Tag Archives: easter ideas for kids without candy

Easter traditions I grew up with

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Easter can sometimes be a controversial subject for many parents. Ever hear the saying “Easter is not a second Christmas”? This would be because many parents go way overboard with buying things at Easter foe their kids. I’m probably (for sure) guilty of over buying slightly. But I wouldn’t say we go overboard here. Maybe this is because my parents never went overboard for us. Easter wasn’t about presents per-say, It was about kind of welcoming spring time and anticipation for the warm weather and when you could play outside from dawn till dusk.

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The big theme was outdoor toys in my house growing up. We had skipping ropes, chalk, skip-its, bubbles, maybe some bug catching baskets or nets. We always had outdoor stuff that we could play with as the weather warmed up. Even different types of pool toys or what not to hang out. A sprinkler was not unusual too. Anyone have the crazy armed octopus sprinkler too? Or maybe the wacky fire hydrant that spun around and you would run through. Of course we did get candy and chocolate however we never had an abundance. Just enough to last a solid week or two and this was eating so much daily and then it was gone. Some of the best things we got were the outdoor toys, anyone remember the ankle killers, Skip-its?

In my home we would wake up, no earlier than 7am. Wait for our parents and then head to the living room. We never had things wrapped though, again, this is Easter not a second Christmas. We would however have one “wrapped” gift eventually from our grandparents which would be in an Easter bag and Ill go more into detail later about that. So we would normally be allowed one piece of chocolate before breakfast. This was something like a kinder egg. No we were not allowed to eat an entire chocolate bunny before breakfast!! But we did have a treat. Fun fact: I was actually allergic to chocolate more so as a kid to the point I would break out in rashes in my elbows and knees. So it wasn’t hard to tell when I would sneak a few extra pieces within a day or two. Especially when I was scratching up a storm. Then we ate a bigger breakfast. Normally bacon or pancakes the whole shebang so to speak. Even if my dad wasn’t home and was away driving the truck my mom still did a bigger breakfast for us though since it was Easter. When we were younger we did go to church the night before though, We always typically went to church on a Saturday night because it was far less people so you didn’t have to wait forever to get out of the parking lot or to get your communion because everyone wasn’t there.

After lunch we either waited for my grandparents to arrive for an early supper/super late lunch. Or if they were not coming over then we went there. Now my grandparents gave us similar things every year. One that they got every year was they got us our new bathing suits. This was huge because we knew summer was on the way and we could swim soon. We also did swimming lessons as a kid so it was exciting to know summer was coming too. They also gave us a chocolate bunny, maybe milk chocolate or maybe white or rice filled. And they always gave us a card sometimes with 20$. My grandparents had the 3 of us and 2 other grand kids but they lived in another province and then moved to England. So we were the only grand kids that were really close.

Easter was something that we loved to look forward to, not because it was about chocolate or hot big our baskets were but because it was another milestone through the year. It never had to be about a second Christmas. I know that looking at different people across Facebook giving their kids literally everything and anything under the sun is wild and amazing. They give their kids a huge bucket to load up with treats and goodies because the old fashioned basket was far too small. Call me crazy but all of my children have the same size basket and will have the same things together too. Sometimes we even got new pairs of sandals or shoes or even a new spring outfit to wear as the weather warmed up. I do live in Canada and it was not totally unusual to have an Easter with snow on the ground.

I will mention though, if you are in a family that takes a more religious view than this holiday may mean a lot more for yourselves growing up. Growing up mine was not super religious and as we got older we kind of stopped going to church and did our own things. As someone who is now raising her kids we choose to not raise them with any religion. If they choose to seek that as they get older they are more than welcome to do that. And they would be supported also. However us as a family just are not raising them to be religious or doing anything like that. So for us it is just a super fun holiday and a great way for us to just spend time as a family with a little bit of fun.

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I do believe though, regardless if you go overboard and or you don’t. Keep it chilled when it comes to the Easter Bunny bringing things. At the end of the day the Easter Bunny is not bringing new bikes, or scooters, or game systems or an abundance of clothes to all kids. The Easter Bunny may even be bringing nothing to some kids. But to keep it to candy and chocolate like the classic days of Easter Celebrations, that way no child feels left out when it comes to comparing gifts with their friends.

Easter Ideas Without Candy or Chocolate

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This is probably going to be a blast from the past but here we go. When you think of Easter you obviously think about the bunny, and candy and chocolate. When I was growing up it was so much more than that but also not over done. Some of the coolest things we got you couldn’t even eat. One reminder that we always had growing up too, was that Easter is not a second Christmas. Though I never really understood what this meant until I had my own children and buying can get a little bit out of hand if you aren’t careful too! Here are some of my top Easter ideas that you can add to your children(s) baskets (or buckets) that won’t give them an all day sugar high!

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Skipping Rope I know simple right. I know we always got a new skipping rope when it came to out Easter Basket. Just as a lot of kids as we grew up did when playing outside, a jump rope had a lot of play time. Sometimes you may have even gotten a longer skipping rope and could use it with a few friends when chanting the songs. Whatever the length of rope, you knew it was always going to be used. The only time it wasn’t used was if you got lucky and that particular Easter was one that it actually snowed on the day and you had to wait til it all melted again to use it. You also could use the ropes to build things in your yard and tie things together, though this practice was not always smiled at by your parents because sometimes accidents happen and they would break. Sidewalk Chalk is always a classic. The only limitation would be if there was somewhere to use it. Most time you can and should use this outside however if you are like me and have a chalk board wall in your kitchen and one in your son’s room then you can use this indoors or outdoors. Outdoors it is always a staple of any neighborhood that is filled with kids is to see there be doodles scattered around the street.

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Bubbles is one that I think regardless of age you can always find yourself smiling when you see them around. When I was growing up we used to use straws in order to blow perfect bubbles that we would try and blow the biggest and most perfect one. That is before the wind knocked it into something that made it pop. There is no shortage of bubbles either if you buy the large jugs that have a liter or two. Though I would suggest using them somewhere OUTSIDE because on certain floors they may make it pretty slippery if dumped or too many are popped there. Yard Games or even outdoor toys are a great investment also. Right now since buying our home I am working on growing the collection for my son’s to be able to play on the deck. We already have a hard plastic pool and I was debating on buying them one of those fisher price slide however stuck with maybe a sand and water table instead. The slide is also something that may pop up in the near future too just have to wait and see what happens! If you have older kids you may even want to buy something like lawn bowling maybe washer toss, or beanbag toss. Maybe you want to get a swing set or something (Though they are for sure not on the cheaper end). I also had got my son’s a package of outdoor balls A soccer ball, foot ball, dodge ball and whatever else. This way we can continue to also encourage throwing is done outside and not in the living room!



Bathing Suit’s are something that we got every year and normally it was from my grandparents. You eventually use it if you are in a part of the world that you have super hot days and are able to go swimming. We really enjoyed this because we knew summer was on the way and we could spend out time splashing around at a family friends place. They had an in-ground pool which we would live at on smouldering days.

This also ties in with Clothing as being a great gift as well. This was something that I would buy when my oldest was a baby, he was born a month before Easter and it was nice to be able to buy something for his basket even though he was so little. Now fast forward to my youngest son, he is only 4 months old and so he has things in his basket I got him some new clothes as well as some teethers too. That way he can also enjoy the Easter bunny even if he obviously does not understand it! And, if you plan on having more kids it can be put to good use by being able to make sure that you have a little bit of clothes to carry on to the next baby too!

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And finally, a Skipp-it. Or as many of us born in the 90’s refer to it as, ankle smashers. I’m not even entirely sure if and where you could find this but I know if i ever see it somewhere I will be purchasing one even if only for myself. These contraptions would sit on your ankle and you would swing your foot and jump over the ball on the end that was spinning. If you didn’t pay attention enough they would smash your other ankle too. And if you made someone mad they even may try to physically swing it at you too.

Regardless of what you decide, there are so many other options to fill your little ones baskets with things other than junk and candy. Though there is always some room for a little bit of junk food now and than too!