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Easter baskets are the Christmas stockings of spring — and there’s an art to filling them with a mix of delightful surprises and practical goodies without spending a gazillion dollars. As both a parent of two kids and a Strategist editor whose job involves thinking about gift-giving all day long, I deeply understand this challenge — so I’ve compiled a list of excellent Easter-basket fillers for every type of kid, whether you’re shopping for a toddler, an 8-year-old, a full-fledged teen, or all three.
We’ve written about many of these items before, and I’ve given a lot of them to my own kids or my friends’ kids, so you can rest assured that they’re expert-vetted and Strategist-approved. Each one is small enough to fit in an Easter basket or big enough to double as one, and costs less than $30. Because I’m a practical lady whose house is already brimming with too much stuff, a lot of them are consumable, travel-friendly, and perfect for spring break, or easy to write off as “things you’ll be buying for summer, anyway.” But there are plenty of adorable bunny- and egg-themed goodies too. And it’s all available on Amazon (as well as at a few other places) and will arrive by Easter Sunday, which falls on March 31 this year.
Easter basket fillers for kids age 3 and under
For the kid who’s a good egg
I bought these eggs for my older daughter on her first Easter, when she was 6 months old, and they became an instant favorite toy. As she got older, they became a key ingredient in our play kitchen.
For the kid who’s a snuggle bunny
If you’re looking for a classic stuffed bunny, I’m partial to Peter Rabbit — Gund makes a larger stand-alone version or a mini one where Peter tucks into an adorable carrot-shaped sleeping bag.
For the kid who’s the mayor of Busytown
Though Richard Scarry’s classic I Am a Bunny is a bona fide Easter favorite, Strat parents and kids are currently obsessed with the enduring world of Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat, Bananas Gorilla, and all the rest. The Busytown Seek and Find board book puts kids on a Where’s Waldo–style hunt to keep them extra engaged.
For the kid who wants an easier way to egg hunt
This simple wagon from Green Toys is made from recycled milk jugs and has plenty of space to hold Easter loot. My daughters have had theirs for years and still use it to tote other toys around the house, despite having grown too tall for the pull string.
For the kid who loves to play in the dirt
Sturdy plastic buckets make great alternative Easter baskets, and they come in handy for backyard mud-making and summertime sand-schlepping. This heavy-duty, German-made option won’t crack even if it’s filled with heavy seashells.
For the kid who wears their heart on their sleeve
Yes, this classic and heartwarmingly competitive tale of a parent and kid who love each other to the moon — and back — is a board book meant for babies, but the message gets even more poignant as those babies grow up.
For the kid who’s excited to see the garbage collectors every week
When my older daughter turned 1, this dump truck was her hands-down favorite birthday present. It comes in three different colorways (pink and purple, red and yellow, and blue and orange), and it won’t hold a ton, making it a perfect “basket” for younger kids who will be more than happy with a couple pieces of candy and a trinket or two.
For the kid who likes to color
These palm-grip crayons are one of our bestselling gifts for 1-year-olds with a shape that helps develop fine-motor skills — but they’re also a nice option for a slightly older kid who tends to be a little rough with more traditional crayons (and are especially on theme for Easter).
For the kid who likes to color in the bath
These bath crayons come recommended by Strategist contributor Regan Stephans, who knows a thing or four about the best bath toys for kids.
For the kid who’s always spinning in circles
One of the best gifts for 2-year-olds, the wonderfully open-ended Moluk Bilibo can be used for whatever comes to the imagination. I’m imagining it as an atypical Easter basket, and if your kids are anything like Strategist contributor Lauren Crosby’s, it just might become their new favorite toy.
For the kid who’s obsessed with cars
This Melissa & Doug set — from our list of the best wooden toys for kids — is just the ticket for kids who love things that go.
For the kid who’s a ray of light
My kids have had a Montessori wooden rainbow since they were much younger, and even now, at 6 and 8, they never fail to surprise me with the endless uses they come up with for it — the latest was a game of Skee-Ball, with cups assembled from the colorful arcs on a ramp made from our Nugget play couch. This one is heirloom-quality and comes in a pleasing palette of springy pastels.
Easter basket fillers for kids ages 4 to 8
For the kid who plays with their food
We love a “leave no trace” toy in my house, so I put a bag of these gummy blocks in each of my kids’ Christmas stockings after New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff recommended them to me. They both loved building with them and then devouring their creations.
For the kid with sticky fingers
If stickers make your kid tick, check out Melissa & Doug’s new twist on their widely beloved line of Water Wow painting pads, which swap mess-free watercolors for a refillable sticker pen that toddlers and younger kids will love. Older kids will appreciate the brand’s paint-by-numbers-esque mosaic books that let them fill in realistic safari, nature, and ocean scenes.
For the kid who’s anything but square
This wooden shape “puzzle” is impressively high quality for the price, and kids can switch back and forth between following the pictures on the cards and getting creative with their own designs. It’s easy to travel with, too, thanks to the way its pieces are packed in two compact metal tins.
For the kid who wants to be like Messi when they grow up
The novelty of a ball that lights up makes spring soccer even more fun. (Pro-tip: Choose size 3 for younger kids, size 4 for most elementary schoolers, and size 5 for ages 12 and up.)
For the kid who likes to draw en plein air
With summer on the horizon, Easter is the perfect time to crack open a fresh box of sidewalk chalk. My family especially loves Crayola’s vibrant shades.
For the kid who likes to draw on the go
Ooly makes some of our favorite kids’ art supplies, and I especially like this portable sketchbook that has 60 perforated pages contained beneath a dog, cat, fox, or owl cover.
For the kid who just took off their training wheels
Use a bike basket to present their Easter goodies, then buckle it to their handlebars so they can haul a water bottle, a snack, and whatever sticks and leaves they’ve scavenged around the neighborhood lately. (Just be sure to mind the size so you can be certain it will fit.)
For the kid who collects rocks
Blow their mind with a sleeve of these candy-coated chocolate pebbles that won’t chip a tooth.
For the kid who always makes a splash
Self-sealing water balloons are kind of astounding in how easy they are to use. And if your kids are older, you can get the reusable kind: Best for ages 4 and up since they close with tiny magnets, they’re an excellent outdoor toy that will last all summer and won’t leave you picking scraps of latex out of the lawn.
For the kid who rocks a rainbow mani-pedi
Piggy Paint makes brightly colored nail polish with nontoxic ingredients — just the right combo for a perfect mini-manicure.
For the kid who stays in the tub until their fingers prune
For the kid who wishes they had a real bunny (or dinosaur)
Whether you stay on theme with bunnies and lambs or get creative with dinosaurs and rhinos, these more realistic animals from German toy company Schleich are great for pretend play.
For the kid who needs constant entertainment at restaurants
Spot It is family-friendly card game that’s simple to learn and fun for folks of all ages. Turn over two cards at once, then try to be the first person to “spot” which image appears on both. No matter which cards you flip, there will only be one match between them, and because there’s no reading involved, kids as young as 3 or 4 can get in on the action. The miniature storage tin makes the game extremely portable, and there are multiple versions to suit different interests, from Harry Potter to Minions to The Mandalorian.
For the kid who orders all the fixins’
Another family-friendly card game, this one involves flipping cards from the deck onto a central pile and racing to slap it whenever you see a “slamwich” (two identical cards with a third in between) or a “double decker” (two identical cards back to back). Just like Spot It, it’s easy to travel with and a good distraction at restaurants. It has great graphics, too.
For the kid who’s been begging for a pet
Much cuddlier than a Tamagotchi — and less needy, too — this fuzzy, interactive fowl will hatch from its egg, hop around, and chirp when you pet it.
For the kid who’s a Heelers fan
If they’re always asking you to play Keepy-Uppy, Grannies, or Walk Straight, your Bluey superfan will love acting out their favorite episodes with these miniature action figures that will even fit inside plastic eggs if you want to make them part of an egg hunt.
For the kid who is already in a summer state of mind
These elastic-band swim goggles are both status-y (all the cool kids at my community pool have a pair) and practical. The stretchy band is easy to adjust and gentler than most swim goggles on delicate hair, and the goggles come in lots of fun colors and prints.
For the kid who wants a full sleeve
It is basically a scientific fact that kids love temporary tattoos — and these ones come in lots of great designs.
For the kid who needs a post-egg hunt activity
No matter what age group you’re shopping for, Lego has something for everyone. For Easter, this bunny-and-carrot duo earns extra points for being on-theme …
… this versatile three-in-one build can make a space shuttle, an astronaut, or an orbiter …
… and this open-ended ocean-themed set will appeal to kids who prefer to go more off-book.
For the kid who likes to power-clash
Lean into their personal style with these mismatched-on-purpose socks. There’s a wide selection of complementary designs, like a shark and octopus or milk and cookies, to fit kids up to 6 years old.
For the kid whose hero is Rosie Revere, engineer
