Mindful Easter Basket For Kids

Growing up, my Mom made every holiday so magical for us. Easter time meant new Easter dresses, a big Easter breakfast, an egg hunt and modest but delicious baskets. My Ma knew that the little plastic junk toys would be marvelous that first day or two and then would just end up in a toy bin collecting dust. And then eventually, in the landfill. So she kept it simple every year and I always knew I would get a big chocolate bunny, lots of jelly beans, chocolate egg candies, a lip balm, and some small toy or stuffed animal. It can be hard not to keep up with the perfectly curated Easter baskets of Instagram these days! I recently spotted one that looked straight out of a magazine but cost well over $200 when I stared adding everything up! You can create a meaningful and mindful Easter basket for your children, even on a tight budget! Remember, quality over quantity is best! Every year I try to fill my son’s basket with something he needs, a couple things he really wants, a surprise or two, and some candy. So here is this year’s mindful Easter basket for kids! This is for my son, but really could be gender neutral. I think ages 5-8 would really enjoy these gifts.

Every other year I like to put some new play-dough in my son’s basket. Our favorite brand is Squishy Dough, an incredibly soft dough that smells amazing! This Easter set is marshmallow scented and perfectly cheerful Spring colors. I love this small shop because the dough keeps its scent for SUCH a long time. We still have a Christmas set (featured in one of my past gift guides) of dough from 2 years ago that still smells amazing. My son is going to be SO excited for this one! price: $21

We got this super cute Easter tic-tac-toe game and personalized name tag from an adorable Etsy shop called 6211 Design. I really love the rabbit (if you follow me on Instagram you may know I am obsessed with our pet holland lop Mr. Copper!) and that you can even pick the color of his glasses. It makes the basket even more special and you can re-use it year after year. tag price: $15.00 tic-tac-toe game price: $

My son has been needing some new rain boots, so I got these classic yellow rain boots from Lone Cone Shop. These add in a fun pop of color to the basket, are super functional, and you can choose from several different cute colors and patterns for your kiddos. You can find these on Amazon (perfect for a last-minute gift idea! Yay for 2 day delivery!) I’m adding in some fresh blooms or eucalyptus with the boots because my kiddo is just as obsessed with fresh blooms and greenery as I am. Since he was a toddler, he would have to stop and smell every.single.flower. He was in absolute heaven when he could come visit me at the flower shop I use to work at! If your children are as in-love with fresh blooms as mine, grab a cheap bunch of chamomile or another filler and add in some life to your littles basket. They might think the Easter basket picked them specially for them! You could also get a large bubbles wand from the dollar store to add in to the boots. price: $32.99

Every year I add a new book to his basket, and this year is extra special with this beautiful set from Fox Hollow Studios. I have been a huge fan of this artist for some time and could not wait for an excuse to get this collection. I mean, how gorgeous are these?? We will definitely be displaying these as decor on our bookshelf. price: $21.99

Instead of using plastic grass filler, I used this stunning green magic playsilk from Avery and Ruth. Using play silks as a filler doubles as a special open-ended toy! This silk also came with fun colorful wooden blocks (Calm Mind Kit) price: $35.00

My son LOVES bath bombs, so these egg shaped bath bombs are going to be huge hit! I picked these up from a local shop, but you can find similar ones here. price: $12.00

We love all things huckleberry (it’s a Montana thing) so these huckleberry jelly beans are going to be a real treat. I filled both wood eggs and the larger tin egg with the huck jelly beans. I got mine from a local shop, but you can get a whole huckleberry gift set here. Or just the jelly beans from Amazon here. Another sweet treat I added were these huckleberry caramels from Annie B’s. One thing I could not find this year were honey straws! Our local shop was out of them, but I know Amazon has honey straws here. Honey straws are a great alternative to candy! And if you’re lucky, you may find flavored honey straws, which are our favorite.

I always add in a chocolate bunny, just like my Ma did! And this year I kept my Ma’s tradition alive and added in a little lip balm. Huckleberry flavor, of course.

A huge thank you to Lone Cone Shop, Tabitha Paige of Fox Hollow Studios, , Squishy Dough, 6211 Design, and Avery and Ruth, for collaborating with me on this mindful Easter basket.

This basket is new from Michael’s (our old one we used for years was a victim to the jaws of our husky puppy!). We usually use the same basket every year, making it a tradition to set out our baskets the night before so that the Easter bunny can fill them! Price: on sale for $11.99

Our Easter morning usually looks like this…

Liam jumps on our bed to wake us up, we run upstairs and find his basket and our basket (I put together a basket for my hubby and I) on the kitchen table or coffee table. After some coffee, we then we throw on our jackets and head outside to gather up all the plastic Easter eggs hidden around the yard. (I will do this either the night before or if it looks like rain/snow I wake up suuuper early to hide them in the A.M. ) I fill plastic eggs with candy, bunny grahams, gold fish, etc. and then hide a huge golden egg that has some Lego minifgures and a Kinder Egg. As my son is getting older, I know that this may be the last year he really believes in the Easter bunny, but I will still continue these traditions anyways. We really focus more on Jesus than the Easter bunny so I know there will still be magic during this holiday. Next we come inside and have a big breakfast that I prepared the night before. I’ll have the casserole re-heating in the oven during the egg hunt so that all I have to do is pull that out, bring out the big bowl of fresh fruit, usually some muffins, and of course hard-boiled eggs. I don’t love being stuck in the kitchen so I always make as much as I can the day or two before. Breakfast casseroles or quiches are perfect for this! Then we say our blessing and feast and eat candy and lounge around the house all day with full bellies and hearts.

What does your Easter day typically look like?

I hope that you and your family have a beautiful and blessed Easter this year!