I try not to spoil my boys too badly. Generally we try to make sure each child only gets one gift for Christmas (from Santa, anyway), and one gift for their birthdays. In order to both stick to tradition and try and eliminate the vast amount of sugar we
don't need to consume on every commercialized holiday, I had to get a little more creative.
Here are some easter egg-stuffing ideas for you and your tiny people:
POP-ITS noise makers - I don't know about you, but my kids love these things. These are obviously for children older than three. These things are awesome candy replacements in Christmas stockings, as well!
Marbles - my kids love marbles. They love the different colors they come in, they love playing with them, and I think they are GREAT counting tools for young children. Between dry beans and marbles, my kids could count to 100 before Kindergarten.
Jacks - this is a good game for hand-eye coordination. Just a couple of jacks in several eggs, and a bouncy ball in an egg by itself. My boys had fun trying to find the egg with the ball in it so they could compete their sets.
Erasers - who doesn't need them for schoolwork, anyway? Why not incorporate school supplies into fun? Since my eldest son's name is Sam, I love to get him Sam I Am stuff. Every year, I find these Dr. Seuss erasers in the Target $1 bin around the beginning of school... we get about 3-4 per $1 pack.
Lego Minifigures - these are a little expensive at roughly $5 a pop, but I stocked up when they went on sale for $2.00/ea, and plan to use them for different things. The boys got a kick out of these since they have a few lego sets already. Sam loves blocks and building, so these lego people were a big hit with him. It was a race to see who got which one while they were opening their eggs. (You need to open the package and empty the contents into the egg though, the packaging is far too large!).
Coins/money - We stick to pennies or nickels, usually. Since they are not in
every egg, it's roughly a dollar and a half per child, including the single dollar bill hidden in the golden eggs.
Seeds - I love gardening, and my kids enjoy the time spent together. When they get their own seeds, they seem to feel a sense of responsibility. The pride and excitement on their little faces is enough to let them each have their own plant(s) every year. Remember, if you decide to give seeds in the easter eggs, slip a little note in their describing what the seeds will be when they grow!
I only have two boys, so "girlie" things aren't really my specialty. While writing this up, though, I thought maybe hair pretties and play jewelry could be some more feminine options.
I hope you have a wonderful Easter, however you choose to celebrate. Enjoy the service, your hame, or whatever you do. Remember though, holidays or not, whether you are religious or not, try to spread love and kindness wherever you go!
Until next time!
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