Wednesday, April 3, 2013

A Toddler Easter Basket

Our family had a fantastic Easter weekend, and I hope yours did as well!

Derek's family has a tradition of hiding Easter baskets, and letting the kids search for them. This really works great in our northern climate where a big outdoor egg hunt isn't always possible. We found that it is also perfect for a toddler, who may not have the attention span for a long search.


For older children, you could also create a scavenger hunt for your kids. Instead of having their Easter baskets just sitting on the table ready, have your kids wake up to find an egg with a clue, that takes them to another clue etc, until they find their basket.


One of the toys in Emma's basket was a collection of chunky foam letters and numbers for the bath. We made a trail of numbers leading through the living room to her basket. She also got goldfish crackers, golden raisins, bath markers, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, a tube of Chap-stick (one of her favorite things), some Easter-y cookie cutters (for cookies or play-doh), and two small Dr. Seuss books. I was surprised at how quickly Emma's basket filled up!


We knew she'd be getting candy from her grandparents, as well as aunts and uncles (in addition to charming a few pieces away from Mommy and Daddy!) so we made a concerted effort NOT to include any candy in her basket.


A few other great (non-candy) ideas are:
  • Coins or even Dollar Bills 
  • Stickers
  • Seeds to plant together after Easter
  • Hot Wheel Cars
  • Hair ribbons and bows
  • Bouncy Balls
  • Erasers
  • Lip Gloss
  • Character Band-aids
  • Sea Shells
  • Play-doh
  • Army men
  • Plastic Animals/Bugs
  • Bracelets/Necklaces
  • Rubber Stamps
  • Pony Tail holders
  • Marbles
  • Mini nail polish
  • Coupons (You can make them: "Good for one extra bed time story, etc...")

Got any other candy-free egg ideas you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them!  

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