Easter gifts for children that outlast the chocolate

Four chocolate rabbits, two from each set of grandparents, and one of them still in the cupboard in June. That is Easter for a lot of children. Chocolate is fine. Chocolate from six relatives who all had the same idea is a waste, and it is the easiest thing in the world to fix with a list.

Toys that survive past the long weekend

A plush rabbit is still the obvious choice, and a Jellycat bunny, which costs a bit more than most, is the one that ends up in the bed for years. Past the age of four, though, move on. Art supplies do more work over the holiday: a proper watercolour set, a spring colouring book, or an egg decorating kit with dyes and wax that keeps a kitchen table busy for a whole afternoon. For builders, a small Lego set with a rabbit or a chicken, or a wooden puzzle with farm animals, gets played with long after the eggs are gone.

Things that get them outside

Easter usually lands on the first properly warm weekend, so give them a reason to leave the house. A magnifying glass, a bug jar and a small notebook turn a normal garden into a research project. A butterfly net or a children's bird guide does the same for a walk in the woods.

Outdoor toys fit the season too. A frisbee, a bucket of pavement chalk or the first bike without stabilisers makes the most of the longer evenings. Water balloons and a sprinkler cover those days in May when it is warm enough to get wet but too cold to swim.

Gifts that teach something without looking like school

Spring is the right moment for the science kits that grow, sprout or change: a bean in a jar, a crystal kit, a small weather station. A children's gardening set with real seeds, a trowel that fits a small hand and three pots on the windowsill teaches watering duty better than any chore chart.

Books still belong in the basket. Look for ones about lambs and chicks, about the seasons, or about how Easter is celebrated in other countries. For the under-fives, a pop-up book or one with textures to touch holds attention longer, and it is the kind of book that gets read forty times.

Experiences instead of objects

Half the things on a child's list can be things to do. Tickets to a children's theatre show, a day at the zoo or a family pass for the local museum sit on a wishlist just as well as a toy, and an aunt who lives far away often prefers to give a day out.

Some experiences suit Easter in particular: a baking class where the children decorate their own eggs, a spring craft workshop at the library, or a subscription box that sends a new activity every month through the summer. These come with an adult attached, which for most children is most of the gift.

Sweet things that are more than chocolate

A baking kit for Easter biscuits or cupcakes covers the sugar without the mountain of foil. Fruit snacks in animal shapes, a fruit tea for children or a strawberry-growing kit feel festive and do not end up forgotten in a cupboard.

A few things are worth buying because they come back every year: a picture book you read every Easter morning, a wicker basket sturdy enough to reuse, or the ingredients for a family recipe. A braided bread with a coloured egg baked into the middle is the kind of thing children start asking about in March.

Put everything on one list

Ideas are never the shortage at Easter. Four grandparents, two aunts and a godmother all guessing on their own is where the four rabbits come from. When you create a wishlist for each child, every relative sees what has already been reserved, the fourth chocolate rabbit never gets bought, and the godmother with no idea has ten to choose from.