Alternative Easter Basket Fillers for Kids

Fun Items to Replace Candy in Children’s Baskets

Mar 9, 2009 Charlina Stewart

Candy is a traditional Easter basket filler, but the high amounts of sugar found in these sweet treats aren't good for your child's teeth.

Excessive amounts of sugar can wreak havoc on kids’ dental health and leave parents paying the high costs associated with cavities and other oral health problems. Thankfully, there are plenty of alternative Easter basket fillers youngsters can enjoy that don’t involve sugar. Listed below are a few fun items to replace candy in your children’s Easter baskets.

Children’s Books about Bunny Rabbits

During Easter, books about bunny rabbits are extremely popular with kids. Some wonderful children’s book titles that feature rabbits include The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown [Harper, 1942], and Guess How Much I love You by Sam McBratney [Candlewick Press, 2006]. Both of these books are appropriate for preschoolers and early elementary age children.

Kids' Favorite Easter Movies

When kids peek into their Easter baskets and find some of their favorite Easter movies inside, they'll be delighted. If one intends to stick with the bunny theme, an obvious movie choice would be the classic, Here Comes Peter Cottontail,as kids can’t seem to get enough of that lovable character, Peter Rabbit.

Some other fun Easter movie picks for children include It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, Veggie Tales: An Easter Carol, Dora the Explorer Egg Hunt, and Easter with Max and Ruby.

Age-Appropriate Board Games

Board games are not only educational; they encourage families to spend quality time together. Some appropriate board game choices for preschool and early elementary age children include Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Hi Ho Cherry-O, and Hullabaloo.

Gift Cards from Kids' Favorite Toy Stores or Money

One can never go wrong with cold hard cash. Plastic Easter eggs are the perfect place to stash a few dollar bills for children. Older kids will enjoy having a little extra spending money of their own. Younger children will appreciate the independence associated with using gift cards to buy something they like from their favorite toy store.

Small Toys, Coloring Books, Activity Books and Crayons

Sandbox toys such as miniature buckets, funnels, and shovels can serve as alternative Easter basket fillers for kids. One can also add simple toys such as bubbles, dolls, cars, teddy bears, crayons, markers, puzzles, doll clothes, coloring books and activity books to kids' Easter baskets.

There’s no rule that says your kids' Easter baskets must be filled with candy. Story books, small toys, coloring books, gift cards, money, movies, and board games are all things children love. And these items along with others make excellent alternative fillers for your kids’ Easter baskets.

The copyright of the article Alternative Easter Basket Fillers for Kids in Early Childhood is owned by Charlina Stewart. Permission to republish Alternative Easter Basket Fillers for Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Easter Eggs