• Candies and stuffed toys make popular Easter gifts.Sharon Dominick/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Children love holidays where they receive presents, and Easter is no exception. Make the day special with a carefully planned out Easter basket filled with treats picked based on each child's interests and favorite candies. Recycle usable items into an Easter basket and combine both candies and non-edible treats for memorable Easter gifts that will thrill your children.
  
  

Easter Baskets

• Instead of using a traditional store-bought Easter basket, consider a more useful container to hold your child's gifts this Easter season. To save money, search the house for an existing basket or decorative box to place your gifts in. An empty kid's meal box from a fast food restaurant works for storing small treats. If you choose to buy a container, Thrifty Fun suggests a reusable toy like a pail and a shovel. With this approach the container itself becomes part of the Easter gift. Alternatives to the pail and shovel idea include a large plastic piggy bank with a removable lid or a plastic drinking cup with your child's favorite cartoon character on it. On Easter morning turn the gift giving event into a game of hide-and-seek by stashing the Easter basket in the house and giving your child clues until she finds it.
  
  

Easter Gifts

• Once you've chosen a container, you'll need to decide on treats to fill it with. Popular Easter candies sell out fast, so shop early to stock up on your child's favorite items. After adding candy treats to the basket, add other non-candy gifts. Thrifty Fun recommends bubbles or a coupon for a free meal at the child's favorite restaurant. If you chose an empty kid's meal container for an Easter basket, a coupon for this restaurant will fit in with the theme. A stuffed animal and smaller toys, such as playing cards, yo-yo's, toy cars and even books, encourage creativity and will last for years to come. If appropriate for your family, choose a religious item, like a cross necklace or a religious themed coloring page with a box of crayons, to remind your child why she's celebrating Easter.
  
  

Creating the Baskets

• Put the finishing touches on your basket in an eco-friendly manner. Skip the fake grass and fill the bottom of your container with shredded newspaper or chopped up squares of construction paper in three or four bright colors. Reuse plastic eggs from year to year and fill with candy and small toys. In between Easter holidays, use the plastic eggs to hold tiny items around the house, like paperclips or a child's collection of earrings.
  
  To spruce up a plain container, let your child decorate the sides with Easter stickers. Glitter glue adds sparkle to plastic and paper surfaces, while a brightly-colored ribbon looks beautiful tied in a large bow on the basket or pail's handle. Add wiggly eyes and glue on a mouth made from a piece of yarn to make your Easter container take on a personality of its own.