Easter 2026: How to Create Fun and Memorable Easter Baskets for Your Kids

Easter is upon us, and if you haven't planned ahead, you'll likely find yourself scrambling this week looking for things to add to your kids' Easter baskets. No matter how you choose to celebrate, Easter baskets (filled with books, toys, and treats, of course) can be a fun tradition for any family. But if you feel stuck and aren't sure how to create a basket your kiddos will love, we're here to help.

Much like seeing stockings filled on Christmas morning, the surprise element of waking up to an Easter basket filled with treats is a good portion of the fun. However, most parents also want to be intentional about what they buy for their kids. Whether you're looking for creative ideas or it's your first time putting together a basket, read this guide to creating fun and memorable baskets for Easter 2026.

Choose Your Basket

First up, you have to find something to put all the goodies in. Before you purchase a basket, consider whether you'll be attending or hosting your own Easter egg hunt. You want your kids' baskets to be spacious enough for holding eggs while also practical enough to carry around during a hunt.

Many families attend a community egg hunt, which may take place before Easter. If that's the case for your family, you may want to buy baskets that can be wiped off easily or purchase two baskets — one for the Easter egg hunt and one for holding treats Easter morning.

While it's not absolutely necessary, consider purchasing some Easter basket grass as well, which makes a good filler for the bottom of a larger basket. If you prefer to recycle another material instead, you could use tissue paper you have lying around the house, packing material from your last Amazon purchase, or even leftover construction paper from last week's craft.

Fill It With Treats

There are plenty of exciting ways to fill an Easter basket, but treats are a must. Your local Target, Walmart, or other store is bound to be stocked with chocolate Easter bunnies, jelly beans, Cadbury Eggs, and other tasty candies.

You can determine what you want to add, depending on your family's lifestyle and restrictions around things like candy and sugar. For our family, we tend to add one larger treat (such as a chocolate bunny) and a few smaller options, since they'll already get candy in their Easter eggs.

Non-Candy Treat Options

If you have no-candy rules in your family or you're trying to avoid all the sugar, your kids don't have to miss out on the fun. There are lots of alternatives that can make your kids' Easter baskets fun. Most grocery stores will have Easter-themed snacks, such as Goldfish, Garden Veggie chips, or pretzels.

For those trying to avoid food dyes, companies like YumEarth offer organic gummy candies made without any artificial dyes. If you want to avoid seed oils, at Target, you can find ABC Bunny Bites from Good Health, which are cheddar snacks made with avocado oil.

Try Something Useful or Educational

Filling an Easter basket is a good excuse to give your kids something they need or something educational. We always try to add at least one book to our Easter baskets, but there are also plenty of Easter-themed puzzles, coloring books, and other activities. If your kids have an audio player such as a Yoto Player or Toniebox, add a new story or character to their baskets.

You can also throw in something you've been meaning to buy — like new socks, a couple of new outfits, or new supplies for school. Kids love the excitement of opening new things, even when it's things that they need.

Add Fun Surprises

Once you've picked out your treats and books, don't forget to pick out some things that are just-for-fun. What you choose will vary depending on what your kids are into. Consider adding a new stuffed animal, a toy they've been eyeing, an Easter craft, stickers, or a new video game.

Even if you're doing Easter on a budget, you can find Easter-themed trinkets and other activities in the dollar section at the front of Target or at your local dollar store. Don't feel pressured to spend hundreds of dollars on a basket — the fun part for your kids is the excitement of opening their basket on Easter morning.

Enjoy Your Kids' Excitement on Easter Morning

One of the most fun parts about being a parent is getting to experience the excitement of holidays such as Christmas or Easter through the eyes of your kids. For a brief moment, it takes you back to your own childhood, and there's no better feeling than bringing joy to the whole family with simple things like filling an Easter basket.

There's no right or wrong way to create a basket your kids will love. If you think about things they're interested in and things they love, whether it's LEGOs or art, your kids will be over the moon on Easter morning.

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