How to make your own Easter basket

We woke up feeling a little bit crafty this morning and not in a sneaky way! Of course, Easter is just around the corner so we decided to make Robbie his own little Easter basket for the big day. This is an ideal toddler activity where kids can join in with the craft and have something to keep and be proud of.

If you’re wondering how to make your own Easter basket at home, this simple DIY version is perfect for toddlers and young children. Using a recycled cereal box and a few basic craft supplies, you can create a homemade Easter basket that’s sturdy enough for an egg hunt and special enough to keep.

How To Make Your Own Easter Basket – Supplies

These baskets are really easy to make and you don’t need too many materials to create them. Most of these are probably already sitting in your cupboard. Here’s what we used:

• A small cardboard box (Cereal box works perfectly)
• Coloured or glitter paper to cover the box
• Crepe paper
• Painted lollipop sticks
• Scissors
• Strong glue or double sided tape
• Card for the handle
• Decorations (Stickers, tissue paper, ribbons)
• A little touch of creativity

Making the Easter basket

To start making the Easter basket, we cut the cereal box into a good size for the basket. Turn the box on its side as you will need more width than depth for your basket. Now cut evenly around near the top to leave your box looking similar to the image below. Keep the cardboard that you have cut off as you will need this for your handle.

We then set to work turning this empty box into something that would make Robbie’s eyes light up. We covered the box in glitter paper to give it a colourful shine by simply sellotaping it all the way around for a tight fit. Those with older kids may prefer to use plain paper and let them draw their own designs for the box but Robbie is a little young for this.

The next job was to add the lollipop sticks. We cheat a little and always keep a supply of kids craft kits that include ready painted sticks, but if your child prefers to paint it can always be done yourself. This is always the most fun part of any craft as the kids can really get involved in the decorating side, adding their own personal flair to the design!

Making the handle for your Easter basket

Remember that bit of cardboard from earlier? Time to use it. Simply fold it into a nice curved shape and glue or tape the edges to the top of the box. It’s important to remember that this handle may take a lot of strain once the basket is full and your little one is carrying it so be sure to use strong tape or glue and test it yourself before letting them take control.

Final touches on the Easter basket

We now had a fully crafted Easter basket but felt we were still missing something, fortunately we found inspiration in a shopping magazine with a beautiful looking picture of a chocolate chicken who would fit perfectly. A little cut and stick and the outside of the basket was finished. Of course, this was just our preference and when making your own it is important to let your child decorate in whichever way they see fit.

We filled the Easter basket with crepe paper to give it a softer feel before filling it with chocolate eggs and soft toys and waited for Robbie to wake up from his nap.

It was pretty clear from his reaction that he loves it! Of course, he will have to wait a little while until he can use it for his egg hunt but he did manage to sneak one little egg from it!

Why Make a Homemade Easter Basket?

Making your own Easter basket is not only budget-friendly, it’s a brilliant way to involve children in the build-up to Easter. It encourages creativity, reuses materials you already have at home, and creates something personal that shop-bought baskets just can’t match.

Thanks for reading! We love crafting and are busy with our glue and paint pots. If you are looking for a little more inspiration I’m sure you will love our paper plate crafts, they are perfect for those with small hands but big imaginations! Let me know if you have tried this Easter basket or any other great craft ideas to create that will help make Easter even more fun! Thanks for reading, Dad.