Nature-Inspired, Non-Edible Easter Basket Ideas for Young Children
As spring hops closer, the celebration of Easter is just around the corner. While I loved gorging myself on a smorgasbord of chocolate and jelly beans as a kid, I want to fill my own child’s Easter basket with healthy and practical items that I know she will love and use. And maybe a chocolate bunny.
While our family's simple baskets won’t include ALL of these items, I’ve been brainstorming a list to help us plan. I hope my list of Easter basket ideas will inspire you, as well. Please share your own ideas in the comments at the bottom of the post-- I can use a few more ideas myself!
THE BASKET
I purchased a personalized Easter basket for my child’s first Easter, which we plan to use for years and years. We bought ours from Personal Creations, but I also recommend searching Etsy for a great selection.
If you want to use something repurposed, any woven basket will work! The Longaberger basket craze of the early 90’s is over, and I bet you know someone with a ton of those beautiful creations stashed in their basement. Any woven basket from a yard sale can be used. The trick is to keep it to use for years to come.
BASKET FILL
Avoid the disposable green plastic grass at all costs! If you are located in a warmer climate, clip some live ornamental grass as your base. If you have access to a shredder, simply shred some paper you no longer need. Otherwise, a colorful cloth or paper napkin will be perfect!
FUN CONTENTS
Books
There’s never a bad time to gift books to your child! We will choose to include a religious book and one more nature-inspired book. Here are some great options:
What Will Hatch? By Jennifer Ward and Susie Ghahremani- With peaceful illustrations and an engaging design, this book introduces children to 7 animals and their eggs. The questions and cut outs on each page encourage children to guess which animal will emerge from the egg. Then, they turn the page to find out if they were right! With an informational index that provides more details about each animal and its eggs, this book is sure to grow with your child. I have heard that What Will Grow? Is another excellent book by the same duo.
An Egg is Quiet by Diana Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long- This informative and beautiful book comes from the duo who also wrote A Nest is Noisy, A Seed is Sleepy, A Butterfly is Patient, and A Rock is Lively. Interesting facts about eggs are written in poetic and simple text and complemented with intricate and beautiful drawings that will teach and inspire all readers about the diversity of life.
Where are Baby’s Easter Eggs? By Karen Katz- This is a lift-the-flap book great for the toddler and baby crowd. It introduces children to the idea of looking for Easter eggs while engaging them with its vibrant colors and glittery images.
Play Items
Wooden Eggs Craft Kit from Natural Earth Paint- I love this paint for all types of projects, especially outdoor painting! This egg kit comes with wooden eggs and Earth-friendly paint. The eggs can be used year after year and the egg-stra (hehe) paint can be used for other projects, similar to watercolors. Wike Baby readers can use the coupon code FunKids10 for 10% off (one time per customer)!
Reusable Water Balloons- Yes, these are a thing! The reusable water balloons all have excellent reviews on Etsy and provide for the same fun as water balloons without the plastic mess to clean up.
Watercolor Paint Set- Here’s a trick I learned from my neighbor: use a spray bottle of water to wet the paints instead of having young children dip into a cup of water. We never have an issue with water spilling, and it’s easy clean up! Bring your paint set outside for children to use nature as artistic inspiration!
Gardening Kit- Spring is planting time! Your little ones can help or “help” with planting when they have their own flower seeds, trowel, and gardening gloves. I always love things from Green Toys, and here is a functional watering can. This gardening kit also looks awesome! Start with some quick growing radishes and scallions for something delicious and nutritious to add to your salads.
Practical Items
Sun Hat- Get ready for the warm weather with a beautiful sun hat. We love the “gro-with-me” features that allow us to use their hats year after year as well as the fun prints available from Jan&Jul. You can use the coupon code WIKEBABY1019 for 10% off and free shipping when purchasing through their website.
Rain Boots- Practical and adorable, rain boots are perfect for soggy springtime adventures. We love the prints available from Jan&Jul. You can use the coupon code WIKEBABY1019 for 10% off and free shipping when purchasing through their website.
Umbrella- We love the Skip Hop umbrellas. They are whimsical and adorable!
EGGS and EGG STUFFERS
If you plan to dye eggs, you can make your own egg dye or purchase some natural egg dye from Natural Earth Paints (10% off with code FunKids10). If hiding plastic eggs is part of your tradition, make sure you keep them to use year after year! Here are some ideas for items to stuff in your eggs.
Gemstones and Minerals- Beautiful gemstones and minerals are the perfect size to hide in your child’s eggs. Couple this with including a field guide to rocks and minerals in the Easter basket.
Map Puzzle- For older children, I love the idea of creating a puzzle of a map that includes the location of the Easter basket!
Coupons for Experiences- Homemade coupons to locations your child loves are fun finds to stuff in the eggs.
FINISHING TOUCHES
If the Easter Bunny is putting together this basket, it’s always nice when he includes a hand-written or typed personalized message. I love how he signs his notes with a bunny footprint image!
What will your children find in their Easter baskets this year? Comment below with your ideas!
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