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Easter is approaching, and you need to get something good for your family. So, why don’t you do things differently this time? Instead of getting them the usual candies, try and fill the Easter basket with something else.
After all, too much candy is not healthy for your kids. Let the little ones experience a slight change in their lives. We all have to learn to roll with the punches eventually.
So, in this post, we will highlight some of the best alternatives for candy this Easter. But before getting to that, let’s first discuss some of the reasons you need to cut back on the sweets you add to your children’s Easter baskets.
With every holiday candy is poured into our houses. Skip the sugar high with these inexpensive Easter basket fillers for kids!Click To TweetWhy Not Candy?
One of the significant reasons we insist you replace candy with something different this Easter is because of the constant flow of sweets coming into your house throughout the year.
Come to think of it, Halloween came, and candy was everywhere around the home. Then, before Halloween’s stock ran out, Christmas came and refilled the candy supply. Two months down the line, we had Valentine’s, which came along with another flow of candy.
Times are changing, and we need to embrace new things. For instance, a ticket to various Art Fairs can be a great addition to an Easter basket.
You don’t have to do things the old way. Just because you have been getting candy for Easter doesn’t mean you should do the same this year.
Alternatives To Put In Your Easter Basket
You can use several things to fill up Easter baskets instead of candy. Try to make one creative and another educational and then fill in the blanks with other goodies.
Don’t worry though, below is a list of the top five best candy alternatives to fill in your Easter basket. These are affordable, readily available, and age-appropriate.
Put Books in Your Easter Baskets
Books are the perfect thing to fill the kids’ Easter baskets! Kids love to learn new things, especially when it’s about cute baby animals or cool facts.
As a parent, you’ll also appreciate how much longer they last than candy.
Below, you’ll find six books that would be the perfect addition to any Easter basket by National Geographic Kids.
Cutest Animals on the Planet
You’re going to fall in love with this cuteness overload. It’s National Geographic Kids, so all of the images are stunning and show each animal at its peak cuteness level.
If you kiddos love animals and super cute ones at that (which I bet they do), they will love this book. Your kids get to gander at adorable animals, all while learning fun facts about them.
Which will they think is the cutest? We’ve always been a pomeranian puppy fan. Swoon.
National Geographic Kids Baby Animal Sticker Activity Book
This book is excellent for teaching younger children about animals while engaging them in an activity simultaneously. Besides cute animal stickers, they can also practice their matching and counting skills and try their hand at mazes as well.
Each page is numbered at the top, so your younger ones can easily navigate them book themselves!
5,000 Awesome Facts About Everything
This book is great for middle or high school-aged kiddos as younger kids do better with the text more spread out and larger.
If your kid is constantly questioning everything and asking why this book will help keep them out of your hair for a bit. It’s filled cover to cover with facts kids will love.
It’s a large, beautiful hardcover book that features a mix of content, so you might want to peruse the book before handing it off to your children.
National Geographic Pre-Reader: Ducks
Like chicks, ducks go hand and hand with Easter. If your children are new to reading, this book will help them improve sight recognition and vocabulary.
Gorgeous images and facts of ducks fill the pages to get even pre-schoolers engaged with the natural sciences. There’s even a little drawing activity for the older ones to build connections with the text.
Celebrate Easter
If your child ever wonders why we dye eggs or participate in other popular Easter activities, this is the book for them. It goes through several traditions and their origins and what makes Easter, Easter.
It focuses more on facts than religion making it perfect for a variety of families!
Treasury of Bible Stories
Easter is, after all, a religious holiday that wouldn’t be complete for some without classic bible stories. The author retells the classics and adds some fun embellishments that add entertainment as well as learning value to each story.
The images are, of course, lovely, and it makes an excellent bible introduction until kiddos can sit down and read the real thing.
Add Packaged Snacks to Easter Baskets
Eliminating candy doesn’t mean you don’t get your kiddos something to keep their mouths busy with. Packaged snacks are a great alternative to candy this Easter.
Plus, there are so many varieties that you’ll be able to find something for everyone. While most aren’t considered healthy per see, it’s better than straight sugar (i.e. candy).
Apart from that, packaged snacks are usually convenient to buy and easy to store.
Hooded Beach Towels
Hooded beach towels can be purchased in sizes from infants to adults, making them an excellent gift for everyone. While pool or beach days might not be happening quite yet, this will get them excited for the future.
Until then, they can use these towels to make bathtime a little more whimsical. They are fun to use, cozy, and quick-drying!
For younger kids, you might consider getting ones with fun characters or bright colors.
Kids Kitchen Tools
As a responsible parent, you need to teach kids the way of life. Cooking is one of the essential parts of human life. So definitely, the kids need to know and understand what cooking is all about.
Getting kids kitchen tools or a fun cooking kit will allow them to develop basic kitchen skills while creating something yummy to eat. It’s creative and educational, which is a parenting win.
Gummy Vitamins
While Easter is a great time to have fun with your kids, it’s also essential that you mind their health. Remember, staying healthy plays a crucial role in breeding happiness in the family.
Vitamins are essential in the growth of young ones. Gummy vitamins are healthy and are usually in multiple tasty flavors your kids will love.
Just remember to not leave the whole bottle with them if they are young. Instead, pick a specific time of day that’s vitamin time. Trust me. It’ll seem like a treat to them!
What do you put in your kid’s Easter baskets?
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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This is the best idea!! Not only is it non candy but it’s not mind numbing junk! We love National Geographic because the books are fun and educational!
So glad you like Nat Geo – they make an awesome addition to an Easter basket!
This past year we had pajamas, bath toys, bath bubbles, snacks and of course books! For Easter, we try to get books related to Easter. Thanks for sharing these awesome ideas!
I like the idea of adding pajamas to an Easter basket! For some reason, I only think about pajamas at Christmas lol.
These are awesome ideas for non candy Easter basket fillers! My kids love National Geographic books, they are so colorful and engaging.
Nat Geo books do make a great Easter filler or heck present for any time of year!
My two daughters love reading and all animals. These books would be perfect for them and would be a great thing for them to enjoy over the summer. They would truly appreciate these books.
That’s great your daughters love learning about animals! Books are a great way to do that, for Easter or any time of year.
I like to give gift cards and books.
I’ve never really thought about adding a gift card to an Easter basket but good idea!
We generally avoid candy. Too much sugar. But pennies in plastic Easter eggs hidden around the house beside their Easter basket filled with Activity items or needs is what we’ve done. Nat Geo books are an awesome gift to add.
Ohh, the kids really love when we hide money in Easter eggs too but we didn’t do that this year
When my girls were young, I would give them books, coloring books, stickers, crayons, play do, barrettes, bubbles etc.
Now that they are older, they get nail polish, deodorant, shower gel, hand lotion, face masks, foot masks, a candle etc.
I have always given candy as well.
Sounds like you have a healthy mix of candy and non-candy items in your Easter baskets. That’s great!
I love non toys Easter baskets. We love to add small toys like kites, bubbles, puzzles as well as books.
Those are all great non-candy Easter basket fillers!
Plastic eggs with mini rubber duckies, small toys and baked goodies.
Baked goodies are a great thing to add to an Easter basket especially for older children
These are so much fun. My daughter has had similar books and loves them. The pictures and quality is great for the price. Check them out — your kids would love em.
So glad to hear you love Nat Geo Kids for Easter and all year long!
We like to give fun books. We also like to give witty cards with beautiful or amusing pictures of bunny rabbits!
Those sound fun to add to an Easter basket!
We always add things that the kids are interested in – jewelry, nail polish, Pokemon/Magic cards – usually a small gift card as well.
Those are great things to add to an Easter basket! I wish my kids were that easy still lol.
When my kids were little, I always gave books, outdoor toys, and small gifts in the Easter basket. Now that they are bigger they get beauty products, airsoft accessories, or gift cards.
I love that you add airsoft accessories to your Easter baskets. Great idea! We have a paintball fan here.
I love giving activity & reading books. The kids love stickers and little hot wheels cars to play with too.
Stickers and hot wheels are great for younger children’s Easter baskets!
We always do little fidget type toys in our easter goodies
Fidget Toys are a great thing to add to an Easter basket or as stocking stuffer
For Easter I put a little bit of candy, a book, and some activity we do as a family or with their sibling : ) A healthy balance I think : )
Sounds like you have a great balance to your Easter baskets
I like to give my grandkids books and for the little one I give him a toy. My two older grandsons and granddaughter love to read.
That’s great that you added books to your Easter baskets for your grandkids
I usually stick a book or two in the basket and socks.
So glad to hear you put something educational in your Easter baskets too!
I make little arugumi animals for their baskets, we give them sidewalk chalk, hotwheels cars, colored pencils, stuffed animals, etc.
I love that you DIY something to put in their Easter baskets as well. Going that little extra mile to make it extra special is great!
Usually I give socks and books that are age-related for things other than candy for Easter.
I have never put socks in an Easter basket but it seems like a very popular addition lol
I include stuffed animals, fruit, money in plastic eggs, arts and craft supplies. I have also put clothes in the baskets and swim items for the coming summer.
I have never thought about putting fruit in an easter basket before but my boys do love it
little toys to keep the busy and keep them from eating to much candy.
Little toys and activities are great things to add to an Easter basket besides candy
I give smalll toys and books and non-sugar snacks
Sounds like you make a well balanced Easter basket