Easter Toy Ideas

Easter is approaching and your kids probably think they’re in with a good chance of a week-long diet consisting of chocolate and hot cross buns and not much else.

It’s terribly easy to purchase more chocolate than intended, particularly if you inadvertently get caught up in the idea of Easter Egg hunts and the giving of Easter themed chocolates as gifts.

Rather than the gift of chocolate, and the likelihood of the overeating of chocolate, there are plenty of other ideas for kids that are much healthier, rely on the use of their imagination and creativity or are just fun to play with for months after all the chocolate is consumed.

Packs of crayons, pencils or textas and Easter themed colouring books featuring rabbits, lambs and chicks are great for creative kids.

If they’re more into craft and love doing things with their hands, then do-it-yourself kits to make rabbits and chicks is a great alternative to the all the confectionary available. Whether this involves cutting and pasting, sewing or fine motor work with beads and threads is up to you.

An Easter hat craft kit is a perfect gift for crafty kids. They can even put on a fashion parade for you afterwards.

Stuffed toys, particularly those with highly textured fur or that feature a variety of textures over its surface are great, and can often make a long term beloved toy for your child, providing them with something that helps them to feel calm and safe.

Smaller items, which could readily replace an Easter Egg Hunt are small, egg shaped music shakers, which fit neatly in the palm of a child’s hand, make a great sound when shaken and still work with the Easter theme.

Play things such as the Sylvanian Families characters and play sets are great for fine motor play, imagination and creating stories, and feature many of the creatures we associate with Easter.

Toys make Easter last longer than a long weekend, and provide experiences and memories for years. They’re a healthier alternative to chocolate on many levels, and a good option to include, as it’s always far too easy to overindulge in the chocolate, even if you don’t intend to.

Sensory Play Ideas

There are some brilliant ideas for sensory play and recently I have come across these which are practical and developed by families to meet the needs of their sensory challenged child.  They are simple but really effective.

Developed by Familylicious, this Slime Basket looks like fun.  You can almost feel the soft, cool slime snaking through your fingers, can’t you?  It might be a little messy so make sure you set up in an area that is easy to clean or cover the floor with paper.

The Sensory Spectrum shared this clever idea for making music.  Set up a sturdy frame and hang different containers and objects.  Plastic bottles filled to different levels with rice or water make great sounds.  Empty tins, sticks of wood – anything you can find.  Then simply let your child tap or shake them, or just move them as they walk past.  The different sounds could be captivating.

GummyLump has a great idea for sensory Easter play.  Cut large Easter egg shapes out of sturdy cardboard and decorate with items that each have a different feel.  Twirled pipe cleaners, cotton wool, tinsel – whatever you can find – can be glued to the egg so that the surface feels different when you touch it.

Mom to 2 Little Divas has an idea that I would love to play with.  Fizz, Bubble & Pop! Experimenting with Vinegar + Baking Soda is a combination of science experiment and pure fizzing fun.  You know what happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar but your kids won’t.  Add a dash of food colouring and you will have colourful fizz happening right in front of their eyes.

Most of these activities take imagination rather than expense to prepare and they will be just as much sensory fun for you as they are your children.

A Non-Chocolate Easter

Not everyone can safely eat chocolate and during Easter, that can put a strain on celebrations.  The last thing you want is some sugar-driven, chocolate inspired meltdown.

Not everyone understands the impact that chocolate can have so be prepared for family and friends to arrive bearing chocolate drama in the shape of an egg or a bunny.

We like to give non-chocolate gifts at Easter and we’ve found a selection that are Easter inspired yet won’t break the bank. 

Easter Egg Putty - It looks like an Easter egg but it’s not.  It’s soft and squishy and can be formed into different shapes.  So much sensory fun in one little egg!

Jumping Egg Putty - Squishy, slimy and bouncy!  This bright yellow putty stretches and tears and moulds and shapes.

Decor Egg Lamp - I love these.  They are great decor Egg Lamps with fantastic mood lighting through 7 different colours.

Egg Chalk - This is a pack of 6 egg shaped chalks in an egg carton.  Each chalk is designed to fit snuggly inside a little hand.

Easter Carrot Containers (set of 3) - What a clever idea.  If your child MUST have chocolate, add a tiny portion inside one of these containers and he or she will get the chocolate they want and a toy to play with too.  They will hold little gifts as well.

These are all Easter inspired gifts that your child will love and which will take the emphasis away from all that chocolate.  Best of all, these gifts are all priced at less than $7 each.

Make your Easter a little happier by swapping chocolate for a long-lasting toy.