Maybe it’s because we live in BC and it’s been rainy and grey for the last six months, or maybe it’s because the daffodils are blooming and they are the harbingers of happier days to come, but Easter feels like the sign that it’s safe to start thinking about summer. We’ve lived through fool’s spring and second winter and our bodies are beginning to adjust to the blasted daylight saving time change. It doesn’t matter that we woke up to snow this morning (my bad, y’all, I packed the snow pants away last night for next winter so I brought this stupid weather upon us). It doesn’t matter that it will be months before we find ourselves wearing bathing suits at the beach. Easter baskets are my chance to embrace the possibility of summer fun. In our house, Easter baskets are spring stockings and I make no apologies for it. My kids are at the age where they grow out of their bathing suits and flip flops every year so I take the opportunity to build their Easter baskets around stuff they need this time of year.

Internet disclaimer: maybe you celebrate Easter differently or maybe you don’t celebrate Easter at all or maybe this post just isn’t for you for some other reason. That’s cool! This post is going to be a “fun stuff you can put in an Easter basket if you have school-aged kids, that’s easily accessible on Amazon” post. I’m using affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through one of my links I will earn a few cents and it doesn’t cost you anything. This isn’t an exhaustive list of stuff my kids are receiving in their Easter baskets, it’s more of a brainstorm / gift guide. We’re entering birthday season in my family where seven kids between the ages of six and eleven have their birthdays between the first week of May and the last week of July. I need to have a lot of kid gift ideas at this time of year is what I’m saying.

1.Bathing suits. After seeing this article about water safety and the colour of kids’ bathing suits, I’m replacing my kids’ too-small suits with safer options. These swim trunks have a high rating and I wish this banana swimsuit came in my size.

2. My kids love the concept of goggles but hate putting them on and taking them off because they both have a lot of hair to get tangled in the strap. These goggles have a clip at the back so maybe they won’t get tangled, or maybe they will be extra tangly, only time will tell.

3. The Hape Master Bricklayer Sand Toy is something I bought on a whim years ago but remains one of our most-used summer toys, even as the kids grow older.

4. This Bubble Bath Whisk is fun in the tub but would also be fun outside at the water table.

5. Stacking toys are great for little ones but in my experience they’re also great for older kids to use when they need to find some calm. There’s something meditative about stacking things on top of other things.

6. Learning Resources makes great products that hold up even with a lot of use. These discovery eggs can pull double duty if you fill them with candy for an egg hunt and then use later for memory games or in a play kitchen.

7. Last summer we spent an amazing day at the beach with all of the cousins and I threw a pack of paint markers in my bag at the last minute. They were a huge hit whenever the kiddos needed a bit of down time in the shade; we collected a giant pile of rocks and got creative. I don’t think I want paint markers at my house but I definitely want to take them camping.

8. You know how sometimes you have a bad customer service experience and then a product is ruined for you forever because your petty heart refuses to spend another dollar at a business that doesn’t value its customers? This is the opposite of that. I never expected to care deeply about kids’ headphones but the customer service at LilGadgets is so spectacular that I will never buy another brand of children’s headphones again. LilGadgets for life.

9. Grady is fully committed to that cozy life. I love this Minecraft pillow because it kind of bridges the gap between kid and tween. Buying stuff for eleven-year-olds is so hard!

10. My parents bought Grady juggling sticks for his birthday last year and he loves them. I don’t know if it’s because he’s in martial arts or because he plays video games but he picked it up really quickly and has already taught himself some tricks. It might just be his youth that’s giving him an edge in the hand-eye-coordination department but he was better at it on his first try than I am after trying it a bunch of times.

11. Biscuit is a star in our house these days as Poppy learns to read. Biscuit’s Pet & Play Easter: A Touch & Feel Book is a cute Easter basket addition for early readers.

12. I haven’t decided yet if How to Survive a Freakin’ Bear Attack would be cool to Grady or cause him to have anxiety. It might be a situation where I need to read it first to make that call but I’m not sure if it would be cool to me or cause me to have (more) anxiety.

13. I’ve heard great things about Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza but haven’t had a chance to play it yet.

14. I’m a huge fan of Kitsch scrunchies and Poppy is a huge fan of stealing my scrunchies. It’s time she started her own collection is what I’m saying.

15. Piggy Paint is my favourite because Poppy loves it and it’s super easy to manage (as in, it wears off within a week of applying it, no nail polish remover necessary).

16. I love this Flower & Herb Growing Kit by National Geographic. The kids and I putter around in the garden every year but I like the idea of them having their own little project.

17. Bunny socks!

18. Jellycat plushies are my favourite and their Blossom Posy Bunny is perfect for Easter.

19. But I’m also delighted by their plush ice cream cone.

20. If you’re transitioning from being your child’s primary tooth brusher but they’re not quite ready to take full responsibility for their dental health yet, this timer is a great tool to help them learn how long to brush their teeth (we have one extremely speedy brusher in our house). Our Easter bunny always puts new toothbrushes in the Easter baskets and this ties in nicely.