I have friends who used to joke that I was so health-conscious that I would someday find a way to put vegetables in Easter eggs. We all laughed at this, of course, but it’s really not a bad idea! After all, Easter eggs filled with chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and chick-shaped marshmallows can send kids on candy binges.
Fortunately, there are dozens of non-candy items that can be used to stuff Easter eggs. These items not only decrease the likelihood of kiddos eating too much candy, but they provide exciting variety. In some cases, these alternatives even support learning and encourage kids to get active.
Non-candy Easter egg fillers
Clothes and accessories
- Bandanas
- Bracelets
- Earrings
- Hair ties and barrettes
- Necklaces
- Scarves
- Shoe laces
- Socks
- Ties
- Wristwatches
Educational items
- Counting chips
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Magnifying glasses
- Prisms
- Puzzle pieces
- Riddles and jokes printed on slips of paper
- Seed packets
Foods
- Dried fruit
- Nuts
- Popcorn
- Pretzels
- Snack crackers
Health and beauty items
- Adhesive bandages
- Bath fizzies
- Bath poufs
- Floss
- Lip balms
- Nail polishes
- Small tubes of lotion
Miscellaneous items
- Arcade tokens
- Encouraging words and Bible verses printed on slips of paper
- Keychains
- Magnets
- Money (coins or dollar bills)
- Movie tickets
- Stickers
- Temporary tattoos
Toys
- Balloons
- Bouncy balls
- Finger puppets
- Foam gliders
- Inflatable beach balls
- Jacks
- Legos
- Marbles
- Perler beads
- Play dough
- Rubber stamps
- Sidewalk chalk
- Silly Putty
- Small cars
- Small plastic animals or dinosaurs
- Spinning tops
- Whistles
Not all of these items are appropriate for every child, so please consider the age, abilities, and interests of your child when selecting Easter egg fillers.
What items did I miss? What other non-candy items have you stuffed in Easter eggs?
Shared on the following link-ups:
Weekend No Rules Blog Hop, Inspiration Spotlight, Creativity Unleashed, From House to Home, Coffee and Conversation, Titus 2sday, One Project at a Time, Titus 2 Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays & Monday’s Musings.
What a great list! I’m sooo over giving my kids a ton of candy on each holiday.
Thanks, Meghan! Hopefully you can use some of these other options.
This is a great list! I think it is so easy to fill eggs with candy because that is what is marketed towards families. Last year I just put plastic dinosaurs/lizards/snacks in the eggs for my son that I found at the dollar store (a total of $3 spent, since we already had the eggs) and he was ecstatic.
I think candy would have cost more, so it’s nice that you saved money and gave him some fun little items!
Thanks for this list! My issue with giving my kids all candy at Easter is that my husband and I tend to eat a lot of it, so minimizing the amount of candy is healthier for all of us. One thing I found for the eggs this year was a 4 pack of cute little gel pens in the dollar spot at Target. They have cute little Easter patterns on them and they fit perfectly in the eggs!
Hi Lisa,
I have a bit of a sweet tooth myself, so I’m with you on it being healthier for the whole family when there is less candy.
The gel pens sound great!
Thanks for linking up on Titus Tuesday! These are great ideas, I will pin this and use it!
You’re welcome. Have fun!
Shannon this list is awesome! Such great ideas, I plan on using a few.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Great! I hope they work well for you.