fun toy Easter basket stuffers for toddlers

Honestly, at our house, we skip right over many holidays when it comes to celebrating with the kids. The kids went to bed at the regular time for New Year's. Valentine's Day might mean a few heart-shaped decorations and one fun family dinner, but mostly it means a babysitter for them while mom and dad get a date night. My children literally don't know what St Patrick's Day is yet (don't I sound like the most fun mom ever?).

But Easter? Hey, we actually do something with the kids for Easter! Easter is a thing at our house. We love to get fun spring outfits, do an Easter egg hunt, and give everyone an Easter basket.

On Saturday I went shopping for a few things for Claire's Easter basket. Which basically meant Cadbury mini eggs that we can only hope I have the self-control to not open before it's time to put together her Easter basket.

I realized I wanted something for her basket to offset all the chocolate. There was a little $2 bin at the store, but honestly the toys in there looked like they'd be broken even before the Cadbury mini eggs were gone.

So I searched Amazon when I got home, and wow, I didn't know there were pages and pages of awesome Easter basket stuffers. Here is a list of a few of my favorite Easter basket stuffers for young kids.

These are all under $10, small enough to fit in an Easter basket, will last way longer than anything in the cheap bin at the store, and are educational and fun to boot. Oh, and also they're all on Amazon Prime so you can buy today and have it show up on your door two days later, just in time to pack those Easter baskets. (If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can get a free trial here to get the free 2-day shipping.)

4 puzzles in a box: We purchased this set about a month ago, and they have been so fantastic in teaching Claire how puzzles work. The easiest puzzle is only two pieces and the largest is eight pieces. The pieces are nice and big, easy to hold and manipulate, and brightly colored.

Tangle Jr Fidget Toy: AKA the How to Keep Your Kid Quiet in Church toy. It's even fun for me to twist and turn these little toys and make fun shapes.

Light-up Spike Ball: Really, to make a kid's day, all you have to say is "light up" or "bouncy ball." Luckily, this is both of those things. This listing comes with a few, so each kid gets one and you can have an extra in case the dog think it's his toy.

Bubbles: We've been needing to replenish our bubble supply, and an Easter basket seems like the perfect opportunity. The bottles are small enough that they fit most Easter eggs, and this listing comes with 24 bottles (hello birthday party favors!).

Bathtub Crayon: A fun crayon with six different sides and colors for the bathtub. UPDATE: When I first made the post, it was on sale. The sale has now ended, which makes this product actually a little over $10, sorry. It still looks cool though.

Bookmark Timer: This one is for all the school-aged kids. It's a bookmark with a little built-in timer/stopwatch so kids can track their reading time. I would have killed for a few of these in my classroom when I was a teacher.

Play-Doh: The classic. Who wouldn't like some fresh, new, not yet dried and crusty colors in their Easter basket? We are down to one or two lone Play-Doh colors that are still malleable, so we need to restock. And 10 colors for $7 is pretty darn good.

Liquid Motion Bubbler: I remember getting to hold one of these at the dentist when I was getting a fluoride treatment at the dentist, and something about them is super mesmerizing.

Hair Chalk: Another fun one for the older kids - and hey, maybe the adults too. This hair chalk is bright, fun, easy to put on, and not permanent. It would also make the perfect birthday party favor.

Doodle Pro: We LOVE this. Claire will play with this forever, and loves how you can swipe away the drawing any time you want. We also use it for learning time, and it's the perfect car trip toy too.




Hope you like these as much as I do! If you buy today, they'll be at your doorstep by Wednesday so they can go straight into the kids' Easter baskets and you don't have to make another trip to the store. Happy shopping!

Do you do an Easter basket?

What do you put in it?

Any more good fun + educational stuffer ideas?

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favorite wordless picture books (+ how to read them)

It turns out I can talk forever when it comes to picture books for young kids. I started typing half an hour ago, and just now realized I had about three good separate drafts, all about books for pre-readers. Looks like a few more picture book posts will be coming your way soon.

Okay, let's talk picture books! Specifically, wordless picture books for young kids. In my Children's Literature course in college, there was an entire unit devoted to wordless (or nearly wordless) picture books.

Why are wordless picture books so great for kids? 

First, they are all about imagination. Kids get to make up the words and story to accompany the picture, which is a huge imagination builder - plus the story can be different every time. They're also great for building story structure, since wordless books have a very clear beginning, middle, and end. Wordless picture books provide a perfect structure for literacy-rich conversations, as you predict the ending, ask questions, and narrate the story in your own words. Not to mention, the illustrations are often drop-dead gorgeous because, after all, the pictures are doing all of the talking.

How do you read a wordless picture book?

This may sound silly, but when we got our first wordless picture book, I was like, "Uh. How do I read this? Do I just make up the words? Do I silently flip the pages?"

There's no right or wrong way to read wordless picture books. You can make up your own story. You can point out funny things in the pictures. You can ask questions and have your child predict what's next. You can do whatever you want! All reading is good reading, even when there are no words to read!

My favorite wordless (or nearly wordless) picture books:

Chalk by Bill Thomson

This is wordless picture book 101, and a great place to start if you're new to wordless picture books. This book is about three kids who discover a bag of magical chalk on a rainy day. It's on practically every list of best wordless picture books. I love the perspectives and the realism of the illustrations.

Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day

Let's just pretend this mom wouldn't be in major trouble with CPS for leaving her baby with nobody but a dog for hours at a time. My daughter loves this whole series about adventures with a baby and a furry best friend (best friend slash primary caregiver, ha).

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

This book is fascinating for children of all ages (teenagers included!). It's about a girl who finds a magical red book, and sees a boy's life halfway across the world, only to realize he also has a magic red book and is reading about her adventures in the big city. Different ages will understand this in different complexities, but it's fun for everyone.

Flashlight by Lizi Boyd

The illustrations are so clever in this one. It's about a boy who finds a flashlight, and ventures out into the night to see how the world looks different in stark black and white with only a vibrant splash of color illuminated by the flashlight.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The illustrations are so gorgeous in this one. It's a great little retelling of one of Aesop's more popular fables. (If you can get over the illustrations long enough to pay attention to the story, that is. And did I mention the fabulous illustrations?)

Journey by Aaron Becker

This book is about a girl who draws a magical door on her bedroom wall and escapes through it to a fantasy world full of danger, problems that can only be solved by creating more things with her trusty marker, and new friendship. There are two sequels (Quest and Return) which I haven't read but heard are just as great.

Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage

This is a fun one about a walrus who escapes from the zoo and tries on all sorts of different hats to disguise himself. My toddler loves to find the hidden walrus on every page. It's short and sweet and one you'll find yourself re-reading often.

Red Sled by Lita Judge

This is a fun watercolor-illustrated book about a bear that takes a sled (and his favorite woodland friends) on an adventurous ride down the hill. The only words are the sounds the animals make. This is a perfect book to add to your Christmas book collection for kids.

Pancakes for Breakfast by Tommy DePaola

This one is a classic. I love all of DePaola's work, and this wordless picture book about a woman who is trying to gather supplies to make pancakes for breakfast is absolutely charming. It also makes me want pancakes.

Playtime? by Jeff Mack

This one is brand new on the market and super cute. Technically it has two words, "playtime!" and "bedtime!" I think there's a "shh" in there too. My grandparents gifted this to us for Christmas and it's already a favorite. My daughter loves to look at the expressions of the naughty gorilla who just wants to play during bedtime. She will read this one to herself multiple times a day.

Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

Another classic! We LOVE this book at our house. It's the story of a zookeeper locking up for the night without realizing the gorilla has stolen the keys and is leading all the animals in for a sleepover at the zookeeper's house. The page that just has the wife's surprised eyes wide open in the dark is so awesome. It's probably our best-loved wordless picture book ever.

What are your favorite wordless picture books?

And what else do you want to read when it comes to posts about picture books?

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Beat the Heat: Fun and Free Indoor Toddler Destinations

Here in Arizona, summer time is hibernation time! When it gets above 100 or 105, my will to spend hours outdoors at parks and zoos totally disappears. I'll do anything for an indoor toddler play date!

Even if you don't live somewhere as warm as I do, chances are you'll have days where you just don't want to lather sun screen on all the kids, bring a million water bottles, and spend the entire day on a stifling playground while your children burn their skin on the slides.

Here are my favorite free, indoor, fun toddler destinations! Grab a mom friend and her kiddos and head to one of these indoor locations for a day of air-conditioned toddler fun.

Library
I've yet to find a city library that doesn't have a fun toddler program. Whether it's story time, singing time, or puppet time, there's always something fun happening, and it's always free. And even if there's not a class currently being taught, it's fun for toddlers to hang out in the kids corner with all the books, toys, kids computers, and beanbags. Most libraries have a summer reading program to keep your older children engaged as well.

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Shopping Centers
Load up the kids and take them to the mall! Let's face it: some mall play areas are really sketchy, but some are great. They're always free, and sometimes all you need is 30 minutes of your kids running around screaming in an approved run-around-and-scream location. Extra points if you sip a nice cold drink while you watch them get their energy out.

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Free Days at Music Centers and Gymnasiums
Almost all music and gymnastics venues will offer free classes or free days to try and get you interested in their programs. Google what's in your area and take advantage! I've taken my toddler to a few of these, and it's fun to watch her explore something new and different. It's also a great way to get a feel for good classes you may want to invest in when your toddler gets a little older.

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Local Sports Games
No matter the time of year, you're not going to get into professional sports games for free. But I'm always surprised at how many previews, practices, scrimmages or high-school level matches are indoors and open to the general public. Who cares how good the team is? Your sports-loving toddler will be enthralled (and younger toddlers will just love playing in all the empty seats). And if nap time arrives halfway through, you can leave early without the pressure of getting your money's worth.

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Recreation Centers
The rec center in my old city was fantastic, and well worth paying $350/year for a family pass. The one in my current city isn't worth a membership to us, but there are still fun things to do there for free. Whether it's free swim days, a big indoor playground, or a free kids sports day, look up what your city has to offer.

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Museums
I'm always surprised by the number of lesser-known museums that have really great kids sections. There's a free city museum in my neighborhood that is pretty blah overall, but the toddler play place is gigantic and super fun. In fact, we paid to get into a children's museum last weekend, and my toddler didn't like it nearly as much as she loves the little free one down the street. Ask around with other parents in your area to find the free museums with great kids corners. If you have your heart set on a designated children's museum, look online for free days.

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What am I missing?

Favorite indoor toddler destinations?

I'd love to hear yours (+ I might even add it to this list!)