Plastic Easter Eggs: Filler and Game Idea for Babies, Toddlers, and Children

As a mother of two small and very active boys, socks are items in our household that I often feel the Easter Bunny has hidden from me! In addition, I often think I have one of those monsters in the washing machine that eats them up faster than a handful of jelly beans. Yet, not only are socks useful gifts that any young mother is sure to appreciate, they are also an inexpensive and often overlooked item that can easily be rolled up, one at a time, to fit inside a regular sized plastic Easter Egg.

What a simple and fantastic alternative to tons of candy and chocolate!

Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking. Socks? Come on, what's so great about socks? At Easter? You're crazy. No thanks, I'll keep my chocolate bunnies.

But wait a second and hear me out.

In her book, Help! There's a Toddler in My House, author Nancy Kelly suggests an activity which she calls Match 'em Up using socks or other clothing items. Part of the game and the challenge is to encourage your child to match up the various pairs of items. As your child gets better at this game, Kelly suggests trying different variations in the instructions to make the activity more challenging and also more fun for the child.

Hiding socks in plastic Easter eggs is really a fun and creative alternative to this matching activity! This educational activity encourages your child's ability to practice critical thinking skills like matching and sorting which are important aspects of development for both preschoolers and kindergarteners. It is also a great and inexpensive way to coordinate your child's entire Spring wardrobe, while feeling less worried about your child's next dentist appointment.

If you purchase 2 dozen plastic Easter Eggs, you need to purchase 12 pairs of new socks.

Have fun, be creative, and think Spring!

Socks come in all sorts of colors and designs so there are lots of great alternatives to the simple plain all white. Little girls love lacey frills and bows and many retail stores offer designs in all your children's favorite characters. Bright solid colors are also lots of fun.

Sizing Guide:

Sock sizes that will fit easily or snugly into a regular size plastic Easter egg include: infants, toddlers, and children's up to about a size 10. A larger size sock will still fit snugly into a slightly larger size plastic Easter egg.

How to Fill the Easter Egg:

Starting at the toe of the sock, roll it up snugly like a little scroll. Then slip one sock into each plastic Easter egg and snap it shut.

How to Make this a Fun Game:

Hide the Easter eggs like you normally would.

If your child is older, and if you'd like, make up a fun little story to tell about all the laundry Peter Cottontail's mother has to do and ask if your child has any idea how many socks rabbits must go through because they have four feet, instead of just two, and are constantly hopping around outside all the time and getting their little feet dirty.

Explain how this year Peter Cottontail and all his brothers, sisters, cousins, and Easter Bunny helpers needed new socks. So, all the bunnies were so busy knitting socks that they forgot all about chocolate bunnies and candy.

Really build up the suspense that this year they might just be surprised by what the bunnies have all been up too, and then let your little hunters go race to find their Easter eggs!

After all the eggs have been found, it's time for your child to open and match them.

For toddlers and very young children, just matching the socks up might be the extent of their attention span for this activity, but parents can easily play an active role in the game and speak directions like "Can you get mommy the socks with the yellow chicks?" For older children, parents can encourage them to see how fast they can match up the pairs of socks or even set a timer and let the child race the timer.

For infants and babies, parents and grandparents can feel good about these Easter egg fillers because they make wonderful, practical gifts while still not being choking hazards.

Other Fun Variations:

Especially for older children, small coins or folded dollar bills can easily be slipped into the toes of socks too! Another fun surprise!

This game could easily be adapted to play in a simpler form with a classroom of preschoolers. You would need a pair of matching plastic Easter eggs and a pair of socks for each child. Various designs and colors would work best. Since a dozen plastic Easter eggs usually come in pairs of six different colors, hide a matching pair of socks in a matching pair of plastic eggs. Since plastic eggs come in such a wide variety of assorted designs and colors, try to use a different pair of eggs per child to keep it simple. Give each child one of the eggs, hide the match, and then let them find it. Afterward, have all the kids put on their new Easter Bunny socks and sing Spring songs where they can hop around in them! This is sure to be a fun activity parents will thank you for doing as an alternative to candy!

So move over Sock Monkeys because Peter Cottontail's socking it to you this year!

Works Cited:

Kelly, Nancy. "Help! There's a Toddler in My House!" Robins Lane Press, 2001.

www.robinslane.com