With an early holiday this year, the Easter Bunny will be hopping through town in less than a week! Have you had a chance to even think about what that might mean in your house? For some, it means a chocolate bunny and for others it means new spring clothes. Some use this holiday for a new bathing suit for an upcoming vacation, some to fill up the candy baskets. There are all sorts of traditions for all generations, many of which are completely doable last minute if this is the first time you’ve realized the countdown has begun!
Grab your baskets, mamas, as we take your around town for some quick and easy last minute Easter basket stuffers!
Head to Dollar General, Target’s Dollar Spot (now called Bullseye Playground), 5 Below, or even your local grocery store for some great discounts on fun outdoor activities good for all ages! Chalk, bubbles, bubble wands, sidewalk paint, seeds to plant, and gardening tools…all kinds of fun things to stock up on as the warmer weather moves in!
Also, as spring and summer approach us, we start changing out wardrobes and planning for vacations. Find a new pair of rubber boots and matching umbrella! Grab the cooler summer PJs or new swim suits you have set aside for warmer weather and stuff them in the basket! Most stores have already transitioned their clothes racks to the new season, allowing you find all kinds of fun things for great prices at places like Old Navy, Target, Carters, and Gymboree.
Is your child old enough to have a favorite character or activity?
Fill their basket with a theme! Our daughter loves Shopkins so we have collected pencils, erasers, underwear, and a few new Shopkin characters for her basket, while our son loves all things with wheels and will have a basket with cars, trains, a truck book, and monster truck puzzle. Other great and easy-to-fill themes might be a sport or sport’s team, arts and crafts, a movie, or a cooking theme.
Headed out on the road or a long plane trip this summer?
Make a travel basket including new activities, such as coloring books or reading books, to keep your children busy in the car or on the plane. Include a new outfit that coordinates with the trip, and a new gadget of some kind that represents the trip.
Hoping to skip the sugar highs?
Try dried fruit, popcorn, or fruit snacks! Supplement quarters or other change in place of candy to fill the eggs!
Candy is always an exciting option for children of all ages, especially when there is typically a consumption restriction at times other than holidays. Growing up, we always had a small chocolate bunny hidden in our baskets and while most years we never quite finished eating it, we still looked forward to finding it. Jelly beans, bubble gum eggs, and lollipops are a big hit at our house too!
On a side note related to jelly beans and lollipops…one of my most favorite traditions (and I think our kids would agree!) is “planting” jelly beans in the front yard and seeing them “grow” into lollipops after the Easter Bunny has visited! Their excited expressions are priceless!
Cute idea planting jelly beans! Another egg stuffer idea is kid’s socks.