10 Easter Basket Ideas (that aren’t junk or candy)
I never know what to put in my kids’ Easter baskets.
We have piles of candy leftover from Halloween, Christmas, AND Valentine’s Day, so they don’t really need more candy.
I recently cleaned out their junk bin full of plastic trinkets, erasers, pencils, etc. they receive at birthday parties but never really use. I’d rather keep that bin empty for a while.
So, if not junk and not candy… what’s left?
1. A mini microscope
My First Lab recently came out with a smartphone microscope that is pretty amazing! Just pop this guy onto your phone camera and your phone is now a microscope. The magnifying level is 60x and it comes with 2 lights to illuminate the specimen. Perfect for a rainy day inside (examine the carpet! my fingernail! the dog!) or a lazy summer afternoon outside.
2. Books
You can never go wrong with a book. We tend to only buy books that are REALLY good, or ones we know we’ll reread. The rest we get from the library. Some of our recent favorites that are worth buying include: The Green Ember series, The Ordinary Children Change the World series, The Wrinkle in Time series, and Penderwicks.
3. Parent-child Journal
Life can get busy, so I love the idea of a parent-child journal. Basically, it’s a creative way to communicate intentionally with your child. Remember when you used to pass notes in class back and forth with good friends? The parent-child journal is kinda the same idea. Only you pass the journal back and forth over the course of a few days. Kids LOVE to come in and find that mom or dad has left the journal on their bed, ready to be read and then responded to. We have one for moms and daughters, but they also make them for moms and sons. p.s. Who wants to write one for dads and their kids?!
4. Whoopie cushion
We gave this to our almost 5-year-old and it’s been a riot. What kid doesn’t love a new whoopie cushion? You can grab a 2-pack at your local Target for $3.00.
5. Book darts
Our family discovered book darts this year and they are a game changer. For about $10, you can get a back of 100+ metal book darts. Use the darts to mark interesting quotes as you read, or use them as a bookmark. We have a few tins hanging around the house and they are heavily used!
6. Sushi Go card game
This fast, 10-15 minute game is perfect for the whole family to play together after dinner or before school. It’s small and doesn’t take up much space, so we like to bring it along on road trips– break it out at a rest stop, in a hotel room, or waiting in the airport!
7. Temple Trap or Jump’in
Single person puzzles from Smart Games are a big hit in our family. Our favorites so far include Jump’in and Temple Run. In Jump’in, you have to get the rabbits to safety before the fox gobbles them up. In Temple Run, the goal is to get through an enchanted labyrinth without falling into the alligator-infested waters. The puzzles start out easy and then get hard fast. Smart Games is a favorite of ours because the quality is SO GOOD (because life is too short for crappy products that fall apart). Also it’s small enough to pack into your purse for kids to do in the doctor’s office, in a car, or during a grown-up meeting when you can’t find a babysitter and have to take the kids along too.
8. Thinking Putty
As long as kids put putty back into the tin when they are finished (*clears throat loudly so all the kids can hear*), thinking putty is a great tool for kids. We like to offer putty when we’re listening to a story, riding in the car, or waiting for dinner at a restaurant. Thinking putty comes in all sizes and colors. Our favorite is the hypercolor!
9. Blendy Pens
Blendy Pens are markers that can be used as a single color OR blended together to create a new color with just a twist of the pen. Our kids love to draw and create, so an interesting writing/color utensil is always a win. The colors are bright and the pens are easy to use. Pair it with a pad of white paper!
10. IQ Focus
This pocket-sized brain game is great for on-the-go. Kids try to match the middle 3×3 grid to the pattern on the puzzle card. Sounds easy— but it’s not! You can see a past review of this game here.
What are your favorite non-candy, non-junk Easter basket gifts? Share your ideas in the comments below!
**Special thanks to Smart Games, Blendy Pens and My First Lab for partnering with us on this post. We received a complimentary product for each of these companies to consider including in this post.**
