*This post contains information regarding several products/companies I’ve worked with in the past. For the purpose of this guide, I am recommending them personally, and have not been compensated to do so. I did receive a selection of new children’s music from Sugar Mountain PR to help facilitate my review and recommendation. Opinions are 100% my own.
Jellybeans, chocolate bunnies, and candy eggs oh my! Between community egg hunts, grandmothers, and Easter morning traditions (like planting “magic” jellybeans!), my kids end up with A LOT of candy at Easter. Towards that end, I’ve never been one to fill their Easter basket with Peeps and chocolate bunnies.
I tend to treat the Easter basket like a Christmas stocking – filling it with a mix of small gifts, novelties, and consumable items (like art supplies, bath products, etc.) This year, I wanted to share a few of my current favorite products with you, as well as a handful of timeless standbys – items that I’ve used time and again over the years.
I’ve broken this Easter gift guide down into three categories – Younger Children (3-5), Elementary Children (6-9), and Tweens/Teens (10+). In addition to suggestions to fill the Easter basket, I tried to include a couple of new ideas to fill the actual plastic Easter eggs!
I hope you find a suggestion or two that will work for your family. Have a very happy Easter season.
Younger Children (3-5)
For the Eggs:
- stickers
- plastic dinos, animals, etc.
For the Baskets:
- Special “Character” Clothes/PJ’s (This is the perfect time to grab that Shopkins shirt or those Paw Patrol pj’s!)
- Bath toys
- Think foam alphabet letters, bubble bath, bath crayons, “magic” washcloths (check the dollar store!), bath stickers (these are seriously SO cool), or bath boats
- Music! I loved watching my young kids discover and explore music at this age. Music helps young kids move their bodies in space, understand rhythm, build their vocabulary, and SO much more! Here are a few of our current faves you may not know about:
- Building Blocks by Tim Kubart
- This Grammy-nominated album is absolutely heart-warming. Tim, (whom you may recognize from music videos on Sprout House) writes about situations that connect with children. He inspires courage, caring, and kindness through his lyrics. While the kids are dancing along to the positive and cheerful beat, they’ll be soaking up a healthy dose of encouraging messages too! I love it!
- Building Blocks by Tim Kubart
- Swamp Romp by Johnette Downing with Scott Billington
- This collection of Cajun, Dixieland jazz, New Orleans R&B and more will have you throwing a Louisiana dance party in your living room. This album is upbeat and fun and will definitely get your little ones moving and grooving.
Check out one of our favorite songs from the album on YouTube!
- Outside toys!
- Think bubbles (I LOVE this giant bubble wand!), sidewalk chalk, or sand toys.
- Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Pads
- These have been a HUGE hit with all my kids over the years. (And yes, you really can use them over and over!)
Elementary School-Aged Children (6-9)
For the Baskets:
- Art supplies
- My kids are huge fans of the Crayola Silly Scents line!
- Blind bags/Mystery Figures
- This is something we don’t allow our kids to get very often – so these are always HIGHLY desired. There are mystery bags/boxes for just about EVERY franchise out there. Some of our favorites include the Disney Funko figures, Thomas Minis blind bags (super affordable), and LEGO minifig blind bags
- Whiffer Sniffers
- Whiffer Sniffers are a big favorite at our house! These super-cute and highly collectible backpack clips smell just as good as they look!
- Pop-Ohver Play Food
- My daughter is obsessed with play food right now! I plan to open a package of this super-sweet plush food from Pop-Ohver and tuck a few pieces in her Easter basket! She’ll love it!
- CDs! – At our house, CDs are a great option for our school-aged children who do not yet own iPods or other digital music players. They love discovering new music. Here’s one of our current faves:
- The Lucky Band: Buenos Diaz : This brand-new cd will be available on April 5th!!
- You (or your kids!) may know The Lucky Band from Sprout House on Universal Kids (also previously known as Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band), but if you’ve never heard of this award-winning band dubbed “the face of kindie music” – you need to get to know them! This album is a mix of Spanish and English. The music is lively, fun, and stands out in the children’s music market as wonderfully quirky and different.The kids will love it and you won’t mind it being on repeat in the car! (You might even forget it’s for kids…you know, until they talk about doing the Taco Dance.) 😉
- The Lucky Band: Buenos Diaz : This brand-new cd will be available on April 5th!!
- Books! (There is NEVER a bad time to give a book as a gift!)
- Check out my post :The Best 100 Chapter Books For Kids Published in the Last 10 Years
- Check out my post: 100 Chapter Books You MUST Read To Your Children
(The above posts are something I’m so very proud of. I hope you’ll check them out! SO many fantastic reads to check out!)
- Board Games and Puzzles
- Moosh-Moosh Plushies
- All four of my kids (7-13) fell in love with Moosh-Moosh last year. These SUPER soft plushies come in three different sizes (4 inch clip-on, 8 inch, and 12 inch). The 12 inch plushies are perfect for travel pillows!! Whatever animal your kid is into, you’re sure to find a Moosh-Moosh they’ll love. (Younger kids on your list just might love Crush the Shark!) My oldest daughter got the alpaca for Christmas, and she loves it.
- Hands-on Fun
- Playdough, silly putty, and kinetic sand are all great options!
- Flaslight
- Kite
For the Eggs:
- bath sponge capsules (open a package and put a few in each egg)
- Lego bricks (If there is a set your child has been wanting, open it up and put several in each egg.)
- coins/cash
Tweens/Teens
Many people think tweens and teens are hard to shop for, and often get “left out.” While these kids are growing up, I’ve found that they still like to be included – and it always makes my day to see them smile at something that reminds them of being younger. These are some ideas I think tweens/teens may like.
For the Baskets:
- Journal
- Sketchbook
- Gel Pens
- Vacuum Insulated tumbler (I really like the Ozark Trail brand, available at Walmart. We have several, and they work!)
- graphic tees
- fuzzy socks or “fun” socks (there are literally SO many cool patterns out there!)
- shower gel, lotion, other favorite bath/makeup/hygiene products
- sports equipment (volleyball, soccer ball, pack of tennis balls, football, etc.)
- games (I’m a huge fan of introducing/reintroducing kids to board and card games! Our favorite right now is Dos!)
- experiences – movie ticket, $5 gift cards to fro-yo, coffee, restaurant they hang out at with friends, etc.
For the Eggs:
- glow in the dark stars (open a package and put several in each egg!)
- tokens/tickets for the local arcade/bowling alley/fun center
Looking for MORE ideas? I encourage you to check out Chasing Supermom’s GIANT List of Stocking Stuffer Ideas! (Because stocking stuffers are essentially what I put in my children’s Easter baskets!)
I also wrote an Easter Basket Alternative post several years ago you might enjoy! Happy Easter everyone!
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