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Easter is fast approaching and for us parents, so is the prospect of spending another half term break madly trying to find affordable days out and fun ways to entertain the kids. Whilst we all absolutely love ripping open a chocolate egg on Easter weekend (the only time we can allow chocolate for breakfast guilt free) the amount of chocolate the kids receive can be more than a little overwhelming.
Whilst I always allow the girls to have a reasonable haul of chocolate at Easter, I always try and find alternative Easter gifts or non chocolate Eater gifts too, ideally gifts that the whole family can enjoy together.
If you are looking to send some alternative Easter gifts this year, you simply can’t go wrong with a bunny, chick or egg theme! In addition, why not look out for experience based gifts too that you can share together whilst offering entertainment and fun too?
Here’s our round up of some of the best alternative Easter gifts for 2023.
Alternative Easter gifts for babies and toddlers
When it comes to Easter toys for babies and toddlers aged 6 – 36 months, then Tomy have really got you covered this Easter with their Tomy Toomies range, packed full of egg based toys and games for little ones to explore and discover.
The Tomy Toomies Egg Bus is a bright and colourful push along toy, ideal for crawling and cruising babies. It comes with 5 fun character passengers, all hidden in their very own egg. Clip off the lid, and this push along bus becomes a fab shape sorter, where children must match the shape on the bottom of the egg to its correct location, as well as colour matching shells and cases.
For independent play
For children who like to keep busy and use their brains, the Rubik’s Junior Bunny puzzle is the ideal puzzle for little problem solvers. A super cute twistable character that is easy to grip and turn, children should twist the blocks to create a crazy mixed up animal, before trying to return it to its former glory. Ideal for hand-eye development, fine motor skills and will help your little one along the way to problem solve! With 4 animals to collect!
For some much needed escapism
For gifts that will last far beyond Easter itself, you can’t go wrong with new books! There are LOADS of brand new Easter titles this year, ranging from Easter board books for babies and toddlers, through to early fiction and middle grade Easter books. To make your live’s easier. we’ve rounded up the best Easter books for kids on the link below.
Alternative Easter gifts for the great outdoors
One of the best parts about Easter is the start of Spring – longer and (hopefully) brighter days, providing the opportunity to get outside in the fresh air and enjoy some fun outside together as a family.
This Spring, Start-Rite have launched a fab range of canvas pumps that are perfect for running, jumping and playing outside. With an easy fasten velcro rip tape that is quick and simple to adjust (even for little fingers), they have a lightweight, flexible sole and engineered tread to ensure a safe grip even with running at speed.
We ADORE the hand drawn floral ‘meadow’ design featuring a variety of Spring flowers. Versatile enough to be worn with dresses or leggings, dressed up or dressed down, they’re even machine washable at 30 degrees – great for peace of mind if your little one is inclined to always head for the muddiest parts of the path!
You can check out all the canvas pumps in the range at Start-Rite now.
If you’re heading out with a toddler who loves to be independent but isn’t totally steady on their feet, this LittleLife backpack with rein is a great way to keep them close whilst being able to support them at all times. Aimed at toddlers and preschoolers aged 1-3 years, this super cute Bumble Bee backpack is perfect for kids to stash their essentials (or in our kid’s cases. collect acorns and pinecones) whilst exploring outside during Spring.
Ideal for keeping your toddlers close whilst navigating the half-term crowds, the reins are also fully detachable when you’ve reached your destination and are happy to let them run more freely. Whilst we ADORE the Bee design for Spring, there are loads of fun designs to choose from including bunnies, dinosaurs and unicorns too.
For screen free fun
We’re big fans of screen-free fun in this house, and whilst there is of course a place for iPads, tablets and TV, we love the sense of calm and relaxation that can be achieved by listening to fun audio devices instead such as the Tonies Toniebox and Yoto Player.
This Easter, both Tonies and Yoto have some great content that is ideal for Spring, helping entertain your little ones and help them get some well deserved rest over the holidays.
We love the NEW Tonies Sleepy Friends range – a selection of adorable sleepy characters filled with relaxing stories and music that can be a valuable support as part of your child’s bedtime routine.
If you’re more Team Yoto, they too have a great range of Easter and Spring themed Yoto Cards. From the beloved Peter Rabbit and Friends, to Enid Blyton Springtime stories, Yoto also have some brand new cards with much loved characters launching in early April so watch this space!
For the whole family to enjoy together…
A fun day out
Looking for an Easter day out the kids will NEVER forget? How about a Pig Enthusiast Experience?
Two people can enjoy a unique pig petting experience at Kew Little Pigs. Located on Old Amersham Farm, Kew Little Pigs is home to a variety of adorable micro pigs, piglets and show pigs. This fun four-hour experience begins with an introduction and tour of the farm and the pig pens. You’ll then get the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the pigs, playing, petting and even grooming these loveable farmyard animals, getting stuck in mucking out the pens, feeding the pigs and much more!
A great gift for animal lovers. Shop now (and use code DIARY on 31st March 2023 only to save 20% on the RRP)
The Easter Egg Hunt
My girls absolutely LIVE for our annual easter egg hunt. We place small surprises into eggs which we then hide around the garden for them to seek out – each year we make it harder and harder, hiding eggs up high and down low and making a list of where we’ve put them (because trust me you don’t want to forget!)
This year as well as the smaller chocolate eggs to locate in our secret hide outs, we are using the Learning Resources Discovery eggs – these giant natural looking eggs with zig zag openings that are big enough to fit small toys or stickers inside too. Not only do they look really authentic (in pastel pink, green and brown shades) but they can also be reused year after year with different surprises inside. For preschool children, the Discovery Eggs also make a great base for sorting and counting games – such as sorting beads into colours or counting the number of beads within each egg – the opportunities are endless!
The Family Board Game Rally
Board games (or bored games as my daughter likes to call them!) are a great way to entertain the kids during the Easter holidays, so games with a bunny theme make an ideal Easter gift. As a family, we are HUGE fans of Learning Resources, and the Learning Resources Hoppy Floppy’s Happy Hunt Game definitely didn’t disappoint!
The aim of the game is to help hoppy to collect the carrots. Spin the spinner and use the rabbit squeezer to collect the correct coloured carrot from the box. Your aim is to be the first player to collect four carrots – one of each colour. Sounds easy right? But watch out, if another player lands on the steal rabbit, they can take a carrot from your basket and if you drop your basket, you must return all the contents and start again! A fun game the whole family can play together. Super simple instructions, and encourages taking in turns and fine motor skills in little ones. Suitable for 2 – 4 players.
You can see loads of our other favourite board games for the whole family here.
Chances are you will have already heard of the fun-filled high energy game Throw Throw Burrito – but if you haven’t, seriously, where have you been? This game is SO much fun to play with the family, Throw Throw Burrito combines a traditional card game with an action packed game if dodgeball, throwing and dodging the squishy foam burritos whilst attempting to collect the matching cards.
Yes, you’ll need a lot of room to play, but we’ve honestly never laughed so much. If you already own the game, there’s now a fab new expansion pack called Block Block Burrito – which not only offers players more battle formats but also an all-new defence mechanism in the form of inflatable tortilla shields!
An Easter Buddy
Kids love having a snuggly new friend to cuddle up with whilst watching Easter movies or chilling out at home. This super cute character from PeekaPets makes a perfect peek-a-boo gift for little ones.
Available in white and pink this shy little bunny is hiding behind his long fluffy ears. To play peek-a-boo, kids can simply squeeze PeekaPets’ tummy, and the ears will pop up like magic to reveal the bunny’s face! For more easter soft toy recommendations, check out our Easter soft toys post here.
For a sweet treat
If you’re looking for something sweet but alternative Easter gifts that aren’t chocolate, or something that the whole family can tuck into and share, this Joe & Seph’s Easter Selection Box is just the ticket.
This stylish white and gold Easter themed gift box is filled to the brim with SIX packs of limited edition popcorn in fantastic flavours including Trio of Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate & Hazelnut, and Gingerbread. Air popped and I can confirm absolutely delicious, why not tuck into some whilst settling down for a family movie? The best part? There’s two packs of each flavour, so no squabbling!
However you choose to celebrate this Easter, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family. We hope you enjoyed this post of alternative Easter gifts!
Enjoy
Lucy xxx
