This year I set off to put together an Easter egg hunt with non-candy fillers. Every year we participate in a few Easter egg hunts and then end with a low-key egg hunt with just my kids in the backyards. Between the Easter egg hunts that our community puts together as well as other organizations/friends, we have too much candy by the time Easter morning rolls around. I wanted to find candy-free egg fillers that would work for any budget. Many of the items were found at the dollar store/section or purchased during after-Christmas sales (look for non-Christmas themed stocking stuffers). It does take some coordinating, but it can be done on a small budget.
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It is helpful to organize your egg hunt by color. For example, my daughter will be hunting for pink, purple and orange eggs and my son will be hunting for blue, green and yellow eggs. Even though I aim for breaking gender biases the kids chose the egg colors and I rolled with it. Having specific colors of eggs designated to each child helps me fill their eggs with age-specific items that appeals to his/her interests.
A favorite non-candy egg filler that can appeal to all ages is a puzzle. I purchased puzzles from the dollar store (they have perfect sized mini pieces) and split the pieces amongst eggs. If you choose to break apart a puzzle to fill eggs…make sure you use one color egg per puzzle so the pieces don’t get mixed together (also helps to save the box as a guide for your littles). I was able to fill over a dozen eggs using a single puzzle.
Here are over 50 ideas for non-candy Easter egg fillers broken down by age group (check age recommendations before purchasing to make sure they are appropriate/safe to use):
Toddlers
Sensory eggs (shape sorter) – put each egg in a larger plastic egg to hunt. My kids loved them.
Or these alphabet sorters are awesome.
Stickers
Crayons
Playdoh– these are already packaged for you!
Sidewalk chalk
Stamps
Hot Wheels cars
Tiny cookie cutters
Socks
Hair bows
Mini bubble bottles
Little Kids
Stickers
Puzzles
Stamps
Sidewalk chalk
Lego Duplo pieces- I love this classic set
Collectible figures (Shopkins, LOL doll accessories)
Mini washable markers
Playfoam
Sticky hands (full disclosure- I hate these and my kids ALWAYS choose this from the dentist)
Rings
Erasers
Hot Wheels/toy cars
Army men toy pieces- my son can spend hours setting up his army
Glow-in-the-dark ceiling stars
Socks
Nail polish minis – I love this nontoxic set. My daughter has been using it for years.
Slime (except for in my house because I am a mean mom who doesn’t allow slime…I have three stains I can show you as the reasons why)
Big Kids/Tweens
Collectible figures
Lip balm – bonus that this one is nontoxic
Mini nail file
Puzzles
Stickers for planner
Washi tape
Page marker/post it flags
Erasers
Lego minifigures
Lego Extra Pieces
Stick on manicure/nail stickers
Beads to make jewelry (you can break these up into multiple eggs)
Embroidery thread to make friendship bracelets
Squishies– My kids love these ones and they use them as fidget/stress balls during remote learning.
Slap bracelets
Key chains
Waterproof stickers for reusable water bottles
A non-candy egg hunt is a great for families looking for allergy-friendly options. Let me know there are any other non-candy Easter egg fillers I missed that I should add to the list!
With love,
Shahla
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