Are you struggling to figure out what to put in your child’s Easter basket to make it easy, fun, and cheap without it being filled with candy? I know I always am. This year I’ve decided to think outside the basket. Here are a few Easter basket ideas…
Toys
My oldest son’s usual go-to toys are Legos, but this year I want to do something different. I asked some of the moms at preschool what toys their boys are loving at the moment, and surprisingly Walkie Talkies are all the rage these days. Who knew? I plan to wrap it up and put a number on it to help build number sense, and add to the excitement of the big gift. This is a great way to give a toy with meaning if your child’s birthday is far away and maybe there’s something special you want to get them before then. For my younger son, 8 months, I am giving him the same thing I gave my older guy…he’s own phone! I know he will love it since he’s always trying to grab mine.
Books
In my opinion you can never have enough books. Currently my 4.5 year old is LOVING the Piggie and Elephant series by Mo Willems. They are so cleverly written that even older kids (like my 4th grade students) love them. You could also do a magazine subscription, especially if there’s a fundraiser going on as there sometimes are this time of year. The danger of having the older sibling is feeling like you never by books for the younger one. This year I will add a few board books to my little guy’s basket so he can chew on them without my older son trying to grab his books back!
Gift Cards
I like the idea of a gift card over cash for the Easter basket for a couple of reasons. The first is my hubby always puts the cash in the accounts, which is nice, but then my son feels like it’s nothing important. The second is whenever we go to the store (toy or grocery) my son always wants to buy something. With the gift card he can! We also get to practice working with money and understanding a budget; two great life lessons. For the baby I will add a gift card to either Target or Amazon to use for the things he will need between now and his birthday this summer.
Something Silly
Since it’s supposed to be fun, I love adding something super silly to the basket. This year I will be adding a Chia pet! I love that these are popular again, and my son is into gardening. Since it’s not quite warm enough to do real gardening, this gets him excited for spring and gardening with his grandparents. In years past I have given him bubbles, character toothbrushes, even fun plates and silverware sets when he was younger. I love watching babies discover bubbles, so I’m excited to see my little guy’s face when the first warm day finally arrives, and we go outside to blow bubbles.
So there you have it. Those are my tips for cheap, easy and fast Easter baskets. What do you put in your kid’s baskets?