There are more ideas to fill plastic Easter eggs here than you could ever possibly use. Recently updated for 2020, this list includes items for toddlers all the way up to teens.
I like candy. A lot. Give me some chocolate and I'll follow you anywhere.
Okay, not anywhere, but many places.
My kids like candy, too.
They like candy so much that they'll eat it until their bellies hurt and then whine for days.
As the parent, it's my job to make sure they don't get enough candy to make that happen. At the same time, I don't want to deprive them of a super fun Easter egg hunt on Sunday.
We'll be stuffing our Easter eggs with things from this list. If you're also looking for some non-candy alternatives, pick up some of this stuff between now and the weekend.
2019 update: I no longer use items from the list below, having streamlined significantly. Head over to this post on Easter egg fillers to find out what we're currently doing and will do for the rest of all eternity.
- Fruit snacks (but they're basically candy anyway, right?)
- Mints
- Trail mix
- Dried fruit
- Nuts
- Marshmallows
- Cereal (even sugary cereal is probably healthier than candy)
- Gummy bears or worms
- Nilla Wafers
- Gum or gumballs
- Fruit roll ups
- Goldfish crackers
- Peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers
- Grapes
- Cuties (clementines)
- Dollar bills
- Coins - We will have lots of eggs stuffed with coins. My girls love money! (Who doesn't?)
- Lip gloss
- Lip balm
- Nail polish
- Nail stickers - Make sure you get self adhesive ones.
- Scented body spray
- Body glitter - Don't forget the adhesive for this, even though it probably won't fit in an egg. Also, probably best for older kids.
- A mini tube of lotion
- Homemade coupons - These are my Valentine's coupons, but you could make something similar for Easter.
- A folding travel toothbrush - I think a little kid would find this cool and different.
- Socks (or a sock if it's a small egg)
- Cool shoe laces
- A pair of lace or satin gloves for dress up - I just saw some of these in the dollar stuff at Target.
- Magic towels (If you haven't seen them, these are wash cloths molded into teeny shapes. When you put them in the bathtub, they expand into full-sized wash cloths. I buy them at the dollar store.)
- Little barrettes
- Hair bows
- Ponytail holders
- Bracelets
- Earrings
- Stick-on earrings
- Rings
- Pop arty beads - My kids have had several sets of these and LOVED them. They're so cool!
- A mini compact mirror
- Play scarves
- A folding fan
- Zipper pulls
- Jibbitz - Those little charms that you stick in the holes of your Crocs.
- Shoelace charms
- Beaded necklaces
- A pendant necklace
- Colored hair extensions
- Hair crayons
- Temporary tattoos
- Band-aids with cool designs
- Wikki Stix
- Stickers
- Foam shapes
- Mardi Gras beads
- Squinkies
- Hatchimals CollEGGtibles
- Shopkins
- Lego mini figures
- Mini erasers
- Puzzle erasers
- Toy cars
- Chalk - Don't buy this on Amazon! You'll have tiny pieces by the time it arrives. (Speaking from experience.)
- Little action figures - Think army men
- Mini skateboards
- A mini rubber duck
- A key chain flashlight
- Small key chains to hang on a backpack
- A whistle
- A kazoo
- Marbles
- Bouncy balls
- Stress balls
- Squishies
- Monkey noodles
- An un-inflated beach ball
- A Koosh ball
- A porcupine ball
- Polly Pocket dolls
- Polly Pocket clothes
- Barbie accessories
- Barbie clothes
- Party games - Check the party supply store or that aisle at Wal-mart or Target. They have all sorts of favor items that are little enough to put in eggs.
- Mini rubber stamps
- A mini stamp pad
- Little Play-doh tubs or little balls of homemade play dough in zip top baggies
- Silly putty
- Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty
- Crayons - these egg-shaped crayons are really cute
- Crayola's Pipsqueak markers
- Glitter glue
- Confetti
- Vials of glitter for making crafts
- Googly eyes for making crafts
- A little bottle of bubbles
- Wind up toys
- Wind up bath toys
- A pocket knife - obviously only for older kids & teens
- A coupon for a free ice cream (handmade or from the local shop)
- Jacks and a ball
- The monkeys from a Barrel of Monkeys game
- Lego
- Little People - You know, the chubby little figures?
- Toy bugs or toy animals (TOOB pieces are an awesome size!)
- A punching ball (Really a big balloon with a rubber handle. You have to blow it up.)
- A mini kaleidoscope
- Pirate eye patch
- Baseball cards - Do kids still collect these?
- Pokemon cards. I've seen them at our homeschool co-op, so I'm pretty sure they're still a thing.
- A top - You know, they spin.
- A bendable rabbit - Think Gumby. I've taken some flak for including these, but my kids think they're super fun.
- Ear buds - You know, like headphones but without the bulk
- Glow sticks
- Tiny cookie cutters
- Egg-shaped shakers - These are like maracas without handles. My kids loved them when they were littler!
- Magnetic bookmarks
- Pencil grippers
- A pencil sharpener
- Pencil top erasers (I want these ones!)
- Fun erasers
- A yoyo
- A mini slinky (This one is a real, metal Slinky that will fit in your eggs.)
- A mini magnifying glass (These ones really work, unlike those plastic ones with the long handle.)
- A mini squirt gun
- Sticky hands - I've seen these at the dollar store. They have a long, long arm, and the hand at the end is sticky. Grace played with one in the bathtub until it got sucked down the drain.
- Finger puppets
- A parachute man - My kids LOVE these!
- Slap bracelets - And also these!
- Those weird sea creatures that grow when you soak them in water - Please tell me you had these as a kid. I loved them, and my kids love them too!
- Dice - Tenzi is a super easy and super fun dice game to play as a family!
- Seashells
- Interesting or polished stones
- Jokes - I'm going to print a couple, cut them up, and fold them into eggs. Grace loves the jokes on popsicle sticks, so I know she'll love jokes in Easter eggs.
I have two girls, so my list is pretty heavily girl-themed. Sorry about that. I tried to include lots of things for boys, as well, but I'm not sure how successful I was.
Please use your brain and some common sense. Don't use anything smaller than a toilet paper tube for small children, and don't give anything sharp to a kid under ten or twelve.
Rachel says
What a great list you've put together! Thanks for posting it up!
Chris says
It's a very cool list... Just trying to figure out how most of this would fit in the standard-sized eggs, though. :-/
Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says
I have a variety of egg sizes, so I included lots of differently sized items. 🙂 Target has really big ones 3 for $1, if you want to add some bigger items.
Dawn Sandomeno says
Great ideas and WOW tons of them!
Shana D says
LOVE this list! I hate doing candy in the kids Easter eggs so I am very very chincy with it. Now that I have some new ideas we can make it more fun 🙂
Erin Lane says
What an AWESOME list of ideas!
Kristin says
Thanks for the great post!! Lost of great ideas on here. I am going to "Egg" my neices for easter. (leaving a egg carton of plastic eggs on their door step filled with stuff.) and this gave me lots of idea for them and for my daughter too!
Catherine says
Awesome list! Money is always a huge it around here too.
Stevie M says
Great list! I found this on pinterest.
Rajean says
So many unique items and many my kids would be thrilled with that I hadn't thought of, like character band aids, mini marshmallows (I've seen they come in flavors and colors now) and temp tattoos. Thank you, and Happy Easter!
Robyn Wright of RobynsOnlineWorld.com says
Hexbugs are great for older kids and teens even - and adults like me LOL
Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says
What are Hexbugs? I saw them at Target the other day and wondered.
Rose says
They are little electronic bugs, that you turn on and they walk around. If I'm correct, I believe you can get them kind of battling (I don't know that they have a setting to fight, they just kind of will, and I think they can knock each other over, sometimes). Also, I know that they have like little arenas for them, as oppose to just putting them on your table or floor.
Lolli says
Silly bands
Anna @ Piper's Run says
Our daughter is only 22 months, so for easter we did a few easter eggs around the house with mainly cereal x2 , raisins, and fish crackers. She had an easter egg hunt at the sitters but didn't eat any of the chocolate that she brought home - which was A LOT!
Cheryl says
LOVE this list! I just did one of my own as well but I could only come up with 50 items. You have quite the imagination! I'll have to make note of this before Easter arrives.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thanks 🙂
Tina @ Life Without Pink says
Great list Tara!
Jessica @FoundtheMarbles says
Well, I don't celebrate Easter.... but now I'm having a raging candy craving. 🙂
Cheryl B. says
We only put a little bit of candy in each egg. If it's M+M's, then maybe three. If it's a mini Reece's cup, then only one. It's more about the thrill of the hunt then eggs FULL of candy. But your list contains some fun ideas easily useable for Easter baskets!
Terry says
I put the parts to a lego set (put parts in little bags first) inside the eggs. So when they were collected my granddaughter had a lego building to put together. Just make sure you account for all the eggs.
Kayt says
WHY A POCKET KNIFE!?!?! That's the last thing i would want to put in an Easter Egg!!!!
Tara Ziegmont says
If you have a tween or teen, a pocket knife would be a perfectly reasonable Easter egg find. That's the beauty of parenting, you use your best judgement based on the age of your children, right?
Mihaela says
Original, cool ideas!
Belinda says
I could tell, immediately, that you had girls! 😉
Pam says
I have typed up riddles and stuffed the eggs with them. Kids love this and have great fun reading them out loud to the family. There are TONS of books at the library with riddles for all ages.
Renee says
When my children were young we would put pennies, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollar coins. We'd use bills for the older ones with 1 hard to find egg to find for the teens with 15 min to find a $25,-$50 egg (don't forget where you hid it). We had a few with candy too. My granddaughter is little and is learning about farm animals. I got a big bag of them for a buck and put a different farm animal in each one. She loves naming the animals with me as well as the color of the egg each animal is in. Not just at Easter either. They're called surprise eggs. It's a big thing on YouTube. I had 5 kids and a full time job. I would also put in coupons like 15 minutes just mommy and me time, mommy & me ice cream cone outing, mom and me nails or pedicure (with teen girls) mom and me cook dinner, etc. My children are grown and they still talk of those memories. They loved those coupons!
Jennifer Davis says
A pocket knife! Really!!!
Tara Ziegmont says
Absolutely. A teen or tween would love a pocket knife. Use your parent judgement in knowing whether your kids are old enough or not.
Sarah Johnson says
i would want a pocket knife and i am 12.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thank you!
Heidi says
A pocket knife? O.o
Tara Ziegmont says
As I have replied to other commenters, a pocket knife is a perfectly reasonable suggestion for a tween or teen, many of whom still love Easter baskets. Use your own good judgement with your children.
Kasaundra says
By the time you buy all of the little things to put in the eggs it gets expensive. We typically buy one big thing and a couple small surprises then put one egg in front of my daughters bedroom door with a clue in it to another egg and guide her all over the house and the yard until she ultimately ends up at her big surprise. Last year we got her a new bike, and the small prizes were a few pairs of underwear, some art stuff, some kinetic sand, an air pump for her basketball, a new pair of dress shoes, some leggings, a new shirt, and one bag of her favorite candy.
Victoria says
What a great list! This was exactly what I was looking for, since we are trying to downplay the candy. And, I just have to say that, yes, IMHO the pocket knoife is PERFECTLY acceptable for a tween - I know, because I have an 11 year old boy who is a boy scout and has several various pocket knives. He would have been thrilled to find one in an easter egg.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thank you!
Diney says
I would like to do this for adults. I have a few ideas. We are all adults there are about 11 I say that because some live out of town and can't make it. So I am really trying to come up with something to put in the eggs. We would roll dice and the egg moves that many. so have to be generic and something adults could use. GAME is on and I have to figure out something besides candy or money.
Tara Ziegmont says
That sounds like a fun idea!