Christ-Centered Easter Basket Ideas - Muddling Through Together

Easter is coming early in 2021, with most Christians celebrating on Sunday, April 4th. (Orthodox Easter is May 2nd this year). While Easter baskets are a fun secular tradition adopted by many Christian families, you can still put together a Christ-centered Easter basket.

Only a few Easter basket gifts from my childhood stand out to me as an adult. When I was 9, my family hosted friends (a mother and her daughter) over Easter weekend. The mother added a few small things to our Easter baskets, including a beautiful pink ribbon cross bookmark for me. Unfortunately I’ve long since lost that bookmark, but I still treasure the memory.

Another year, my mom decided that my brothers and I all needed our own decorative crosses. She picked out different ones for each of our Easter baskets. I still have mine! In the past, I kept my cross on my desk at work, and then later on my bookcase in my home office. Today it’s on a small corner shelf in my bedroom.

The third and final Easter basket gift was a secular gift, but my mom put a great deal of thought into it. At the time, I couldn’t eat chocolate or any candy, and my mom didn’t want me to feel left out on Easter Sunday. She found a beautiful decorative teapot inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night. This small gift suited my interests perfectly, and I now have it on display in my home office.

These little moments from my own childhood inspired today’s post on Christ-centered Easter basket ideas. While everyone loves a bit of candy on Easter, these no-candy Easter basket ideas will be good for the body AND the soul!

Note: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might earn a small commission at no cost to you.

When I was researching creative Easter basket ideas, I was disappointed by the affiliate-link heavy listicles. Linking to 10 different Christian devotions for kids doesn’t really count as 10 unique Easter basket ideas… Nor does dividing up kids into age groups, and then repeating “art supplies” for each age group.

While this post does contain affiliate links (bloggers gonna blog), I want to offer broad Easter basket ideas so you can shop locally to fill your family’s Easter baskets.

Easter Basket Ideas for All Ages

You’re never too old to enjoy an Easter basket! When I was living in France, I spent Easter with my expat cousins, who surprised me with an Easter basket. These no-candy Easter basket ideas are appropriate for Christians of (almost) all ages.

You can also put together a Christ-centered Easter basket on a budget. Check out The Dollar Tree! They often have a surprising selection of Christian reading material.

Bible

A new Bible is the perfect Christ-centered gift for an Easter basket.

You can find amazing Bibles for any age! My brothers and I even had Bible comic books when we were kids. You can even find fully illustrated, interactive Bibles for young children. Here are a few specific recommendations from my Facebook friends:

As an adult, I appreciate a good study Bible for beginners. This Access Bible is an updated version of the one I read at home.

A teenager or adult might appreciate a journaling Bible. If you’re looking for something small that can fit in a jacket pocket or purse, check out the small New Testament options. The Dollar Tree has a limited selection of pocket New Testaments AND pocket Bibles, great for Easter baskets on a budget.

I’ve heard good things about the She Reads Truth Bible.

I encourage you to visit your local bookstore and see what Bible options are available.

Devotional

Devotionals are another great option for a Christ-centered Easter basket. You can easily find books of devotions for any age, any gender, and any life stage. I know my mom learned a great deal from Joyce Meyer and Beth Moore.

I haven’t been a kid in a long time, so I don’t have any firsthand recommendations on the best devotionals for kids. You can ask your local parents’ group for ideas, or visit a local bookstore. The Dollar Tree has a few options online, and their stores often have a wider book selection from overstocks.

Same advice if you’re looking for devotionals for teenagers. You can also let your teenager pick out their own book of devotions! They are past the age of believing in the Easter Bunny, so invite them to help with their own Easter basket gifts.

I did ask my Facebook friends about devotionals for kids and teens. Here are their ideas:

Christian Fictional Books

Christians can grow our faith through stories, not just through the Bible and devotionals. Consider adding a novel or a picture book to your family’s Easter baskets this year!

I’ll be honest. I typically don’t enjoy reading Christian novels. However, in the last year or so, I’ve discovered fairy tale retellings by two Christian novelists. This is one of my favorite genres, and the books were delightfully spiritual without being preachy or boring.

My dad and I both enjoyed the Mitford series when I was a teenager. These books center around a bachelor rector and the interesting people in his congregation.

You can easily find great books for kids that teach about God. I feel like kids get all the creative books on religion!

My sorority sister SarahAnn Knepper just published an illustrated book about the Eucharist.

Photo of a paperback book set on a background of white bunnies. Book title is: "Luke's First (And Almost Last) Holy Communion" — Image provided by SarahAnn Knepper

This is what SarahAnn shared about why she wrote this book.

This is something I’ve been working on for the last five years (because sometimes dreams take a little longer in motherhood…).

As a convert I have always been passionate about the Eucharist, and I wanted kids to have a resource that conveys how important it is to our faith life in an imaginative way. I hope your family will enjoy it like ours has!

Young blonde female toddler holding a paperback book. Book title is: "Luke's First (And Almost Last) Holy Communion" — Image provided by SarahAnn Knepper

I’ve also heard good things about What Is God Like?, written by the late Rachel Held Evans and her good friend Matthew Paul Turner.

Christian Bookmark

My pink ribbon cross bookmark was so special to me as a child! Why not tuck a Christian bookmark between the pages of a Bible or devotional? This is such an easy and affordable Christ-centered Easter basket idea. You could also hide a ribbon bookmark in a plastic Easter egg!

If you have a crafty family, you could make your own Christian bookmarks. This could be an activity leading up to Easter or on Easter Sunday itself. If you make the bookmarks on Easter, the crafting supplies could be included in your family’s Easter baskets.

Art Supplies

You can easily find Christian coloring books online or in stores. Coloring books for kids are widely available, but you can also find adult coloring books! Color the Words of Jesus has an average 4.5 star rating with over 2,500 reviews.

Add some colored pencils, crayons, or markers to your family’s Easter baskets. These are readily available in stores or online. You can even find multiple Crayola products at The Dollar Tree for a budget-friendly Easter basket gift.

If anyone is getting a journaling Bible in their Easter basket, add some gel pens or highlighters.

Finally, think about buying some Christian stickers for your Christ-centered Easter baskets. You and your family can do so much with stickers!

Create personalized Christian bookmarks
Decorate Bible covers (especially handy if everyone gets the same simple Bible from The Dollar Tree)
Decorate school supplies

The Dollar Tree has a huge variety of stickers, but the online options are all secular. You can find lots of shapes, animals, flowers, and more that would still be appropriate for a Christian family. The letter stickers are perfect for Bible customization. Amazon also has a huge selection of Christian stickers at reasonable prices.

Ribbon Bookmark Ideas

If you have older kids or teenagers who enjoy crafting, consider getting craft supplies to make ribbon bookmarks. Ribbons, hot glue or fabric glue, needles and thread, beads and charms… You have lots of options! These are slightly more difficult to make than just decorating strips of paper, but you and your family can create beautiful bookmarks that will last a long time. Check out these tutorials for inspiration.

Christian Apparel

You can find so many t-shirts, sweatshirts, scarves, jewelry, and more that profess your Christian faith.

Does your daughter or wife wear a charm bracelet? Add a cross charm, Christian fish charm, angel charm, or WWJD charm to their Easter basket.

You can find a lovely selection of cross jewelry for most ages and all genders, at multiple price points.

While I’ve linked a few options on Amazon, I highly recommend you shop local for Christian apparel! You can also check out Etsy.

I have to shoutout the Etsy shop Clothed in Strength Boutique. Cassie (the owner) previously sent me a couple of pink t-shirts to review. They’re so cute!

White woman standing in a garden, wearing a pink shirt that says: Faith can move Mountains — July 2019, Montreal Botanical Gardens

This design is no longer available, but Cassie offers many options in her shop.

Easter Basket Ideas for Kids

I only have a few unique Easter basket ideas for kids. As shown in the list above, most Christ-centered Easter basket ideas are suitable for all ages!

Easter Egg Toys

I already suggested filling some Easter eggs with ribbon bookmarks, but there are other no-candy Easter egg fillers.

These Bible verse stickers are a great way to introduce simplified Bible verses to your kids. They fit perfectly in plastic Easter eggs.

You can also buy Resurrection Eggs for your kids! Each Resurrection Egg (plastic Easter egg) has a small toy in it that symbolizes part of the Easter story. It’s an interactive way to share the Easter story with kids. Check out your local Christian bookstore or shop online. These Resurrection Eggs on Amazon have an average 4.8 star rating with over 900 reviews.

You can even make your own Resurrection Eggs!

Christian Play Sets

It’s amazing to me how many different interactive toy sets can teach children about the Bible! You might be able to find Christian play sets at your local toy store or Christian bookstore. I’ve also found a few ideas on Amazon.

Noah’s ark is a popular play set, so you can find a variety of options to suit your kids.

You can also find fun felt storyboards that tell different stories from the Bible.

Final Thoughts on Easter Basket Ideas for Christians

I hope these no-candy Easter basket ideas will help you this year! A little bit of candy is always fun, but these Christ-centered Easter basket ideas will remind your family of why we celebrate Easter.

What do you remember of Easter baskets from your childhood? How do you plan on filling Easter baskets this year?