These Are the Best Easter Basket Ideas for Boys

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Easter is on the early side this year (March 31, 2024), meaning many parents and caregivers are spending their precious free time scouring the internet—and the shelves at their favorite local stores—to find the perfect gifts for the kids in their lives. If you’re looking for alternatives to the standard basket fare, there are a ton of great toys, games, and kits that are sure to keep kids entertained for hours on end. We rounded up the best Easter basket ideas for boys to help give you a headstart.

While most Easter baskets are loaded with the same staples year after year, from candy to stuffed animals, there are only so many chocolate Peter Rabbits your little ones can sink their teeth into in a lifetime, and only so many stuffed animals will fit in your kiddo’s crib before the floor starts looking like a more attractive place to sleep. This year, give those special little ones something other than a sugar high by picking up one of these great Easter basket ideas for boys instead:

12-in-1 Science Solar Robot Kit

The only thing cooler than getting a robot in your Easter basket is getting this kit, which gives your kiddo everything necessary to build one of their own.

Using the 190 pieces provided, kids can build 12 different types of working solar-powered robots. It boasts a 4.1 out of 5-star rating from over 9,000 buyers, who praise the kit for its easy assembly and excellent customer service.

However, some others note that there are a lot of parts and the instructions are a bit complex, so it’s best tackled with an adult.

Solar System Science Kit

Have an amateur astronomer at home? Then this Crayola solar system kit is sure to be a big hit this Easter.

Intended for kids 8 years and up, this crafty kit includes nine planet hemispheres, a sun hemisphere, six washable paints, a paintbrush, a sheet of stickers, and a galaxy poster with double-sided tape onto which your little ones can attach their hemisphere models.

It’s a great, low-mess way to engage your child’s inner artist and expand their STEM knowledge in one fell swoop. Once they’re finished with this kit, they can also try Crayola’s Gross Science, Liquid Science, Paper Flower, and Paper Butterflies kits.

Crystal Growing Kit — Space

If your little one loves all things brightly colored and shiny, they’re sure to adore this Magic Rocks Crystal Growing Kit. This set lets your kiddo create an awesome alien landscape inside the plastic terrarium provided, which comes with a space rocket background to complete the theme.

They’re also a big hit with customers, earning an average 4.3-star rating from actual buyers.

Chain Reactions STEM Activity Kit

With this 78-page Klutz activity book as a guide, ordinary LEGO bricks and the materials provided in this kit can be turned into 10 awesome machines with moving parts.

Even better: When the machines are put together, they perform a series of chain reactions to do fun tricks like toss a gum wrapper in the trash and ring a bell.

Kids can also dream up chain reactions and experiment on their own by putting together the machines in different orders. The kit includes special Lego pieces, string, ramps, a funnel, a bucket, and more.

Grow N’ Glow Terrarium Kit for Kids

Even if you don’t have a lot of outdoor space to spare, your child can still enjoy creating their own mini garden with this Grow N’ Glow Terrarium kit. It comes with everything they need to get started: potting mix, organic wheatgrass and chia seeds, adorable glow-in-the-dark figurines, and a plastic jar to keep everything contained.

Once your child has assembled their terrarium, all that’s left to do is add water to bring their brilliant creation to life!

Take Apart Dinosaur Toys

What’s more fun than drilling together pieces to make a Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, and Triceratops? How about making a Tyranno-tops or Velo-saurus?

Kids get to do just that with this creative construction set. It takes imagination to design their own dino, plus it helps them learn to follow step-by-step instructions and think logically.

The set includes three screwdrivers and one low-speed electric drill with two bits, and each dinosaur has nine parts to assemble, each with moving head, arm, and leg joints.

Deluxe Combo Scratch Art Set

The budding artist in your house is sure to love this scratch art set from Melissa & Doug. The set comes with 16 pieces of scratch art paper in four different color combinations: black with silver holographic material underneath, black with rainbow material underneath, black with colorful “light catcher” material underneath, and white with rainbow material underneath.

A low-mess alternative to paints and markers, this set is perfect for creating masterpieces when you’re out to dinner, in the car, or anywhere else you want to avoid a major mess.

Space & Rockets Coloring Book

Have a space-obsessed kid who’s already breezed through your local library’s collection of astronaut-themed books?

This coloring book can help satisfy your little one’s appetite for all things space-related, with 50 pages of realistic, high-resolution drawings and plenty of information about astronauts and the solar system, as well. And when they’re finished with the book, they’ll even get a training certificate to hang on their wall!

STEM Discovery Boxes

If you’re looking for a great way to foster your little one’s STEM skills, look no further than this ingenious Cratejoy STEM discovery box.

Designed for kids from 7 to 12, you can give your kiddo a three-, six-, or 12-month subscription to this engaging kit. Inside, they’ll find everything they need to tackle three projects in disciplines like coding, chemistry, engineering, and physics projects, just to name a few.

“Both my grandkids work together on the activities. They love them and look forward to them each month,” says one happy reviewer, while another calls the box a “great value.”

Snap Circuits Jr.

Rated as “Amazon’s Choice” for snap circuit sets, this one from Elenco is an ideal gift in any young engineer’s Easter basket.

Using just the 30 parts included in this set, your child can assemble 100 circuit projects for both fun and educational purposes. And, with the included illustrated instruction manual, your child will be able to easily figure out how to configure any of the suggested models, such as a photo sensor, a flashing light, and more.

‘Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs’ by Catherine D. Hughes

Whether your kid is a stegosaurus stan or an allosaurus aficionado, this National Geographic dinosaur book is sure to be a big hit. With 128 colorful pages and tons of amazing dinosaur facts, reading it (inevitably over and over) is sure to be a roaring good time.

Straw Constructor STEM Building Toys

Add some color to your boy’s Easter basket with this set of 300 connector straws. These straws strongly encourage STEM skills through various building and construction techniques. Even more, playing with them will further develop your kiddo’s hand-eye coordination and color-recognition skills.

Because there are so many educational benefits from playing with these straws—aside from just the fun parts—your child will have endless opportunities to learn something new.

Mathlink Cubes

Encourage your child to develop their math skills early on with this set of 100 linking cubes. They can be built in a variety of configurations, teaching your kiddo about grouping, addition, and subtraction, as well as identifying different colors, shapes, and patterns as they play. This is a great gift for kids who are 5 years old or older, and provides hours of fun for the whole family.

Monster Pencil Case

Markers, pencils, electronics, small toys, etc.—boys have a lot of stuff. Throw this in their Easter basket with some candy or cash and tell them to use it to clean up their toys when they’re done. The polyester construction is durable, machine-washable, and comes in loads of different colors and characters.

Dynamo Wooden Domino Set

Designed to encourage STEM development, this wooden domino set is a must-have for your child’s Easter basket this year. With over 100 pieces, kids can create all sorts of domino race tracks, and figure out the most exciting ways to knock them all down.

Building these tracks further develops children’s thinking skills, color recognition, and design ideas. And, because these pieces are safe for even little kids to play with, you won't have to worry about splinters.

Maths Scribble Book

Aspiring mathematicians can explore their creativity with one of these STEM scribble books. Included are puzzles, patterns, and templates that kids can fill out or color in while learning more about their desired field.

Plus, some more critical thinking-related activities are included throughout. Thanks to their tech-inspired designs, they're a great way to wean your kids off their electronics—at least temporarily.

Children's Acoustic Guitar

This starter guitar keeps your boy motivated and engaged by breaking chords down to the basic triad, making whole songs easier to learn and play. There’s an included app and flashcards for them to build their musical foundation.

The three strings are the first three of a standard guitar—same steel, same tuning—and can be applied to playing a six-string when they’re ready to upgrade to a full guitar. The app has video lessons, a tuner, and a digital songbook to have them playing songs on day one.

Gravity Maze Marble Run Brain Game

This STEM skill-builder gives kids 8 and up everything they need to create a marble maze using logic and basic engineering concept and includes 60 challenges to keep them occupied. The task is to plan the marble’s path through chambers of connecting towers, letting it fall from top to bottom without getting stuck.

Kids can start building as soon as they open the box, thanks to the detailed manual with instructions on how to set up the game grid for the challenge they want to complete. Since the challenges range in difficulty from beginner to expert, it's a great gift for families with kids of different ages, too.

Wooden Mechanical Model Car Kit

This is the perfect beginner kit for boys who are interested in DIY projects and building model cars, trucks, and airplanes. They’ll have so much fun tinkering that they won’t realize they’re learning how to think logically and use teamwork. The kit includes enough laser-cut wooden puzzle pieces, gears, battery-powered motors, and screws to build five different vehicles, including a tank, race car, and wind-powered airplane.

All the parts are nontoxic and glue-free, and everything comes packed inside a gift box, so there’s no extra Easter basket-wrapping necessary. The kit is recommended for kids ages 8 to 12.

Marble Run Super Set

If your child has some open floor space in their playroom or bedroom, and you’re not sure what to fill it with, then we have the perfect solution: this innovative and exciting marble super set.

With over 100 pieces to configure, as well as nine projects and 12 challenges to complete, your kids will never be bored. It also helps build on a selection of educational skills, like engineering and math, so they can learn a thing or two as they play.

Jump Fury Remote Control Car

No need to worry about scratched walls or tiles with this styrofoam RC car that can clear jumps up to 22 inches high. It can bounce off walls and do 360-degree spins—indoors or outdoors, they’ll stay entertained with the tricks this car can do. The tires are durable enough to handle bumps and falls, too.

Earth Science Kit

This National Geographic kit is packed with a ton of fun experiments and activities to get kids excited about earth science. They can grow a crystal, build an erupting volcano, create a tornado, go on a geological dig, and more. All 15 tasks have easy-to-follow instructions so kids 8 and up can gain confidence working on their own or enlist a lab partner to learn teamwork.

The kit comes in a colorful gift box that's sure to make their Easter basket even more irresistible.

32-Piece Clear Colors Set

Boys can use their imagination and creativity to build colorful 3D creations of their own design—including a box to hold Easter candy—with this 32-piece set of Magna-Tiles. It’s a fun way for them to develop math and science skills while learning cooperation and teamwork.

The set includes square and triangle tiles in assorted sizes that connect with magnets surrounding their perimeter, and all the pieces are made from BPA- and phthalate-free nontoxic plastic. This set is recommended for kids ages 3 and up, and is a customer favorite, with an impressive average of 4.9 stars from more than 9,000 reviewers.

Kids Science Experiment Kit with Lab Coat

Any future scientist would be thrilled to receive this experiment kit in their Easter basket this year. Not only does this kit have everything necessary for them to dress up and pretend they’re a real-life scientist, but it can also enhance their STEM skills as they take part in hands-on experiments.

Included in this kit are all the essentials for science-play fun, including a lab coat, test tubes, funnels, and more. Everything in this kit is washable and reusable, too, so the fun never has to end.

Paint by Sticker Series

Paint by numbers gets an upgrade with glossy stickers and zero mess in this kit. It comes with 10 different colorful illustrations that kids can put together on sturdy cardstock pages. Kids can easily tear out their finished masterpieces and hang them up or frame them thanks to the pages’ perforated edges.

Glow-in-the-Dark Soccer Ball

This youth-sized ball they can kick around lights up on impact, so soccer games can go well past sundown. It’s easy to inflate and durable, with customers reporting it holds up through rainy matches and extended hours of play.

The ball uses disposable batteries and automatically shuts off after 30 seconds of no impact, so you don’t have to worry about switches or battery life.

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Kids Microscope

This junior talking microscope will get kids excited about the natural world, with 60 full-color images of plants and animals on 20 slides they can examine at five times magnification. To reinforce what they see, this kit also includes 100 fun facts to learn and a quiz mode with which they can test their knowledge.

The microscope is recommended for kids ages 4 and up and is available in multiple languages. It runs on three AAA batteries, which are included.

Air Dry Clay Kit

With this air dry clay kit, kids get to use their hands to make 26 different animals. The non-toxic clay dries completely in 24 hours, and each color has its own sealed container so it can remain fresh and ready for the next use.

A full-color step-by-step instruction book makes sculpting their own miniature zoo even easier. When they're finished, kids can display their creations on the included stand.

Coding Starter Kit for iPad

Kids ages 5 and up can learn coding basics with this starter kit from Osmo. You’ll need an iPad or Fire Tablet to pair with it, but a wifi connection isn’t needed to play. There are three hands-on games where kids use physical blocks and coding commands to take an adorable character named Awbie (who loves strawberries) on an adventure, compose music, and solve coding puzzles on their own or with a buddy.

Nailing down basic programming will teach them everything from logic and critical thinking skills to problem solving and pattern recognition.

3D Wooden Model Engineering STEM Learning Toy

Using the wooden pieces, bands, assembly hooks, and other supplies inside this 233-piece kit, kids 8 and up can create a functioning hydraulic crane to pick up objects—including small pieces of Easter candy. There are detailed step-by-step instructions paired with large photos for kids to build at their own pace, and all the pieces are splinter-safe and nontoxic.

The crane moves and lifts when kids push and and pull syringes connected to tubing filled with water, and the STEM toy introduces scientific concepts such as pressure and the mechanics of movement.

Gravitrax Starter Set Marble Run & STEM Toy

Boys get the excitement of building race tracks for marble runs while learning basic engineering, kinetics, and magnetism concepts with this Gravitrax starter set.

There are 24 fun problem-solving challenges for them to try, and once they get the hang of it, they can start designing and building their own tracks to increase marbles’ speed and do tricks and stunts. The 122-piece kit includes a marble cannon and there are additional building and expansion sets sold separately.

Kidizoom Print CAM

A kid-friendly instant camera filled with over 100 effects like borders, filters, and stickers for added creativity, this camera is perfect for the young artist in your life. It can even take videos and, between photoshoots and editing, your kids can play one of the three built-in video games. It has a rechargeable battery and durable casing so it can take some drops and dings.

Rainbow 42-Piece Pack Magnet Toy

These versatile magnet tiles bend and shape into 3D animals, airplanes, crowns, and whatever else your son may think of during Easter services. The magnets are strong enough that they hold their shape and kids can pick up and play with their creations. When it’s time to clean up or pack for travel, break-down is easy and the tiles flatten back out.

Parents report their kids loving the limitless play with these as they don’t come with instructions on what to make, saying it keeps them engaged after months of use.

Hover Soccer Ball

These hover soccer balls are perfect for some indoor fun on a rainy day. Running on four AA batteries (not included), the motors push out air so the flat discs float across smooth surfaces like hardwood, tile, short carpets, and asphalt. They've got cushioned edges to protect your little one's feet as they kick these around—and that contoured foam will also help protect your furniture and walls.

With over 8,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, these simple balls also light up if they're playing at night or if they want to have a disco party.

Foldology The Origami Puzzle Game

A twist on the traditional paper folding art of origami, each of these 100 puzzles is printed with a design. Once they fold the paper in the correct configuration, they'll see the finished image. It's a great brain teaser for those tough-to-shop-for tweens as well as an easy, portable option to take on long car rides.

These puzzles will test critical thinking and reasoning skills. As kids get the hang of it, they can move up through the five different difficulty levels.

Solar System Floor Puzzle

This oversized puzzle is only 48 pieces, making it a great option for those ages three and up. Once they finish, this massive jigsaw measures two feet by three feet and features brightly colored planets so they can get to know the layout of the solar system and features of the Milky Way.

Super Bright HD, Pokemon Edition

The classic Lite-Brite has gotten a modern makeover using super bright LED lights to make the creations really glow. This one comes with patterns to make six different designs (including Pikachu) that they'll use the thousand mini peg lights to create.

When they've finished the design, just plug it into any USB outlet and pick from several different settings like bounce, flash, clockwise rotation, or a steady light to illuminate their creation.

Creator 3 in 1 White Rabbit

If they love building LEGO but don't know what to do with their sets once they're finished, the Creator line makes sure every build has versatility. In the case of this little bunny (which is perfect for Easter), the same blocks can also be used to make a parrot and a seal, so they can reconfigure the set over and over again.

Solar Eclipse Glasses

The next total solar eclipse is on April 8, 2024, and a large section of Mexico and the United States will have great views of the event. Make sure their eyes are protected with solar glasses.

These viewers have a solar-safe filter technology to help shield eyes from IR and UV rays and block out 99.99% of visible light. The next total solar eclipse visible in North America won't be until 2044, so make sure they get to witness this landmark event.

Build & Paint Your Own Dino Kit

This egg doesn't have candy inside. Instead, it's got a model dinosaur and all of the tools you'll need to decorate it. Each egg features a surprise dino (there are six options they might get, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex) that comes unassembled in eight to 18 pieces with a how-to-construct instruction booklet.

Once put together, kids can put their own spin on the prehistoric creature with the included six different paint colors and two brushes. There's also an info card with fun facts about the dinosaur inside.

Bubble Gun

Bubbles are a staple of many easter baskets, but if the kids get frustrated fishing for those little wands, upgrade to this monster bubble gun. This blaster is battery-operated and can create thousands of bubbles a minute for some serious outdoor fun.

It's easy to use—just press the trigger and the motor will start pushing bubbles through eight wands. It comes with three AA batteries, but you'll need to use the included screwdriver when it's time to swap them out. It also comes with 80 ml of bubble solution, though we'd suggest ordering some extra refills just to be safe.

Doodling Flower Pots

Teach them about growing flowers and herbs with these colorful pots. Each box comes with four planters, plus coloring inserts and markers for decorating. There are twenty different inserts to choose from as well as ten blank ones so they can use their imagination to make their own.

Soil discs are included, and they can choose from the Chia, Zinnia, Daisy, Phlox, and Wheatgrass seed packets to decide what they want to grow. Just add some sun and water to watch the magic happen.

Bunny Carrot Pop Bubble Fidget

This seasonal fidget toy will look cute in a basket but can also provide hours of relaxation long after the holiday has passed. It allows them to repeatedly depress the bubbles and then flip to pop them all over again. The carrot and bunny separate and reconnect in a snap, and you might even find yourself borrowing it after bedtime for some much-needed stress release.

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