32 Best Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas That Kids Just Love
There's no sugar, but they're still super sweet!
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When it comes to celebrating Easter, sugar comes from all directions — from family gatherings, class parties and Easter baskets brimming with sweets. And while everyone enjoys a chocolate egg, maybe it's time to find something else to stuff those baskets with to break up the sugar rush.
Below, I've gathered the best non-candy Easter basket ideas for kids this year. You'l find lots of small collectibles, from Play-Doh to Hatchimals to Kinetic Sand, and several already come in egg-shaped packages that are perfect for hiding or adding to an Easter basket. Others are fun toys that fit a springtime or Easter theme, and there are even some Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award and Kids' Book Award winners that fit the bill perfectly. Fill them up with these, and they won't even miss the sweets.
Learning Resources Growing Greenhouse
Perfect for spring, this toy gives toddlers so many different ways to learn and experiment. They can match the flowers to the correct pots based on their color, practice counting with the petals or use it for pretend play — the watering can really works! Good Housekeeping Institute experts were also impressed that this toy was made largely from recycled plastic. Ages 18 months+
If they're all about skincare — and so many tweens and teens are now — get them this TONYMOLY x Squishmallows collabs, which features sheet masks with cute spring themes. You get four in a pack, and there are plenty of other cute items in the line, too, like lip glosses and hand creams. No age recommendation given
NeeDoh is the stress toy that's taken over TikTok because it feels so cool to squash and squeeze. And while NeeDoh comes in many shapes, these chicks are perfect for Easter, and they come in three colors. Ages 3+
Toddlers will get to explore music, work on their hand-eye coordination and learn about cause-and-effect with this set of musical eggs. They're not all just shaker rattles, either — they're designed to make different sounds, including chimes, chirps and jingles. Ages 2+
Good Housekeeping Institute testers were mesmerized by the way the concentric rings of these puzzles twist and flip until they form a two-sided picture. Multiple testers said they were passed around the whole family, and often families would get two and try to do head-to-head speed competitions. Ages 8+
You're going to need some basket fillers to make your Easter baskets feel like they're overflowing with delight. These little stampers will do the trick! There are 24 in a pack, so they also work for goodie bags or favors. Ages 3+
There will be no complaints about getting into the bath when kids have these bath bombs, which come with an Easter-themed surprise toy inside. There are six in a set, and they turn the water into a bubble bath, too!
'The Book That Can Read Your Mind'
This book, with its Easter-appropriate bunny on the cover, astounded Good Housekeeping Institute testers with its accuracy. Readers pick an "audience member" from the illustrations in the book, then will follow a series of instruction. The rabbit magician will guess which member you picked. Just try to stump it! Ages 5+
Proof that holiday traditions can double as teaching lessons: When they chisel away at a fossilized egg, they'll unveil one of 12 dinosaurs, which they can then identify with the provided cards. Ages 6+
These Peep-shaped soaps smell just as sweet as they look: Each one has a subtle jelly bean-inspired scent, so they can enjoy the holiday's best sweets long after Easter Sunday.
Fubbles Bubbles No-Spill Tumbler
Good Housekeeping experts were really impressed with how these no-spill tumblers really lived up to their names and kept the messes to a minimum. In addition to single containers, you can also get a set of three for $21 (which is good for siblings). Ages 3+
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Kids just love axolotls — could it be because of their smiling faces? This is the next best thing to taking a real one home. Outside of a tank, it's squishy and stretchy. When it's underwater, though, it glows! It also comes in blue. Ages 4+
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This pack offers just the right amount of Play-Doh: nine eggs in different spring colors. (You can also get them in a pack of 24 for $22, which is great for party favors.) It's the perfect way to start a Play-Doh collection or refresh a stash that's getting stale. Ages 2+
After they're done hunting for their eggs, they can move on to the challenge of putting together these nine-piece puzzles. Each one comes with its own egg, and you get a dozen in a pack. Ages 3+
Buttons the 10-inch bunny is only one of a bunch of Easter-themed Squishmallows you can get this year — and maybe the kids in your life want to collect them all? There's always room for another plush friend!
The perfect diversion! Kids can squeeze and push the filling in the bag around while looking for the objects listed on the tag. It's an "I Spy" game and a fidget toy in one! Ages 3+
Crack these eggs open to find sand that feels like the perfect moisture for shaping and molding. This comes in a whopping pack of 20 eggs, making them great giveaways, and each one has either red, yellow or blue sand inside. Ages 3+
Hatch open the eggs, and get one of the surprise, collectible Schleich Bayala figurines of magical creatures — plantlike baby animals come in each one. They come in a set of six. Or, on the Schleich website, you can find the newest offering: hatching rainbow alpacas ($4 each). Ages 3+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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