Eggcellent Ideas
In case you haven't realized, Easter is right around the corner. This is the first year we are really "celebrating" Easter in the sense that we are getting my daughter an Easter basket and hopefully doing an egg hunt. While of course, there will be M&M's in my chocolate-loving toddler's eggs, I wanted to share a few different non-candy ideas for a little nontraditional fun. While I am not against having candy in her Easter eggs or basket, I'm pretty sure there will already be a surplus when she visits her Grandparents' houses, so I thought I'd try a few different things just to minimize the sugar crash a little bit. And let's be honest here, so I don't have to worry about snitching it. :) So while I am actually having a coherent thought, because those seem to be few and far between these days, here is my list (thanks to a number of people that offered me their suggestions!). Some of these can fit in little eggs, others you will need the larger sized eggs.
For Babies: (I realize babies won't be hunting for eggs, but we will do a couple for my 4-month old just because I don't want him to be left out and the toddler can "help" by finding them)
- Socks
- Robeez shoes (one per egg)
- Soft headband bow
- Pacifier
- Small teether
- Amber teething necklace
For Toddlers: (Please use discretion as to whether your toddler will try to eat some of these items...)
- Necklaces
- Bracelets
- Rings
- Stick-on earrings
- Hair bows and Hair clips
- Nail polish (for the tiny diva)
- Coins
- Finger puppets
- Hot Wheels
- Stickers
- Small chalk
- Cut out pictures from magazines of animals, toys, etc. (My mom did this one year, and we were apparently just happy with the picture without the actual object!)
For School-Aged Kids:
- Tiny, fun shaped erasers or pencil toppers
- Seed packets for planting season
- Make-up -- Chapstick (LIPSMACKERS Y'ALL!), nail polish, eye shadows
- Money
- Gift certificates: Favorite clothing store, favorite ice cream place, etc.
- Movie pass
- Stickers
- Legos separated
- Love note to your child
- Written out Bible passage
- Cut out picture of larger toy child has to find
- Craft supplies
- Hair bands
- Bouncy balls
- Guitar picks
- Temporary tattoos
Non-Candy Snacks:
- Annie's Bunnies -- Lots of different varieties including cheddar and graham bunnies along with bunny fruit snacks
- Individually wrapped prunes for your irregular kiddo - Okay, just kidding. But maybe hide one for your grandmother.
- Nuts
- Dried fruit
- Berries
- Trail mix
- Fruit leather
Another idea for you to try that is completely different from consumable, tiny gifts is twelve Resurrection Eggs. The basic idea is that you have twelve eggs and each egg has a symbol representing something from the Easter story that coordinates with a scripture reference. One example is putting nails in the egg to represent Jesus being nailed to the cross. Another is leaving the egg empty to represent the empty tomb on Easter morning. This website here has some free printables for you if you feel you want to DIY a version for your Easter celebrating. It is a great way to bring Christ back to Easter and get away from some commercialism without your children feeling like there are missing out on anything.
Do you do an egg hunt with your children? What are some other ideas for egg fillers that you have done? Please share in the comments!
Also, be sure to tune in tomorrow! Amber will be bringing us some fresh and practical ideas for Easter baskets you won't want to miss.
Happy Easter!
