Easter Essentials for Kids 2017

Easter is a special time for kids. The magic of the Easter bunny, hunting for Easter eggs, and the beginning of warm weather can make for some special times. However, it can be difficult to find gifts and items for your kids for this occasion, especially after the Christmas and holiday season. Daily Mom has you covered though, with unique gift ideas for the Easter holiday. We have everything – toys, books, treats, and more! Check out the best gifts for kids this Easter in our 2017 Easter Essentials Guide for kids.

LEGO Kits by LEGO

Easter Selections

Kids love LEGOs, and LEGOs make the perfect Easter basket gift. Skip the lame bunny toys that your kids will play with for one day and then discard. Put something in their baskets that they will love for a long time. LEGO is the gift that keeps on giving. It encourages creative thinking, building and engineering skills, and develops kids’ imaginations. The only limit with LEGO is your mind. While any LEGO set will be a hit in an Easter basket, here are four that we think are especially fun.

Disney has teamed up with LEGOs to create Moana’s Ocean Voyage. If you have a Moana fan in your home, this LEGO set will be a dream come true. It includes a Moana mini-doll figure, Maui big figure, plus Heihei the rooster and two Kakamora. You can set sail with Moana after building this bright and whimsical LEGO set. Moana actually transforms Te Fiti with a special function of the set. Interactive toys like this are ideal for our kiddos. That’s why we love LEGO so much.

For a little action, choose the LEGO City 4×4 with Catamaran. LEGO City is super popular and this set is fantastic. It comes with three vehicles: a 4×4 Jeep, a trailer, and a Catamaran. The 4×4 pulls the Catamaran on the trailer with the two mini-figures. For ages 5-12, boys and girls will love this set equally. It is action packed, ready for adventure.

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Does your child love The LEGO Batman Movie? If yes, why not put an assortment of LEGO Batman Movie Mini-figures in his basket. They come in blind bags, and there are several different Batmans in some of his crazy costumes from the movies. We got a laugh out of Vacation Batman! The bad guys are in there, as well as Batman’s side kicks. Every figure comes with accessories and a display plate and collector’s leaflet.

The LEGO Medium Creative Brick Box is the ideal box for any LEGO builder. You get a wide range of LEGO pieces in 35 different colors that come in their own storage box that looks like a LEGO brick. This bright yellow box will look amazing with an Easter basket. There are suggestions for how to build fun little creations like cars and creatures, but your kids will be building their own masterpieces in no time.

LEGO is a great Easter basket gift because it will be played with and loved for years. LEGO sets encourage creativity and ingenuity in our kids!

About LEGO

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Who hasn’t heard of LEGOs? LEGO is loved all over the world. The center of LEGO’’s core philosophy is that quality play enriches and nourishes children’’s lives, preparing them for their adult life later on. By stimulating children’s imagination and encouraging them to express themselves creatively, generate ideas, and have fun, children learn to be systematically creative and hone their imagination through free play, which can also explain why the classic LEGO bricks were (and are) such a big hit among children and adults alike.

Kids’ Polarized Sunglasses by Real Kids Shades

Easter Selections

As the temperatures are rising, our kids who’ve been cooped up all winter will be running for the great outdoors! Whether you’ll be spending time at the beach or hiking in the mountains, now is the time to invest in a pair of Real Kids Shades to protect your little one’s eyes.

A perfect non-candy Easter Basket surprise, your kids will LOVE these brightly colored, vibrant shades that come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and styles – such as the adventure, explorer, or discover – to best fit your shy or sassy child’s personality. These comfortable sunglasses designed to minimize exposure to peripheral light and stay on little faces will become a staple in your child’s wardrobe.

With your active little adventurers in mind, these cool sunglasses for both boys and girls feature shatterproof lenses, durable, bendable frames, soft adjustable/removable bands, and 100% UVA/UVB protection.

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Options include affordable non-polarized and polarized glasses for ALL age ranges from baby to adult. Most styles are even available with P2 technology providing for both polarized and polycarbonate lenses. Designed with the activities of our small (to big) kids in mind, these glasses are meant to be worn year round and fit as comfortably under ski helmets as bike helmets.

On Easter morning your little ones will delight in their cool, new stylish shades which will likely cause a mad-dash to all those outdoor Easter Egg Hunts where your little ones won’t have to squint while gathering up those eggs!

A new pair of polarized shades is the perfect Easter Basket addition this year for encouraging our kids to get outside all while protecting their sensitive eyes.

About Real Kids Shades

Real Kids Shades has been on a mission since 2002 to protect real kid’s sensitive eyes from the damaging effects of UV radiation. Knowing our kids need their vitamin D, RKS wants to keep their eyes safe while also creating an affordable, quality product parents can come to know and love for their 0-12 year olds. RKS has made a promise to its consumers that they will manufacture 100% UV protective sunglasses using the most durable materials they can find so the glasses are both comfortable and long-lasting. The company offers children’s sunglasses in five sizes ensuring there will be a fit for your little one’s face, large or small. Real Kids Shades are doctor recommended for your children’s eye protection, and often the company refers to them as “sunblock for the eyes.”

Notebooks and Art Supplies by OOLY

Easter Selections

If you are looking for the perfect doodling and creative package to fill up your children’s easter baskets (to forgo on some of the candy), look no further than OOLY (formally International Arrivals). At OOLY, you’ll love creating products that help people of all ages smile, explore their imaginations, and truly express their unique selves.

You’ll love the versatility of the expressions you can find with OOLY products. If the colors themselves don’t grab your attention, the variety of Pocket Pal Mini Journals, markers, gel pens, sparkles, and metallics are reason enough to unleash your child’s (or your) creative side, making each new project completely different from the next. The Glitz Glitter Markers pop and bring to life the light of the new design.

Keep your friends close and your notes closer. The Mini Pocket Pal Journals are a perfectly pocket sized set of journals featuring really cute forest animals.

Use the Color Luxe Fine Tip Pens to help with fine-tuned precision when writing your best, or at least trying to! You can make your notes really small for more compact note taking. Color Luxe comes in a set of 12 brilliantly colored gel ink pens which provide everything you love about gel pens, the sleek and smooth lay of gel ink makes writing and drawing pure pleasure and colorfully bright.

One book, four paper types, endless possibilities… until you need another Paper Works Sketchbook. White, Black, Graph, and Kraft – which one tickles your fancy? You get the works with The Paper Works Sketchbook. Whether you need some graph paper for interesting looking artwork or a geometry class, you’ve got it all in this one book. And there’s always the go-to high quality white paper, too. It’s all here in a single 8” x 10” sketchbook. Include the stunning Glam-tastic Glitter Notebooks, available in gold, blue, and pink, and you’re all set!

These special, small sized notebooks feature amazing glittery covers in three fabulous golden tones (Gold, Copper, and Brown) will take your notes from ordinary to extraordinary. The Glamtastic Glitter Notebook shimmer and shines, catching the light just right as you doodle, take notes, make a list of chores, or list your favorite music tracks. Each set comes with three sparkly covered notebooks with 64 lined pages at 4 x 5.75 inches. It’s just the right size so you can take your Glamtastic Notebooks wherever you go. Got sparkles all over? Nope! Glamtastics are high quality so the glitter won’t come off. You’re welcome, Mom.

If you like a bit of mystery, these magically changing black paper gel crayons only reveal themselves on black paper. Mystery Metallics Gel Crayons are extremely smooth to draw with, leaving a metallic sheen with each stroke. The gel crayons are made with a waxy gel that appears white, but once you lay the gel crayon on black paper they leave a metallic sheen
in six incredible colors including purple, red, gold, white, green, and blue. They make a great artistic tool for kids and adults alike; perfect for The Paper Works Sketchbook.

Sure, you could go for the plethora of chocolate, jelly beans, and Peeps, however, creativity is more than a season of life, it is your child’s life! Create an Easter wonder-basket of creativity that lasts much longer than melted chocolate in a little, chubby, clenched fist.

About OOLY

For more than ten years, OOLY has been dreaming up all kinds of fun and functional products that inspire creativity. They’re constantly thinking up new ideas to share, express, and encourage people of all ages. You may have known them by their original name, International Arrivals, however, they have recently changed their name to OOLY, reflecting their passion for fun and creativity!

Gourmet Chocolates by John & Kira’s

Easter Selections

A MUST-HAVE for this year’s Easter basket is a box of gourmet chocolates from John & Kira’s! If you are looking for an original candy experience for anyone from a gourmet food critic to even your kids, these gorgeous and delicious chocolates will be the star of the show. Handcrafted and hand-painted delicacies including local ingredients make these beauties stand out as the centerpiece in an Easter basket and will become a favorite upon the first bite. With a variety of chocolates to choose from, you will want them all, and kids and adults alike will delight in the colors, shapes, and vibrant flavors of these confectionary masterpieces.

John & Kira’s Up, Up & Away Collection would be a beautiful basket centerpiece for anyone who likes to travel, enjoys watching hot-air balloons, flying kites, or simply loves deliciously crafted and flavored chocolates. With eight pieces, each representing a different port of call, your tastebuds will be taken on a hot air balloon trip around the world. These hand-painted chocolates filled with ganaches, pralines, and caramels will transport you to faraway places with each and every bite. Just close your eyes, and as the flavors melt on your tongue travel to Thailand with the Thai Basil and Strawberry Ganache or Nepal with a delicious Himalayan Salt Caramel.

For the lady in your life, big or small, create a beautiful springtime Easter bouquet with John & Kira’s limited time only Wildflower Collection, available now through mid-May. These caramel filled flowers won’t last long as the delicious liquid caramel center will make the chocolate lover come back for more. Made with locally sourced fragrant basswood honey, the unique flavor of these delicate flowers will delight the senses while the beautifully hand-painted chocolate shell makes them the perfect centerpiece of your Easter gift. Because John & Kira’s take pride in their chocolates, all orders arrive boxed with cold packs and care instructions for safe storage and freshness.

A box of delicate, hand-crafted chocolates is the perfect gift from the Easter Bunny this year.

About John & Kira’s

John & Kira’s creates beautiful hand-crafted chocolates with fresh ingredients sourced from local farms and small urban gardens. A brand developed with community activism as its center, John and Kira’s love of food, community, and fun is what brought this couple and this company together. This amazing couple wanted to encourage community activism, create a delicious product, and make people happy, so they decided on gourmet, flavor-filled chocolates. Putting their ideals and philosophy into practice, John & Kira’s extraordinary chocolates are flavored with herbs grown through their Urban Garden Programs. These programs are housed in schools, and the student run gardens produce combinations of mint, rosemary, lavender, and other herbs. The company supplies the plants to the schools where students tend to and harvest them. After that the company buys back what is harvested and gives 5% of Urban Garden Bars sales back to the school programs. John & Kira’s is truly an amazing company producing an incredible product.

Books by Usborne Books

Easter Selections

Don’t just stock your child’s Easter basket with candy and chocolate this year. Give them something they will cherish, something that will bring enjoyment for years to come. Usborne Books are highly sought after, not only for their educational purposes, but for their ability to spark a child’s imagination while bringing to life new and old stories. Their vast collection of books are not only high quality and beautiful to look at, but many are also interactive, encouraging kids to get involved while reading.

Do you have a train lover at home? The On the Train: A Shine-A-Light Book written by Carron Brown and Bee Johnson is a fabulous book for little ones who love locomotives. Not only is it incredibly informational and detailed on every page, but it’s also a lot of fun to read for its interactive purposes. The Shine-A-Light series by Usborne Books allows children to use a flashlight to illuminate unseen images from the other side of the page. Simply by shining a light, passengers, the conductor, and other fun sights appear, and then disappear when the flashlight is turned off. Your kids will absolutely love guessing what is going to show up, as well as using a flashlight.

For adventure seekers, the Illustrated Classics series is perfect for the Easter basket. Illustrated Classics: Action Stories for Young Readers has all of the classic, heroic stories from all time, including Robin Hood, Gulliver’s Travels, Robinson Crusoe, and many more. Your child will not only love the action packed pages, but the beautiful illustrations as well, which makes this book perfect for new readers to advanced. We especially love that this book has a number of great stories all in one, making it a go-to for nightly reading before bed.

And finally, let’s not leave out baby. Usborne’s touchy-feely books are perfect for young ones first starting to learn about the world around them. A fun read with interactions on each page, That’s Not My Cow… allows baby to feel the soft leather of a cow’s ear, a smooth udder, and bumpy hooves. Each page offers baby a different texture to feel while also discussing the parts of a cow’s body.

Entice the reader in your child this Easter and make the basket even more fun with Usborne Book’s interactive books for kids of all ages.

About Usborne Books

For more than 30 years, Usborne Books has been bringing reading to life with over 1,800 book selections for young readers, preschoolers, toddlers, and infants. Their bright colors, innovative designs, and interactive story lines have been enticing children and parents to open a book, and often, a business. Usborne Books has followed a direct selling business structure, using consultants (like fellow parents and lover of books) to sell their books from their own homes. Shop our link to contribute to one hard working mom who believes in the power of reading and Usborne Books!

Magnetic Blocks by Magformers

Easter Selections

This Easter put some Magformers in your kid’s basket and watch their imaginations run wild. The Nickelodeon Shimmer and Shine 42 pc. Magformers set is an engaging toy for kids of all ages. Little girls and boys alike will love constructing with their favorite Shimmer and Shine characters, including Shimmer and Shine, Nahal, Tala, Zac, and Leah.

Watch your kids spend hours creating 3D castles, hearts, magic scepters, Genie Balls, and more. This toy is attractive to all age groups, so you find both young and older kids wanting to play along. This set even includes two double-sided playmates to help teach kids how to build these masterpieces.

Add any of the eight Shimmer and Shine character cards to some of the blocks to really make things sparkle. Just slide the cards in and snap onto any of the square pieces. Magformers stimulates the mind through creative building, and they are truly a gift they will use for years to come.

The perfect Easter basket toy that allows kids to be creative and learn though play.

ABOUT MAGFORMERS

Magformers designs and produces toys that are safe, fun, and inspirational for the next generation of architects. Headquartered in Michigan, their magnetic building toys are not only fun and educational, but are safe as can be, with their Sonic welded, BPA free, HQABS plastic housing, holding rotating Rare-Earth Neodymium magnets, that make connecting each piece flawlessly simple. Available in a countless variety of sets, there is a Magformer for every child – and adult – out there.

Schleich Farm World Toys

Easter Selections

If you (and your kids) are tired of the typical toy selection at the big box stores, they will love the beauty and simplicity of the hand-painted figurines from Schleich. Every single one is painted by hand, and the details are gorgeous. The scenes are fun and practical; we especially adore the latest farm world sets.

The Schleich Rabbit Hutch & Feed Playset is such a fun set for your child with a vivid imagination. The realistic rabbit hutch has a door that opens and shuts, as well as ramps and an outdoor area for the bunnies and rabbits to play. The little girl figurine is holding out a detailed carrot, perfectly positioned to feed their “pet” and the little baby bunnies playing in the food bowl is a fun detail that your child will love.

The Chicken Coop Playset is another fun choice. We love the chicken-mom figurine, with her head handkerchief an her denim apron and muck shoes, holding a basket full of eggs on her hip. The chicken coop is also very detailed, and has an outdoor chicken run, and an inside section where the toy chickens come come in and out. The roof is removable, so the child can pretend the hen is inside the coop laying eggs, while the rooster regally stands watch outside, or guards the baby chicks who are free-ranging some yummy bugs or feed on the ground.

The Feeding on the Farm Playset is a fun way to encourage your child to learn what different farm animals eat. There is a bale of hay and some apples for the donkey, a couple pet bowls for the dog and cat, and a wheelbarrow to transport it all in. It’s a great set to really tie together the ultimate small- farm (or homestead) experience. All of Schleich’s toys are made from high-quality plastic, with hand painted details.

A farm figurine playset from Schleich is the perfect addition to an Easter basket for any child aged 3+. They will love playing pretend with these detailed sets.

About Schleich

Founded 80 years ago by Friedrich Schleich in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schleich is one of Germany’s largest toy manufacturers, and are sold in over 50 countries and adored by children all over the world. They are committed to quality, and beautiful sets that will encourage children to use their imagination and play, without needing batteries or a plug.

Slap Watches by Watchitude

Easter Selections

The coolest Easter basket filler this year for your kiddos has got to be a watch from Watchitude. These super funky and creative watches combine all the old school fun of slap bracelets into a functional, real working watch, complete in a plethora of designs created by regular people all over the country. With a removable watch face that easily slides onto the durable slap band, you can take your time on the go in as quick as a flick of the wrist.

There are hundreds of designs to choose from, and we mean literally anything that one could be interested in, there’s a watchitude for that, from cake pops and Canadian pride to fire trucks and flip flops, take your time perusing for the perfect watch that fits the unique ‘tude of your kid.

• Splash proof
• Upload your own design and then have it voted on for a chance for your watch to come to fruition!
• Kid friendly

Perfect gift for creative kids who love fun and functional arm wear.

About Watchitude

Watchitude is an interactive watch company that takes the original designs from regular people for their watches. You can simply upload your design, wait for the votes to roll in, and if your design is chosen, Watchitude will create it, send you a free one, and put your name on the back of each box sold as design credit. They sell their original slap watches, in addition to new products coming this spring including alarm clocks, spring clocks, snap watches – perfect for adults who are still kids at heart, and of course, a never ending line of fresh designs.

Notebook and Schedule Pad by Erin Condren

Easter Selections

If you happen to have an older child receiving an Easter basket, they would probably be less-than-thrilled to receive toys. We love the girly beauty and practicality of Erin Condren’s Custom Hardbound Notebooks and the chic and stylish Floral Ink Schedule Pad.

The brand new hardbound notebook is the perfect size to slip into her purse and jot down notes, phone numbers, passwords… the possibilities are endless! It has a silky smooth satin finish cover and the inside pages are lined. Your child will love taking this notebook to class with her, and it’s small enough that it won’t take up tons of room in her backpack or purse. We also love the delicate foiled pages (rose gold is our favorite – swoon!) and the inspirational quotes on the inside of the cover. It coordinates perfectly with any LifePlanner from Erin Condren as well. The hashtag for these beauties is #ECHBnotebook, if you want to be inspired by how others are using them, as well as the new coordinating accessories.

The Floral Ink Schedule Pad is a great addition to anyone’s desk at home. It features a weekly view on the right hand side for note taking, and the right hand side is great for a to do list, shopping list, or a note. The area between the weekly and note section is perforated, so you can take the notes on-the-go with you easily. She’ll love how stylish it is, and she will also appreciate being able to quickly jot down notes to keep her week organized.

Erin Condren goodies are the perfect addition to any girl’s Easter basket who loves taking notes, and being organized and stylish. Or, it’s a great item to buy for yourself – we promise we won’t tell!

About Erin Condren

Erin Condren quit her life working 12+ hours a day in the apparel industry to become a stay at home mom for her twin children. She had a tight budget and active imagination, and started her business by making note cards for friends for birthday and Christmas gifts. A friend encouraged her to sell her designs at an in-home shopping party in 2004, and the rest is history. She is changing the planner world, and gave a facelift to the tired, ugly, and economic planners that are overabundant at every big box store in the U.S.

Infant Toys by Yoee Baby

Easter Selections

Even the youngest of the bunch this holiday deserves a little something fun in their basket! The Yoee Baby interactive baby toy “Puppy” is the perfect first toy for baby, not only for its adorable looks and soft feel, but for its developmental purposes as well. The interactive toy promotes bonding, sensory development, body awareness, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and language development — all in one!

Play time becomes even more fun when tickling is involved. The Puppy’s long feather tail is the perfect tickler for a new baby experimenting with the sense of touch. Baby can also squeeze Puppy’s ears to hear and feel them crinkle, or shake puppy’s body to hear it rattle.

And most likely every baby’s favorite part of Puppy – the custom-made silicone teething ring that also doubles as a nice place for puppy to hang from Mom or Dad’s hands during play time. Puppy’s bright colors are eye-catching, bright, and happy – perfect for the Easter basket. And if you are interested in Puppy’s pals, Yoeebaby also makes Monkey and Kitty. Pair them together for lots of smiles, giggles, and parent (or sibling!) baby bonding.

Yoee Baby is an essential basket item for baby’s first Easter, promoting cognitive growth and familial bonding!

About Yoee Baby

Yoee Baby all started with a feather – or at least the idea of caressing baby with a feather. With science backing the claims that interaction between parent and baby from very early on are the key to a thriving baby, Yoeebaby set out with the help of experts in early childhood development and juvenile product industries to develop an interactive toy that would help connect baby to others all while learning about the new world around them through play.

Eco-Friendly Toys by Green Toys

Easter Selections

Babies are often the hardest to shop for during any holiday season, but that won’t be the case this Easter. Rather than filling your child’s Easter basket with junk, choose a thoughtful toy made of baby safe materials that is also good for the environment.

Boys and girls alike will love flying through the pages of playtime! The Airplane and Board Book gift set, by Green Toys, includes a colorful airplane featuring a spinning propeller and a tapered, easy-to-grasp body shape that’s great for children around the one year old mark. It also includes the new Airplane and A is for Airplane board book. A is for Airplane is an adventure through air, land, and sea that brings the alphabet to life throughout the journey from A to Z.

• Made from 100% recycled material
• Made in the USA
• Safe and non-toxic. No BPA, Phthalates, or PVC.
• Packaged with recycled and recyclable materials printed with soy inks

Green Toys cares about your kids; how they play, what they play with, and what the future holds. With that kind of care, it only makes sense to share the joy of recycled toys with your kids this Easter.

A recycled toy from Green Toys, like this Airplane set, makes for the perfect Easter basket essential for your baby. Not only will you feel comfortable with your child putting it in their mouth while they explore, but you’ll feel good about doing right by the environment.

About Green Toys

Green Toys Inc. has always been an eco-friendly toy company. Their commitment to sustainability and playfulness is part of their DNA. That commitment is shared in every one of their toys made 100% from recycled materials. Not only are they entertaining kids with unquestionably safe products, but they’re also raising awareness about sustainability. They believe that the best way to encourage environmental change is through the goods people buy and use everyday. Green Toys is constantly exploring and innovating to deliver the best products possible for a playful planet for all.

Easter can often feel like it creeps up on you, but if you are anything like us you want to make this holiday just as special as the others. These gifts ideas from Daily Mom will make your kids smile from ear to ear. No longer do you just have to fill Easter baskets with cheap trinkets. Now you can get gifts that they (and you) will love!