Alternatives to Candy Filled Easter Baskets

If your kids are like mine they eat way too much candy all year round and do not need that extra boost of chocolate and sugar at Easter. Through the years, I have come up with creative Easter basket ideas that have nothing to do with chocolate and candy. In fact, my kids do not get any candy at Easter from the Easter Bunny. At least not from this Easter Bunny, since I am unable to control those grandparent Easter Bunnies.

I generally use Easter as the get ready for summer holiday. Now I have boys so feel free to omit anything boy related and add Barbies or babies. When they were younger instead of using a basket, I would get a huge plastic bucket for in the sand box. It would be filled with shovels, molds, and sifters to play in the sand with. They would also get new bathing suits, water shoes or sandals, and floaties for the pool. Bubbles and plastic eggs filled with cars or other little babbles helped to fill in the empty little gaps. Coloring books, crayons, markers, and stickers were also staples in their Easter buckets.

As they got older, I began to add things that were more age appropriate. I still use buckets for baskets because they are so much more versatile. Coloring books and crayons are replaced with sketchpads and pencils. Stickers and markers are replaced with age appropriate reading books. They still get their bathing suits and water shoes. The plastic eggs now hold coupons that they can turn in whenever they choose. The coupons can be for anything a hour of TV time or video games, stay up an hour later, or even a get of a doing dishes free coupon. Anything will work that your kids will find fun and exciting.

By making Easter Baskets without any candy or chocolate, make the holiday much safer for your pets as well. You will not have to worry about you pets getting into the baskets while you are sleeping. Or if they do there will not be anything in there they will want to eat. By using things that are more practical like buckets instead of baskets, you will have less waste lying around too. My boys use their buckets for just about everything, hauling cars around or even just to move their mess from downstairs to upstairs in one shot.