Easter Gifts

I got my son character bandaids for his Easter basket when he was 4. Also bubble blowing stuff and bath bubbles.

Denise has great ideas, just what i was going to write.
I would add, sunglasses, playdough, legos/duplos, fun socks.
Last year at Target in the seasonal aisle,they had super cute Easter basket stuffers. lots of neat ideas.
have fun!

JUST SAW SOME musical toothbrushes. I think i'm gonna get some of those!!

I only give my kids a small amount of candy, the rest i fill up with outdoor toys (chalk, bubbles, squirt guns, jump rope, ball) and maybe a new movie. Good Luck!!

Coloring books, crayons or markers, craft supplies, books, small games, dollar store items

S. -
I totally agree, although since I restrict the amount of junk my kids eat during the year, I do let them indulge a bit more for Easter :) But I also include a new pair of pajamas for them every year - usually a character they love like princesses or Cars.

Family Christian Store has lots of books and dvds that reflect the real meaning of Easter. For example the VeggieTales Easter Carol dvd; or the book Benjamin's Box, and there's a set called Resurrection Eggs that correlates with it - or you can use the eggs alone - they contain small items that symbolize different aspects of Jesus' last days. We always mixed a few of those meaningful items in with some candy and small toys; we enjoyed the Easter Bunny "game" (hiding the eggs and such) with her as well, but we wanted her to mever be unclear about what Easter was really about. Age 4 is usually old enough for some of those very basic stories and hands-on experiences.

We always do a little bit of candy and a book and stuffed animal. Sometimes we do larger toy or a dvd or something like that.

Hi S. -

I have a 4+ year old boy. Besides the chocolate bunnies and such, he will be getting a couple of matchbox cars, a Crayola Color Wonder kit, and a kite (about $4 at wal-mart). I have also been thinking of getting him the Madagascar DVD and the Madagascar 2 DVD for his younger brother.

My SIL always gets her kids new swim suits in their easter baskets, of course they live in Southern CA.

I also try to read to my children a bible story about easter before the holiday. We get the book out and read it again and again to prep my son for the actual reason for the day. It makes me feel better about all the gift I shower on my kids ;-)

I hope you and your son enjoy the holiday!

I love to do summer things: sidewalk chalk, a bathing suit, goggles, jump rope...

Have fun, i think his age is the best and most appreciative!!

dried fruit (my kids like dried cheeries), yogurt covered raisins, pretzels, nuts...

we have also put goldfish crackers & teddy grahams in plastic eggs, who says everything has to be candy?

Wegmans has great options in their bulk candy/nut section.

Maybe a small pot and some seeds to plant flowers and some paint or stickers to decorate the pot? That's what I plan to do for my kids and I usually put in yogurt covered raisins and other dried fruits.

I would simply set a spending limit and find something within it. Each family builds its own traditions as it goes/grows, and those are the things that kids remember. I am amazed sometimes at the "traditions" my older kids remember, because some of them are things we just did to get through, and they remember them as "cool traditions". !!

One toy I think is REALLY COOL, is legos. Be sure to buy age appropriate ones, cuz legos are the only toy I've found that is dead serious in their age levels. If you buy one older than your child, you will only frustrate him. But you might be able to buy a set, open it and put the pieces in plastic eggs. ?? I think at 4 - 5, there's a size betweent he duplos and the wee ones. ??

Maybe some small books.

My daughter doesn't eat much candy. The only thing she likes is the Hershey's Minis, so what I do is include some things for Spring/Summer. This year, she needs new bathing suits, so I bought one of them, and my thoughts are to get new chalk for outside, bubbles, that kind of stuff preparing (and wishing) for Spring.

Books, balls, Hot Wheels, stuffed animals, slinky, harmonica.....

Like everyone else seems to have posted, we do small things. My boys are two and three and a half, and they like Monster trucks, so they are getting two monster trucks. I also hide plastic eggs around the house, and so I have a few Matchbox cars in there. I also have a small book for each of them, and Matchbox makes some straight race track for 88cents that they love to put their cars on, so they each got two of them. A little bit of candy and pocket change to go into the eggs. Some $1 socks with Buzz Lightyear and Batman, their respective favorite heros.

A fun thing I did last year, since they are still kind of young to really search for their baskets, is you take a travel size baby powder, turn it upside down on your carpet while it is open (quickly), and give it a twist. The powder left on the carpet looks like teeny bunny prints, and I put them in a path or two, then led them to their baskets. A note from the bunny told them which room had their eggs and basket in it, so I could ensure that their prizes were split evenly. My mom did the prints one year when I was little, and I still remember that to this day. I was in awe. : )

At this age, the magic of the visit is more than enough. The treats need not be extravagent.

Colored chalk, paint with water coloring books, a new pack of crayons or markers, puzzles, books, new toothbrush are some ideas I have used in the past. I also recommend visiting an educational store where you can find age-appropriate learning toys for your child.

Craft items, bubbles, play doh, books and stickers are inexpensive toys that my kids like (girl age 3 1/2 and boy age 4 1/2). I got a few videos super cheap at Christmas sales so I might put one in each of their baskets.

I don't give my kids gifts for Easter. I never got gifts as a kid, only a chocolate bunny which I never ate cause I didn't eat that.

Hi S.

I have been doing story books (Critter Books and Berenstain Bears are a big hit at our house), mathcbox cars or little figures of the latest craze, Thomas one year, CARS one year etc. I do include some candy filled eggs also. Take your ideas from his interests. Sports? A nerf ball or baseball glove. Hope you have fun making your basket!

I started buyin a DVD that they want or a small toy, last year they loved it

Hi

My son has allergies so we do not do any candy...instead I hide a few small gifts around the house and maybe one larger gift. Last year it was some matchbox cars, monster jam trucks, small lego sets, books, mini etch-a-sketch, a yo yo, sidewalk chalk and the bigger item was one automoblox car. Automoblox cars are really awesome and boys love them. See their website. My son now has them all. Also, check out Zoobs. Even if my son could eat the candy, feel that most of traditional easter basket items add up $ wise and really are junky.

I think you'll find a wide variety of what people do, from small to huge gifts. We keep it simple. We color eggs the day before. I get plastic eggs and fill with some candy, toss in jelly beans and each child gets a solid chocolate bunny, size depending on age. Then I toss in a few toys like a pair of sunglasses is always a hit with my kids, lol. For a boy you could toss in a Hotwheels car, a bouncy ball, etc, dollar store type stuff. We also hide plastic eggs with treats around the house for a hunt as soon as they wake up. How about a baseball cap, a special cup, a book, etc.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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Sidewalk chalk - stickers - Matchbox cars - roll us a coloring book and add crayons.
A firend of mine even included a fun new toothbrush!

I'm totally with you on not wanting to fill easter baskets with tons of junk food. Things that I have done that my son really liked are: bubbles (a huge hit), coloring books and art supplies, little cars and trucks, sidewalk chalk, jump rope, frisbee... I hope this helps!