Childrens Easter baskets are a fun tradition for kids of all ages. Whether you purchase a pre-filled basket with treats, or create a personalized basket, this Easter surprise is sure to delight as much as the thrill of egg hunts and other kids Easter activities.
History of Easter Baskets
Many Easter customs are combinations of various Judeo-Christian and secular traditions. In regards to the Easter basket, this tradition most likely originates with the ancient Roman Catholic traditions of carrying baskets of food to the church for the Easter meal to be blessed by the priest. The artificial grass and plastic Easter eggs commonly found in kids baskets on this holiday most likely originate from the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of hidden eggs in a 'rabbit's nest' for children on Easter morning.
Pre-Filled Childrens Easter Baskets
For busy parents or others who want to surprise a child, pre-filled Easter baskets can be a big time saver. These are available at many local discount and department stores during the Easter season, as well as online. Pre-filled baskets come in different sizes and contain a variety of different candies, treats, and small toys or other surprises. Both simple and gourmet children's baskets are available, and boys', girls', and gender neutral baskets are typically for sale. In addition to general Easter themes, other themes may be available.
You can purchase pre-filled children holiday Easter baskets from the following retailers:
- Eccentric Baskets has boys and girls Easter baskets as well as a wonderful assortment of customized kids Easter gift baskets - choose characters, sports, or another fun theme of your choosing.
- Gourmet Gift Baskets have several baskets designed for children, including the Classic Easter Basket, Look What the Easter Bunny Brought Me, and the Ultimate Easter Basket.
- Adorable Gift Baskets sells a Peter Cottontail Basket and Ultimate Easter Assortment Basket for children.
Creating an Easter Basket for a Child
Creating a childrens Easter basket is fun and can create a special memory for a child. Baskets can either be created simply with a fun Easter theme or can be customized towards a child's specific interests, hobbies, or preferences.
Basic Easter Baskets
For a basic Easter basket, choose an appropriate size of basket of container, artificial Easter 'grass' or other basket filler, and choose items such as the following to fill the basket:
- Candy
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- Chocolate bunnies
- Chocolate eggs
- Chocolate Easter assortment
- Mini candy bars
- Marshmallow chicks or bunnies
- Jelly beans
- Easter lollipops
- Easter gummy candies or fruit snacks
- Coloring book and crayons
- Bubbles
- Small outdoor toys
- Travel-size games
- Small Easter toys or novelty items
- Plush bunny or other stuffed animal
- Nerf balls or other soft toys
Customized or Theme Baskets
It's easy to create a themed basket based on a child's interests. A few Easter basket gift ideas for kids might be:
- Little Artist Easter Basket: Fill a basket with items to help develop the budding artist's imagination, such as watercolor paints, markers, glitter glue, small pad of construction or art paper along with an easter craft supplies and some candy or other treats.
- Sports Fanatic: Fill a basket with a few items reflecting a child's favorite sports team or sport, such as a team t-shirt, sports pencil toppers, sports stickers, or nerf toys.
- Dress-Up Basket: For little girls who love dress-up, some play lip gloss, costume jewelry, dress up paper dolls, and a little mirror and hairbrush can turn an Easter basket into a dress-up delight.
- Spring Fling: Easter brings the new thrill of being outdoors and playing outside; an Easter basket with plastic gardening toys, squirt guns, sidewalk chalk, and other fun outdoor activity items are perfect for almost any child.
Other ways to create a custom basket include:
- Using a child's favorite color
- Theming around a favorite book, cartoon, or movie character
- Personalizing with items containing child's name, such as stickers or pencils
Types of Baskets
Although baskets designed specifically for Easter are plentiful around this holiday, you can use virtually any container to act as the Easter 'basket.' Other containers are often preferable, in fact, because they can be used for storage or display in a child's room. You can choose plastic buckets or pails, colorful plastic storage bins, structured canvas or nylon totes - virtually anything can be used as a kids Easter basket.
Hiding Kids Easter Baskets
Many families choose to hide Easter baskets, either as a surprise from the Easter Bunny, or just to add another fun element to the day. If choosing to hide the basket, be sure to choose a location that is age-appropriate. Young children can become frustrated if the location is too difficult, while older children can handle a bit more of a challenge. Another alternative to just hiding the basket is to supply clues for the child that eventually leads to the Easter 'treasure' - a fun Easter Basket!
