Easter is quickly approaching which means the Easter bunny will be hopping by soon! I love getting to watch my children’s eyes light up when they get to get their Easter baskets on Easter morning! I truly think there is nothing better than being a mom on these holidays getting to watch our children open gifts. There are so many creative and budget-friendly ways you can fill up your child’s Easter basket to make it a magical morning. Here’s a list of my favorite Easter basket ideas for toddlers and preschoolers!
If you are preparing for an Easter egg hunt for your toddlers check out this blog post The Best Candy-free Easter Egg Filler Ideas for Toddlers.
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Christian Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers
Reminding our children the true meaning of this holiday is so important. Jesus died on the cross for us and conquered death by rising 3 days later! Giving little gifts in their Easter basket to remind them of this will help bring the true joy of Easter out.
You can put Easter story books or a bible in their Easter basket this year. Or if your child is old enough for jewelry you could give them a cross shaped necklace or cross earrings.
God Gave us Easter– I put this one in my oldest’s Easter basket last year and it is a big hit!
The Beginner’s Bible– We have this bible and love it! The stories are short and able to keep my toddlers’ attention when we read them.
Easter Candy Basket Filler Ideas
Easter candy is a classic Easter basket filler idea for toddlers. What child doesn’t love a little bit of candy?! My favorite chocolate to give my toddlers is Reese’s Cups. They are soft enough and can be broken into pieces to avoid choking. And they come in fun holiday shapes!
Chocolate Easter bunnies are another great festive option. Jelly beans are a big Easter candy, but are a choking hazard for toddlers. Depending on your child’s age that could be a candy you give.
Practical Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers
I know, giving practical gifts doesn’t seem fun, but it can be a great option! With warm weather coming (hello spring!) your toddler may need some new clothes. Getting some cute shorts and t-shirts or spring dresses can help fill the Easter basket in a budget-friendly way. You’re having to purchase new clothes for your child anyway.
Easter dress outfit for Easter Sunday. We love to give Easter dresses to our girls in their Easter baskets! They need a new Easter dress for Sunday morning so that can be another way to stay on budget for their Easter basket. Also, it won’t be too much longer before they want to choose their own Easter dresses so I enjoy getting to pick out their dresses now!
Easter Crafts
DIY Easter crafts are a great way to bond with your toddlers. And you know toddlers love to get messy! Add an Easter egg coloring kit to their Easter baskets. After lunch (or nap time) you can spend the afternoon coloring Easter eggs together.
If coloring Easter eggs is not your thing, here are a few other craft Easter basket ideas for toddlers: painting, coloring an Easter-themed coloring book, or ordering Easter theme crafts from Amazon.
You could make Easter Egg Suncatchers or grab a bunny shaped garden stone to paint from Amazon.
New Shoes
A great Easter basket idea for toddlers is new shoes! Let’s be honest, toddlers outgrow their shoes every couple of months! This can be another practical Easter basket idea to help keep your basket budget-friendly. Easter brings spring which brings rain showers, so rain boots are a great option for their Easter basket! You could even get a pair of water shoes or sandals if you have any beach vacations coming up.
Outdoor Toys for an Easter Basket
A simple Easter basket idea for toddlers is outdoor toys. With warmer weather coming, it’s a great idea to give some outdoor toys to encourage outdoor play! Physical activity is so important to toddlers, so we like to add anything extra we can that encourages physical activity.
The most used Easter basket gift I gave my toddlers last year was a frisbee I got for $1 from Walmart! IT is usually the most unexpected items in your toddler’s Easter basket they will love the most! You can get your children outdoor toys like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, or a small soccer ball or basketball.
My favorite bubbles are these bubble wands because my toddlers can use them and blow bubbles on their own.
Check out my blog post here on physical activity for toddlers if you need some ideas to get your toddler moving.
A New Swimsuit
This was a tradition my mom started with us and it was a favorite! Every Easter we got a new swimsuit for the upcoming summer in our Easter baskets. If you’re looking for Easter basket ideas for toddlers then this is a wonderful option. You know your toddler’s swimsuit from last year probably won’t fit your toddler again this year! Adding practical gifts to your toddler’s Easter basket like this can really make them feel blessed, and allow you not have to spend money on a ton of Easter basket fillers and things you need to buy.
Remember to get bright-colored swimsuits so they contrast in the water! You don’t want a dark or blue color since that blends in with the water.
Stuffed Animal Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers
You have so many stuffed animals already, I know! I feel the same way. But a great budget-friendly Easter basket filler is a cuddly stuffed animal. Toddlers always love them. You could give a sweet bunny rabbit or a cute chick. It doesn’t have to be massive by any means, but it will make them so happy.
If you are concerned about stuffed animal storage (I know I am!) I found a bean bag on Amazon that is empty and you use it to store stuffed animals! It has been the greatest purchase from Amazon for our playroom. My kids have a comfy place to sit (or me when I’m in there reading them books) and when they’re ready to take out stuffed animals we just unzip it!
Spring Themed Books
Fostering a love of reading is so important. Reading to your children can help them with emotional development, language development, and bonding. You don’t have to only give Easter theme books in your child’s Easter basket, you can do spring books as well! Spring is around the corner and we love having themed books for our kids to read for each season and holiday.
You’ll want to go based on your kid’s interests and how old they are. The younger they are board books are a great option! As they get older you can get paper books. One thing I’ve learned as a mom of 2 toddlers is even when the older toddler may be ready for paper books, the youngest can still get ahold of the paper books and rip them. We tend to lean towards more board books when we can so our younger babies don’t accidentally rip the paper books.
They even have truck-themed spring books for little boys.
Learning Toy Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers
You can always throw in some learning toys for your toddlers! We got these eggs that help your toddlers learn shapes and colors for Easter last year and our kids love them. And they serve a double purpose because they pretend to cook with them in their kitchen.
Other learning toys you could get your put in an Easter basket for toddlers are: toddler learning flashcards, preschool activity books, puzzles, counting/sorting activities, or a shape sorting cube.
As we close out this list of quick and easy Easter basket ideas for toddlers, I hope you found some of these options useful! The linked Easter gift ideas came from Amazon, so they can be delivered quickly if you are a last-minute shopper like myself.
Remember it’s not about the money you spend or the amount of gifts in your child’s Easter basket, but about the memories and love you share. Making Easter morning a magical memory for your children to remember for the rest of their lives is what’s important. Let’s cherish these days with our toddlers and give them memories to last a lifetime.
Here’s to a Happy Easter full of love, memories, Easter egg hunts, and family lunches.
I appreciate the ideas about books and the Bible stories about Easter. As a teacher/mom they hit home for me. Thanks for the new educational ideas.
So happy they were able to resonate with you!
What cool ideas for an Easter basket. For me, an Easter basket is primarily associated with childhood, Easter eggs, my grandmother and the church.
Thank you! I love that your memories are of more than just what you received in your Easter baskets! That’s the kind of memories I want o give you children as they grow up!
Great ideas!!!!
Great ideas!!!! Getting excited for this year’s easter!
thank you!
Thank you for the great ideas. I try to make easter baskets for all my kiddos, but I always run out of good ideas.
I love these ideas! Christian book, bubbles and they would LOVE the new shoes!! It’s so good to see ideas other than the typical candy – so these are much appreciated. Thank you!
So happy you love them! A little bit of candy is okay, but we don’t need baskets full for every holiday! I try to be creative with my kids baskets!
Aw, I like your ideas! My sons are 3 and 6, and I`m looking for new ideas for Easter besides chocolate. I`ll try to find new cute spring books.
Thank you! I hope you find some good ones!
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These are great Easter basket ideas for the little ones. Spring books are a perfect idea to encourage reading.
Thank you!