The PERFECT Easter Basket “formula”, plus OVER 20 Easter basket themes for 2-5 year olds!
Have no clue what you want to put in your kids’ Easter baskets this year? Check out these simple, themed Easter basket fillers for toddlers, preschoolers, and even young elementary-aged kids!
Keep reading to discover my Easter basket “formula” that takes the guess-work and stress out of making Easter baskets!
Where does the Easter Basket tradition come from?
Read a more in depth explanation here, but it’s believed by many that in the 1600s, as a part of the celebration of Eostre (a pagan fertility goddess), German protestants started telling their children that a hare (a pagan symbol of fertility) would bring colored eggs to well-behaved children.
Thus began the setting out of make-shift “nests” that turned into baskets and Peeps and all things that we now consider big parts of America’s commercial Easter!
Should we as Christians give Easter baskets to our Children?
Clearly, the Easter basket tradition is not a Christian tradition.
There are SO many things in our culture that started off as pagan traditions, but are now simply a part of our modern celebrations.
Unless your conscience prohibits it, I think it’s fine for us, as Christians, to give Easter baskets to our kids.
While I don’t think giving our kids Easter baskets is bad, I want to make sure to emphasize the TRUE meaning of Easter- Jesus’ death and resurrection- rather than simply defaulting to our culture’s commercial and secular celebrations of Easter.
COMING SOON: Check out this post on how to make Christ the focus of your Easter celebration with young kids!
As Christians, we know that Easter isn’t about Eostre, or spring, or fertility, but is IS about NEW LIFE and RESURRECTION. The resurrection of Jesus Christ and the WAY he made for us when he rose again.
Message me if you’re interested in hearing about Jesus, or watch the video below to learn more about what Christians REALLY celebrate on Easter.
What are the best baskets for toddler Easter baskets?
It does NOT matter what you use for Easter baskets for your kids!
You can grab a cheap one from the Dollar Store, or Wal-mart, or if you want, purchase a nicer one when your kids are little for them to use as long as you fill their Easter basket. haha!
Here are a few cute Easter baskets for toddlers:
We happen to have ones similar to these that my mother bought when I was pregnant with my first. They’re sturdy and I think they’ll last a long time! Plus, they’re cute!
Personalized bunny basket
It’s not my style to personalize things, but I (shockingly) think Easter baskets are cute personalized!
Fluffy Bunny Easter Basket
This one is SO cute and fluffy! My daughter would love it!
(Is it practical for hunting Easter eggs? Probably not, but LOOK HOW CUTE IT IS!! haha!)
Cotton Seersucker Bunny Ears Basket
I LOVE THIS ONE, TOO! Put ears on anything and I’m in love! Plus seersucker in the spring? Sold!
Once again, it doesn’t really matter what Easter basket you use, and your kids certainly won’t care!
However, sometimes it is fun to buy something cute like those baskets above! Especially if you want to be able to reuse it over and over again!
What should you put in Easter baskets for toddlers or preschoolers?
NOW TO THE FUN PART: filling the Easter baskets!!!
HOW DOES ONE FILL AN EASTER BASKET FOR A TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER?
There are a few ways to go about this, and none are “right”. YOU DO YOU.
However, since this is a blog post about filling Easter baskets, I’ll show you how I like to do it!
The BEST Easter Basket “formula”
I don’t like a lot of excess “stuff” in my house, so I don’t want to fill a basket with random things my kids don’t really need. Instead, I’ll stick to a certain number of items for the basket, and each item has a “category”.
Here’s my formula for filling a 2-5 year old’s Easter basket:
- Book
- Toy or Clothing Item
- Consumable/ Activity
- Food/Candy
To make it extra fun, choose a “theme” for the basket!
Something they’re really into at the moment: like bugs, barn animals, or dinosaurs!
For extra fun and to get your mind rolling (or to do the work for you!), I’ve put together some themed toddler Easter basket ideas for you!
Most of these follow my “Easter basket formula”, but some do not. Feel free to veer from the formula for your Easter baskets, it’s just a starting place!
“Spring is here!” Easter basket
I love Easter baskets with a “springy” theme!
This basket will have your toddler ready for spring in no time!
“Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring“
Bunny Rabbit Easter Basket
Bunnies have become a huge part of the commercial Easter celebration.
Use the prevalence of bunnies around this time of year to teach your toddler about real bunnies.
Window clings and stickers are always a hit with my kids, and, BONUS, you can throw them away in a few days/weeks when they’re tired of them!
Add in a chocolate bunny, some Peeps, or these bunny crackers and you’re all set!
Bunny Stickers or Window Clings
Egg-y Easter Basket
Eggs and Easter baskets just go together!
You could also throw in some plastic eggs filled with small candies or snacks, as well as a Cadbury or Reese egg. YUMMOO!!!
Weather Easter basket
Your toddler’s Easter basket is the perfect way to teach them about something they’re interested in, or something you want them to know!
We recently purchased this book about weather and it’s AWESOME!! Pairing it with a “weather station” would be an awesome way to teach your toddler more about weather!
For candy for this basket, put in some marshmallows (clouds), and a Reese cup (sun). If your child can eat them safely, these blue jelly beans could stand in for rain!
(For the record, I’m SO not the mom who matches candy to the basket… but it’s fun for me to think of ideas for it, so here we are! haha! If you’re me, throw in some Reese cups into any basket and you’re golden! haha!)
Bird-Watching Easter Basket
Get your kids outside by getting them interested in birds!
Learn to bird-watch together!
My 3 year old son LOVES binoculars; I bet he would LOVE THIS!
Pair this basket with some Peeps!
“Bird-Watch: What will you find?”
Flowers Easter Basket
A flower basket is SUCH a fun spring theme for a toddler’s Easter basket!
These flower suckers go perfect with this basket!
Butterflies Easter Basket
All toddlers I know love looking at caterpillars and butterflies!
Add in some gummy worms to stand in as caterpillars and your older toddler will love it!
(gummy candies can be choking hazards so use caution when giving them to your kids!)
“From Caterpillar to Butterfly”
Bug-lover Easter Basket
These are for your bug-loving kids!
Y’ALL, when trying to find “bug candy” I found THESE!!! PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY GIVING REAL BUG SUCKERS TO THEIR CHILDREN…… WHAT????? HAHA! I know people eat bugs, but I’m NOT into that! I bet kids would think they were cool though!
THIS bug candy is more my speed, but you do what you want!
Barnyard Easter Basket
Both of my toddlers LOVE their animal figurines, these Peek-A-Flap books, and the reusable puff stickers!
These together would make such a cute barnyard-themed Easter basket!
Realistic Farm Animal Figurines
Melissa and Doug Puffy Sticker Farm
Beach-ready Easter Basket
Last year I filled my kids’ Easter baskets with a few practical things I knew they would need for warm weather!
I LOVE the chin straps on these sun hats!
Outdoor Fun Easter basket
With spring coming, we are starting to be able to spend more hours outside!
Bubbles, bubble wands, and sidewalk chalk are ALWAYS a hit at our house! Pair those with a cute spring book like the one below- and you have yourself a super cute outdoor fun Easter basket for your toddlers!
Bubble wands and Bubbles
Gardening Easter Basket
THIS BOOK is just the BEST!
If your kid loves to play in the dirt, this Easter basket theme is where it’s at!
We found our small gardening tools at Aldi a few summers ago, but I bet you could find them at a lot of different places when spring begins!
Purchase a plant at a local store, or buy this kit, and get outdoors with your kids this spring!
“Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt”
