I love experiencing the holidays with kids. I remember what it felt like waking up on Easter morning knowing the Easter bunny had hidden treats for us. Now, the joy I feel watching my children have these experiences is pretty much immeasurable.

One of my big parenting dilemmas has been finding a way to keep these traditions going but recreating them so that there is less junk. Less unhealthy food and candy and sugar. And less disposable toys and plastic that we don’t need.

Last year I hid the quintessential Easter treats, chocolate bunnies and eggs, plastic Easter eggs with little stickers and dollar store tattoos. I ended up hiding most of the candy out of eyesight after the Easter egg hunt excitement only to throw it out 6 months later.

This year is like to try something different. I’m going to try to honour the value of providing experiences and only provide ” stuff” that we already need or can genuinely use. I’ve decided to save up items that I plan to purchase anyway to make them more special as part of an Easter treat.

In my case, my kids need some new gum boots and some gear for camping this summer. We purchased a camping trailer last spring and we try to get out exploring as much as possible. So for my boys I’m going to build a hunt for practical yet fun items:

Summer camping basket:

  • Fishing rod
  • Tackle box
  • Fishing lures
  • Binoculars
  • Camping stories
  • Gum boots etc…

Depending on your family and your interests here are some other fun ideas:

Summer beach basket:

  • Beach towel
  • Bathing suit
  • Goggles
  • Blow-up floatie
  • Bubbles
  • Sand tools ( bucket and shovels)
  • Crafty basket:
    Paper
    Markers and crayons
    Glue
    Scissors
    Beads and string
    Stickers

Dinosaur dig:

  • Dinosaur books
  • Dinosaur bone dig kit
  • Dinosaur toy
  • Dino painting for bedroom wall
  • Admission to a dinosaur museum

I think you get the idea. Once your mind starts going with an initial theme or idea for your children it’s easy to come up with fun candy alternatives. If you want to spend less money you can also take some these ideas and turn them into more of an experience. For example you could create a dinosaur dig in your backyard or sandbox and have your child excavate Dino bones and depending on their age, try to put the dinosaur together like a puzzle or match dinosaurs from the dig to this in a book.

You could make a craft day and learn how to weave a basket and colour some eggs. Again, the ideas are endless. It’s just a matter of reframing our take on these holidays.

I hope this gets your creative juices flowing!

As always, I hope you are flourishing lately.