The idea of a healthy Easter basket that the whole family will love
Since we largely avoided candy and other processed foods, I had to get creative and come up with other Easter basket ideas every year. As a kid, my brother and I were looking forward to Easter, picking up baskets with chocolate bunnies and doing Easter egg hunts. Thanks to these special memories, I tried to make my kids’ baskets as special (reduced the garbage stuff).
Our family is focused on providing experiences rather than material gifts and I wanted to find ways to bring them into our holiday celebrations. Over the years, I have found some unique ideas and themes for the basket of the year. Not only did the kids happily dig the baskets on Easter mornings, they also encouraged family experiences.
Healthy Easter Basket: Going too far?
I’ve definitely heard of such objections that bringing candy out of the Easter basket makes the whole healthy thing too much. If your idea runs along these lines, consider:
Easter is the second largest candy holiday a year later. More than 16 billion gummy candies are made each year, as well as millions of neon marshmallow chicks and hundreds of chocolate snacks. Children’s Easter baskets are usually filled with high fructose corn syrup, food dyes and ingredients, and our bodies (of course our children’s bodies) are not something to be eaten.
I mean, if I’m extreme, it’s because I’m reacting to a big problem.
Since food dyes can affect behavior and many people consume more than 100 pounds of sugar per year, it is becoming increasingly important to consider healthier alternatives even during the holidays. These simple switches won’t take any fun or tradition away. They just reduce sugar and food dye content.
Of course, sometimes the pressure of choosing natural selection is greater than the benefit. However, I think it’s a holiday and we can definitely improve. We can still celebrate all Easter that could have been in extreme circumstances on either end.
OK, that’s out of reach… to the Easter basket!
25+ Sugar-free Easter Basket Ideas
These are some of our family’s favorites over the years. Hopefully some of them make the wheels turn and inspire some ideas for your family!
Resurrection basket ideas based on experience/theme
These experience-themed baskets are more fun and lasting than sugary candies. Create an Easter basket around activities or themes such as gardening, baseball, swimming or camping. Gifts to help your child provide new skills or favorite pastimes.
These are my favorite themes from my past Easter baskets:
Gardening basket
Past favorites and themes we choose again every year. I use cheap clay pots on the “basket” and fill them with kids-sized gardening gloves, seeds, small garden tools and other garden-related items. Each child uses different types of seeds in the garden and can help me start seeds, plant seeds on elevated beds, and water throughout the year.
Camping basket
One year, to help us store our camping supplies, every child receives camping items in the basket. They have sleeping bags, flashlights, binoculars, whistles and camping silverware.
Sports Basketball
The basket with gear can be used to participate in certain sports, even tickets to our local minor league teams to play, and I love the family all year round. One year, we have new accessories for our backyard ninja collection.
Movie Night Basket
Kids really love family movie nights, so their baskets can include summer PJs and movie tickets or DVDs. Each child will get a different movie and “host” the movie night by making snacks and preparing the movie. Our family’s favorite perennials is how to train Dragons and Cinderella.
Craft basket
Every mother knows the challenge of making the child enjoyable and effective occupation. Especially in the summer shortly after Easter! A craft-themed basket is perfect for this. I might fill my basket with craft supplies such as construction paper, glue, scissors, buttons and modeling clay.
Treasure Hunt Game Basket
With this idea, the basket is part of the experience. For a few years, I just wanted to give all the kids who don’t fit into the basket. I did a treasure hunt around the gifts and left the clues in their basket. Hide part of the first clue in each basket so that the kids can work together to find the first clue and lead them to the treasure hunt, to the final destination or Easter gift.
Easter basket filling ideas
If you don’t want to follow the theme of Easter baskets, randomly fill it with some healthy Easter basket ideas.
There is still time: try homemade!
Just say no to neon jelly beans and marshmallow chicken! Skip the chocolate bunny and Cadbury eggs altogether and consider making healthier chocolate, marshmallow or gelatin fruit snacks (perhaps Easter-themed mold). You can also make these cute protein sweet nests.
Although it’s not that convenient, homemade candies come with a bonus: a great time to prepare for Easter.
If your kids still love fun Easter baskets without all the sugar, there are plenty of non-friendly options. There are even healthier candies to choose from, such as dark chocolate or dye-free suction cups. You can get a full list of my favorite healthier candy options here. The following Easter snacks include a mix of store-bought and homemade choices.
Easter basket snacks
Gift gifts to older children
Many of the above ideas can also be applied to older children, but the following ideas are tailored to groups of this age group. Even teenagers love to get gifts if they like!
Easter Egg
Easter eggs are a tradition I can appreciate and this time of year has beautiful meaning. Of course, I have some suggestions on how to dye Easter eggs naturally. Please check this post for more information!
If you use plastic Easter eggs to hide your treasures, try filling them with small items instead of candies. These eggs can also contain “points” that can be used to “buy” larger prizes from the box. Better yet, hide the real eggs, or end with clues, end with interesting prizes or destinations! There are also some very cute reusable fabric eggs that are better than plastic eggs.
Easter basket
It takes some thought outside the box to come up with a new Easter basket idea. But, I have confidence that ultimately my kids won’t feel that this season’s celebrations are being stripped or missed. In fact, it is surprising that a healthy Easter basket can be colorful, sweet and festive. I hope these ideas help you fill your Easter basket with candy, joy and health!
What special family traditions do you cherish during Easter? Do you have healthier Easter basket ideas to share? I really want to hear it!
