Alternative Easter Gift Guide 2022

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Easter is rapidly approaching, and if your house is anything like mine, you’ll already be answering daily questions such as “How many days is it till Easter?” and “When is the Easter bunny coming?”. My girls absolutely love the Easter holidays, in particular our annual Easter Egg hunt, where they head around the garden looking for strategically hidden treats and surprises. There is nothing cuter than watching them run around with their Easter Baskets and whilst the chocolate at Easter is obviously very gratefully received, it can be difficult as a parent to control the number of chocolate eggs your kids receive, particularly if your friends and family buy eggs for them too.

Each year I try and incorporate gifts into our Easter hunt that are completely chocolate-free, something that lasts a bit longer, embraces some Spring vibes (think bunnies and chicks) or that we can enjoy and share as a family.

If you’re looking for some chocolate-free gifts and experiences to share this Easter, here are some great places to start.

A treat from the Easter Bunny

First up, there is something really special about the magic of Easter and a visit from the Easter Bunny. Just like the anticipation of Father Christmas paying a visit in December, the Easter Bunny’s delivery leads to much excitement in this house. Did you know that you can now receive a letter from the Easter Bunny too?

Thanks to our friends at the International Elf Service (home to the adorable daily elf letters for advent), you can now pick up a personalised bundle of letters from the Easter Bunny himself!

Each pack comes with seven personalised and handcrafted letters revealing all the fun and excitement at the home of the Easter Bunny in the run-up to Easter. Just like the elves sometimes drop in a little update during advent, you can roll up the letters and tie them with the jute twine included, before letting the children discover them hidden around the house.

Little ones will love reading about all the shenanigans in the top-secret chocolate laboratory, and the last letter can be hidden as part of your egg hunt. The letters are not only fun to read together as a family, but are beautifully illustrated too – there’s also the chance of winning a prize with the golden Tasty Ticket (in true Willy Wonka style)

I get super emotional about products like this as I absolutely adore seeing the world through a child’s eyes. I can’t wait to see the girl’s reaction. You can pick up your Easter Bunny Letter pack at International Elf Service now. Order by 11am and they’ll be dispatched the very same day!

Easter Egg Hunt Essentials

If they’re going to take their Easter Egg hunting seriously, it’s important they look the part – embracing the bunny theme and making sure they’ve got a sturdy basket or container to carry their stash of goodies!

We absolutely ADORE this gorgeous fluffy bunny basket from JoJo Maman Bebe. With a super soft plush texture, this super cute bunny basket comes with a 3D face and ears, along with a classic floral lining on the inside and is the ideal size to carry even a generous helping of eggs and surprises.

You can check out some of JoJo’s adorable Easter range here.

For the perfect Easter Hunt outfit, why not check out this Spring Skater dress from Frugi in an adorable bunny design?

Frugi’s bestselling Spring Skater Dress features a ‘Bumblebee Hop Along’ print covered in bouncing bunny characters. With the full circular skirt that the girls know and love, this dress is ideal for twirling and comes in all sizes from 0-3 months through to 9-10 years, making it a great option for twinning siblings of different ages.

If you’re keen to keep your Easter Egg hunt sustainable in 2022, ReCyclings are an excellent choice! Made from recycled plastic, every pack saves a minimum of five bottle caps from going into landfill – and unlike lots of other surprise reveal toys, the packaging is 100% recycled too!

With over 90 adorable characters to collect inspired by food, drink, tech and the seasons – which will your kids find in theirs? ReCyclings are available either in individual Collectable Cap Packs which are ideal for Egg Hunts (RRP £3.99) or ReCyclings 4 Packs (RRP £11.99). Available now from Smyths.

Other items that make the perfect treats for your Easter Egg Hunt are smaller toys, games or accessories that can be easily stashed inside a larger plastic or tin egg.

We love these Bonnie the Bunny hair clips from Rex London, which could be removed from the cardboard frame to fit inside a smaller egg if you’re limited on space. Bonnie is super cute, and the girls will love accessorising their Easter outfits with a stylish Easter themed hair do. (RRP £1.95)

Rex London also have this super cute eraser set in the Bonnie the Bunny range, which can be split between siblings to provide a selection of treats each. At just £1.95 for four erasers, this is a budget-friendly option and kids will very quickly fall in love with Miko the Panda, Cookie the Cat, Bruno the Bear and Bonnie the Bunny.

We love having a few bigger / giant eggs on our Easter Hunt, and whilst this isn’t strictly an egg, this rocket-shaped surprise reveal toy from Bandai would certainly be a treat to spot hidden in the garden! Crack open the Vlad and Niki Crazy Rocketship playset to reveal four action figures, two moveable vehicles and a set of temporary tattoos. The playset is great for imaginative role play with siblings, and the contents can all be stashed away again to avoid things getting lost after play.

Bring on the Bunnies

Bunnies are a big part of most Easter celebrations, so bunny themed gift are always destined to go down well.

We love these other Bonnie the Bunny products from Rex London, including this adorable Bento Box set, the ideal lunchbox treat that can be used all year round to add a bit of brightness into your child’s day. With a range of compartments for all their favourite lunch time treats, this bento comes with a fork and spoon, and an elastic strap to hold them securely in place.

We’re all hoping the sun will be shining on Easter Sunday, but what about a bunny ice lolly to eat on their way round. If the temperature rises, this adorable bunny ice lolly mold will be in high demand and are lots of fun to create too. Get yours at Rex London.

We are HUGE fans of Peter Rabbit in this house, and when it comes to finding a friend to celebrate Easter with, he has to be right up there with the best. Beatrix Potter by Enesco is home to a huge range of Peter Rabbit easter soft toys to suit every budget, but here are some of our favourite options for Easter treats for kids.

First up, this super-soft Peter Rabbit soft toy purse from GUND, is the ideal friend to clip onto your child’s book bag or rucksack for school. Not only does he make a cute keyring accessory, but he opens up to stash all the loose change your child is likely to need for bake sales, dress down days and PTA fundraisers too.

If you’re more team Flopsy than Peter, you can also add this authentically dressed bunny to your collection, wearing his classic red cape. Who can resist that smiling face?

For older children, tweens and teens that still want to embrace the Easter fun, the Peter Rabbit compact mirror and pop out purse would make a great addition to their bags! With a standard and magnifying mirror stashed inside a beautifully designed compact, this is ideal for touching up your lip gloss as you head out the door. The garden party pop up purse is also a great compact choice for carrying a small amount of change and bank cards without taking up valuable bag space, small enough to stash into a coat pocket without adding weight or bulk. Both are available at Beatrix Potter by Enesco.

Craft Activities

With the school holidays upon is, it’s always helpful to have Easter gifts that are not only fun to open and receive, but will also keep the children happy and entertained during the days at home, particularly if the weather is unpredictable.

If you’re up for a laugh, these 3D Card Craft Make a Masks set are loads of fun, coming with everything you need to create a sturdy cardboard mask in a range of designs including a Panda, Dinosaur and Unicorn to name but a few. Combining two activities – craft and dressing up, children will not only love bringing their mask to life, but prancing around wearing it when they’re done! Great for photo opportunities too! The Make a Mask kits cost £8.99 and can be picked up at Amazon.

Another fun craft choice (made from sustainable materials) is one of these adorable 3D cardboard model kits from EUGY.

With a HUGE range of animals to choose from, your children are going to want to collect them all!

Suitable for children aged 6+, these clever and innovative cardboard designs simply involve building up the layers of thick card and gluing to create an impressive 3D effect, adding small balls for the eyes. Perfectly sized for displaying in pride of place on their bookshelves, this ones fun for the adults to get involved with too.

The Rabbit with his carrot accessory makes a perfect treat for Easter – you can pick yours up at Amazon for just £8.50.

If you’re keen to ensure the fun is mess free, you can’t go wrong with Little Brian Paint Sticks, which offer children the sensation of painting without any of the need for newspaper and jugs of water that can be spilled or knocked.

With absolutely no need for brushes, water or any of the mess; you simply take off the lid, twist the dial up and down like a glue stick and get painting! Unlike traditionally painted masterpieces that have to be hung out to dry, Little Brian paint sticks dry in less than 60 seconds, meaning you don’t have to worry about spills, drips or smudges, and most importantly it stays on the paper, and not on your child’s skin or clothes!

Little Brian paint sticks are available to buy in a number of formats, including the 24 pack assorted, which comes with 12 classic colours, 6 day glow colours and Neve’s favourite, 6 metallic colours. This larger set retails at £14.99.

For older children who may wish to create finer, more detailed artwork, the new Scribble Paint Stick offer a bit more flexibility on their creations, and can be used on a wide range of materials from paper and card to wood and glass. Why not create a fun window montage for Easter and let their imaginations run wild? Pick up yours at Amazon here.

For older children who love getting creative, these Harumika sets are a gift where the opportunities are endless. If they fancy themselves as an up and coming fashion designer, they will love using the materials and mannequins to create their own unique styles and outfits. Simply wrap around the fabric and push it into the slot in the back to hold it in place. The bridal gown set in particular is stunning! Check out the full range of sets here.

An Easter Adventure

If you’re looking for something the whole family can enjoy together, why not head out on an Easter adventure with buyagift? With a wide range of experiences to choose from to suit every budget, you can choose from a huge number of family experiences including days out, animal adventures, stadium tours, adrenaline filled treetop adventures and much much more.

This Easter we’re keen to pay a visit to the infamous Slide at the ArcelorMittal Orbit – the world’s tallest and longest tunnel slide. Not for the feint hearted, this experience allows you to take in the stunning panoramic 360-degree views across our beloved city before plummeting a ginormous 178m towards the ground, twisting and turning 12 times and gaining speeds of up to 15mph! What an adventure!

If that experience isn’t for you, there are lots of calmer, more chilled out experiences too. Check out the full range of family experiences here.

Family Games

One of my favourite parts of the school holidays is being lucky enough to book some leave, embracing the bank holidays and spending some much needed time together as a family. Unlike some of my usual annual leave days, I can relax in the knowledge that there will be very few emails sent on the bank holiday weekend, so properly switch off and enjoy some games and activities with the girls.

We are HUGE fans of Orchard Toys in this house, who never fail to impress us with their innovative and fun board games and activities that have created hours of fun in this house in recent years. Our go to choice during lockdown, Orchard Toys are continually adding new games to their range, including this mini game Egg Surprise – which is just shouting to be in your Easter gift picks.

This fun counting game is aimed at ages 3-6 and ideal for siblings to play together, collecting spotty bunnys and counting eggs. Children will love turning the fun carrot spinner and picking a bunny card with the same number of spots as the number on the dial. Educational and helping younger children match the numerical digits with counting, the child with the most eggs at the end is the winner!

High quality pieces in a friendly and engaging design, this fun mini game is a bargain at just £6.17. Get yours at Amazon.

If you want to get the whole family involved and aren’t afraid to express yourself, then Uproar Silly Sounds is a compact and travel friendly game that everyone can get on board with. A multi generational game that you can play as soon as you can read, two cards are turned over and as soon as you’ve spotted the matching word, you must sound it out – think laughing babies, guitar solos, trumpets and baby goats – these silly sounds are sure to raise some laughs. We’re big fans of the wet shoe – an action from Daddy that we won’t forget in a hurry!

Don’t underestimate the impact of this small but perfectly formed game that is quick and easy to play – available now at Amazon.

Who remembers Fuzzy Felt? A real blast from the past and a creative toy that can really help bring your child’s imagination to life, Fuzzy Felt is back and just how I remember it from my own childhood! This fun farm animals double draw set come complete with over 200 assorted felt pieces and two generously sized playboards that can help children count, embrace their sorting and coordination skills and tell stories, act out scenes and bring their new worlds to life.

If they’re anything like my kids, they’ll also love popping out the pieces of felt before the first play too!