Easter Gifts for Kids: 10 Ideas That Aren't Chocolate

The egg is usually taken care of. The best Easter gifts for kids are the ones still in use once the chocolate's gone: a spring picture book, a cress kit, a kite for the park, or a homemade clue trail that leads to the eggs. Below are ten for ages 3 to 8, sorted by who's giving, from free to £34.99.

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar, and BBC Bitesize notes that egg hunts are popular with both Christian and non-Christian children. So these ideas are for any family that marks it. If you're buying for other times of year too, our screen-free presents for 3 to 8 year-olds cover the rest.

Who gives what at Easter?

These non-chocolate Easter gifts for kids are grouped by who's giving: parents on Easter morning, grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles, and whoever is hiding the eggs. Each one says who it suits, the age and a rough price. Prices are guides for the kind of thing, not quotes, and any idea works from anyone.

None of this is about banning the egg. For scale, the NHS says children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day, and those aged 7 to 10 no more than 24g. A present that isn't food is simply an easier thing to say yes to. For treats through the rest of the year, our well done gifts that aren't sweets carry the same idea.

What are good Easter gifts for kids that aren't chocolate?

Good Easter gifts for kids that aren't chocolate are small, springlike and get used after the long weekend: things to grow, make, read or take outside. Here are ten.

From you, on Easter morning

1. A spring picture book

Suits: a child who likes a story at breakfast. Age: 3 to 6. Price: £5 to £10.

A picture book about eggs, chicks, lambs or an egg hunt. Read it on Easter morning, before the hunt, and it becomes part of the day. Next year it comes out of the cupboard again.

2. A grow-your-own cress kit

Suits: a child who likes to see something happen. Age: 3 to 8. Price: under £5.

Cress seeds, cotton wool and an eggshell or a small pot to draw a face on. Cress grows quickly, so the "hair" is usually ready to snip within the school holidays. Eating it in a sandwich is the best part.

3. Wooden eggs to decorate

Suits: a child who loves paint and pens. Age: 4 to 8. Price: £5 to £10.

A set of wooden eggs and child-safe paints. BBC Bitesize explains that hens' eggs were traditionally hard-boiled and decorated by hand, long before most Easter eggs were chocolate. Wooden ones don't crack and can come out every spring.

From grandparents

4. A jigsaw or a simple board game

Suits: a family that's all together for the long weekend. Age: 4 to 8. Price: £10 to £20.

A floor jigsaw or a game with short turns, for the afternoon when everyone's full of lunch. It stays at your house, so it's waiting at every visit after Easter too.

5. A mat for the long weekend

Suits: a child who wants to be outside the moment it's warm. Age: 3 to 8. Price: £34.99, and this one is ours.

Our Sun Salutation mat has 15 numbered poses engraved into it, from mouse at 1 to dancer at 15, so a five-year-old can roll it out on the lawn and work along on their own, with no screen. For the first few goes together, see our beginner's guide to kids' yoga.

6. A kite or a skipping rope

Suits: a child with energy to burn in the park. Age: 4 to 8. Price: £5 to £10.

Easter brings a long weekend and lighter evenings. A kite or a skipping rope gets everyone outside for an hour, and neither needs charging. Skipping takes practice, so it suits five and up.

From a godparent, aunt or uncle

7. A bird feeder kit

Suits: a child who's curious about the garden. Age: 4 to 8. Price: £10 to £20.

A make-your-own bird feeder or bird box, with a grown-up to help with the fiddly bits. Hang it where they can see it from a window, and it's a present that keeps on happening each morning.

8. A pair of wellies or a puddle suit

Suits: a child who heads straight for the puddles. Age: 3 to 6. Price: £10 to £20.

Spring weather can turn quickly. Wellies or an all-in-one puddle suit mean a wet day is still a day out. Our ideas for a wet day in the Easter holidays help on the days that stay indoors.

For the egg hunt

9. Refillable eggs with small surprises inside

Suits: an egg hunt with mixed ages. Age: 3 to 8. Price: £5 to £10.

Plastic eggs that open, filled with stickers, hair clips or tiny figures instead of sweets. If a younger sibling is joining in, the Office for Product Safety and Standards warns that small parts can be a choking hazard, so check the age labels.

10. A homemade clue trail

Suits: a child who's starting to read, or loves a puzzle. Age: 4 to 8. Price: free to £5.

Six cards, one clue each, hidden around the house or garden and ending at the eggs. Draw the clues for younger children and write rhymes for older ones. It costs almost nothing and it's the part of the morning they'll talk about.

What Easter gifts can grandparents send?

The best Easter gifts for grandchildren to post are things that won't melt or break: a book, a cress kit, a bird feeder kit, a kite, or a mat. A mat is full length, 183 x 61 cm, so you can try the tree pose too, and UK delivery is free, so the price on the page is what you pay. For presents grandparents can give the rest of the year, we have a separate guide.

How much should you spend on Easter presents for kids?

There's no rule for Easter presents for kids, and no official guide. Most of the ideas here cost under £10, and that's plenty for Easter. By budget:

• Free to £5: the cress kit (2) and the clue trail (10)
• £5 to £10: the picture book (1), wooden eggs (3), a kite or skipping rope (6) and refillable eggs (9)
• £10 to £20: a jigsaw or game (4), a bird feeder kit (7) and wellies (8)
• £20 to £40: a full-length mat (5)

When is Easter, and how is the date set?

Easter Sunday moves each year. BBC Bitesize explains that it falls on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after 21 March, which puts it somewhere between late March and late April. For Easter gifts for kids in the UK, check the date on gov.uk before you order.

Good Friday is a bank holiday across the UK. Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland. The school holidays around Easter last longer than the weekend, and their dates vary by council.

Easter gift pairs, one from each giver

Easter gift ideas for kids work well in twos, one from each kind of giver:

• A parent's Easter morning, under £15: the picture book and the cress kit.
• A grandparent's one bigger present: the mat, with the clue trail as the way they find it. Try a sun salutation in the garden together that afternoon.
• A godparent's posted parcel, around £20 to £30: the bird feeder kit and a book.

If you'd like a present that's still in use after the holidays, have a look at the mats: £34.99 each, with free UK delivery and 30-day returns, and 10 per cent off two or more if the cousins are getting one too.

What if they only want the egg?

Some children want the egg and nothing else, and that's fine. Give them the egg and one small thing, and let the other present wait for a wet afternoon later in the holidays. A kite or a cress kit has no expiry date.

Frequently asked questions

Do you give presents at Easter?

Many families do, and they're usually small: an egg, plus perhaps a book or something for the garden. There's no rule that says you must. BBC Bitesize notes that egg hunts are popular with both Christian and non-Christian children, so a small present suits any family that marks the long weekend.

Why do people give eggs at Easter?

BBC Bitesize explains that an egg is a symbol of new life, and for Christians a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. Most Easter eggs are now chocolate covered in coloured foil, but traditionally hens' eggs were hard-boiled and decorated by hand, which is why painting eggs is still an Easter activity.

When are the Easter school holidays?

They vary by area. School term and holiday dates are set locally, and gov.uk sends you to your local council's website to find the dates for your child's school. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements. Check before you book a trip or plan when a posted present should arrive.

What can I give instead of an Easter egg?

Something that won't be gone by Monday: a cress kit, wooden eggs to paint, a spring picture book or a homemade clue trail. For a bigger present from a grandparent or godparent, a kite, a bird feeder kit or a mat with numbered poses gets used for the rest of the spring. You can still give a small egg as well.

Sources

• BBC Bitesize - What is Easter? (when Easter falls)
• BBC Bitesize - What is Easter? (Easter eggs and egg hunts)
• GOV.UK - UK bank holidays
• GOV.UK - School term and holiday dates
• NHS - How does sugar in our diet affect our health?
• GOV.UK, Office for Product Safety and Standards - Buy toys safely this Christmas