A Happy Easter with Less Candy

Instead of candy, try something new in your child's Easter basket this year.

added 04/07/09

Looking for some alternatives to the yearly overloading of Easter baskets with candy? Here are some ways to limit the candy and increase the fun using mostly non-food treats. (One hint: kids love flowers too!)

Use fillable plastic eggs, and save them to re-use year after year
Fill them with one or a mix of the following items: coins, sugar free bubblegum, movie coupons, gift certificates, small toys, erasers, stickers, and lip balm. Some good food and some not-too-bad sweet treat ideas: apples, oranges, small boxes of raisins, dark chocolate-covered almonds, and homemade trail mix with jellybeans. These filled eggs can go into the baskets or hide them for the children to run around and find.

New ideas for the Easter basket

  • Flowers
  • Small books
  • Bubble bath
  • Bubble stuff
  • Bath toys
  • Homemade cookies & muffins
  • DVD
  • CD
  • Hand held travel game
  • Colorful socks or hiking/sports socks
  • Stuffed animals
  • Figurines of their favorite character
  • Puzzles
  • Art supplies
  • Jump rope
  • Jacks
  • Kite
  • Crayons and coloring book
  • Modeling clay
  • Balloons and a pump to make balloon animals
  • A package of seeds, child-sized gardening gloves, and garden tools
  • Assorted beach toys in anticipation of summer
  • Disposable camera with a “gift certificate” for an afternoon with you at a local nature center or on a hike or some other interesting place.

Most of these items can be used over and over again.

Happy reduced-candy Easter!

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