugs, and catching them is always a good time spent outside. Critter cage will allow him to catch and observe for a while.
- Dress up: Depending on the age of your boy, he might enjoy dressing like a firefighter, police officer, or even a chef!
- Toy trucks/cars: You can use smaller cars as a basket filler, or a large dump truck as the basket!
- Gag toys: Boys find practical jokes funny, so why not throw in a Whoopie Cushion, some fake dog poop, and an electrified pen for fun!
Easter Basket Ideas for Girls
Since girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice, there are lots of things that girls enjoy that boys wouldn’t even touch! Here’s a list for the little ladies!
- Scrapbooking supplies: Girls tend to form more intimate friendships and like to preserve their memories in special photo albums, so a scrapbooking kit would be a gift that would last a long time!
- Makeup: While the younger girls would enjoy lip balm and nail polish, the older girls would want a full-blown makeup kit! Don’t forget some good quality brushes!
- Hair accessories: A new hairbrush, some barrettes and scrunchies are always something the girls need! Something fun for the hair would be hair chalk, which enables them to change the color of pieces of hair for the day!
- Tutu: Little girls will feel like a ballerina! You can buy one, or easily make one out of elastic and tulle.
- Easy-Bake Oven refills: Or, refills for any kind of similar machine would be welcomed if they blew through all of their supplies in the past!
- Kid cookbooks: There are cookbooks out there for kids that have few steps and easy-to-follow directions for the aspiring cook!
- Purse: Girls as young as toddlers will enjoy a new purse! If the purse is big enough, you can even stuff if to use in in place of a basket! This is actually a great idea for the teenage crowd.
Lastly, rule number three to making Easter baskets is to have fun with it! You should not feel burdened in any way as it is all being done from the heart. Don’t worry so much if you don’t think it looks “perfect” enough because chances are, the person finding the basket in the morning will be surprised and ecstatic no matter what! Have a hoppy Easter!
