It can be really hard to come up with new/original/inexpensive Easter basket ideas for little ones. You don’t want to have a ton of candy in the kids’ Easter baskets when they’re younger. Making items yourself can cut down on costs and I find it’s pretty rewarding as well. Here are some suggestions for your kids’ Easter baskets with links to recipes and directions too.

Playdough and Playdough Stamps
Be sure to check out our basic playdough recipe. You can get small containers at the dollar store and they make great storage containers for playdough. You can also use these same containers to make playdough stamps! Another cute idea is include cookie cutters (we like Wilton and Curious Chef plastic cookie cutters) along with your playdough and stamps.

Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are a big part of the Yogalore curriculum, and perfect for Easter basket ideas. All you need is some kind of container and a medium to put in the sensory bin. The kids can use funnels, spoons, shovels (sand toys), figurines, etc. to play in the sensory bin. You can use a larger shallow storage bin if this is an activity for more than one child or you could also make a “personal” sensory bins by using a shallow food storage container. Then they’re portable, easy to store, and you can also use the food storage container as the Easter basket with a little creativity. Some suggestions we have for sensory bins are water beads, colored rice, Kidfetti, beans, and pasta (just to get you started). Sensory bins are so beneficial for your child and they provide hours of fun!!!!!!

Sensory Bottles

It’s true. I love sensory bottles!!!!! If you don’t know what a sensory bottle is, you have to check it out. This is a follow up post to the first post I did, letting you know some things I learned as I made more. There are so many options for sensory bottles — too many to list. They make wonderful gifts and are convenient because they are self-contained and pretty sturdy. Great for traveling and nap time, sensory bottles can be game changers.

Sensory bottles can have a calming effect on children, especially if they are about to have a meltdown or you need a quick distraction. You can make them any color, use several different kinds of “filler”, depending on the desired effect. Most of the ingredients can be found at the dollar store, so they’re good for saving money. You can also create a “sensory bottle kit”. It includes all the items needed to make your sensory bottles, but you do it as a one-on-one activity. Kids sometimes get more involved in the process than the finished product itself. Being able to help and make choices about their sensory bottles can be very satisfying.

There are plenty of other ideas we didn’t even mention, like, DIY crayons DIY bath paint, and gak (slime). We could go on forever! Check out some of our other related posts for even more ideas!