Easter, a time of chocolate bunnies, brightly colored Easter eggs and kids hopped up on too much sugar.
Giving chocolate on Easter is a tradition, but in an age of healthy eating there are many ways you can make it a memorable Easter, without the fatty chocolate which can lead to obesity.
Stuffed Animals Every kid loves a teddy bear and they will get much more mileage, friendship and enjoyment out of a stuffed animal over a chocolate bunny that will last a few hours at most.
Small Books Get them reading early, or continue a reading tradition by giving a book to a child on Easter.
Reading can open up new worlds for your child, taking them on adventures and through mysteries that their imagination can explore.
Eggs with toys in them Instead of a chocolate egg, give your child an egg with a toy inside.
Preferably, make it a toy they have to construct.
This will put their problem-solving and creative skills to work.
Plus, they will get a great deal of enjoyment out of the toy.
Silly Putty We all have had silly putty and we all love to put it on the newspaper and make a copy of a picture.
Silly putty, while it can be messy, is a great deal of fun for any child.
Teach them to sculpt something out of it and you may open up a whole new creative outlet that you didn't even realize was there.
Tiny Art Sets Do you have a little artist in the family? Nurture their artistic side with a small paint set.
Get them to paint eggs or glasses instead of feeding them sugar.
Fruit You know the saying, fruit is nature's candy, and despite their initial misgivings, every child loves bananas, grapes and watermelon.
This is a cheap and healthy alternative to any chocolate bunny.
Coloring Books Instead of giving them chocolate, sit them down with a coloring book and watch their inner painter take over.
Video Games Games may not be the best alternative if you are going healthy, but it is a much better bet than chocolate.
Try and get them a game that tests their problem-solving skills and helps them learn.
Disposable Camera You would be surprised with the kind of pictures you can get by looking at things from a different angle.
Give a disposable camera to your child and watch them photograph the world from their eyes and their level.
It may open you up to a whole new world, the world of a child.
Giving chocolate on Easter is a tradition, but in an age of healthy eating there are many ways you can make it a memorable Easter, without the fatty chocolate which can lead to obesity.
Stuffed Animals Every kid loves a teddy bear and they will get much more mileage, friendship and enjoyment out of a stuffed animal over a chocolate bunny that will last a few hours at most.
Small Books Get them reading early, or continue a reading tradition by giving a book to a child on Easter.
Reading can open up new worlds for your child, taking them on adventures and through mysteries that their imagination can explore.
Eggs with toys in them Instead of a chocolate egg, give your child an egg with a toy inside.
Preferably, make it a toy they have to construct.
This will put their problem-solving and creative skills to work.
Plus, they will get a great deal of enjoyment out of the toy.
Silly Putty We all have had silly putty and we all love to put it on the newspaper and make a copy of a picture.
Silly putty, while it can be messy, is a great deal of fun for any child.
Teach them to sculpt something out of it and you may open up a whole new creative outlet that you didn't even realize was there.
Tiny Art Sets Do you have a little artist in the family? Nurture their artistic side with a small paint set.
Get them to paint eggs or glasses instead of feeding them sugar.
Fruit You know the saying, fruit is nature's candy, and despite their initial misgivings, every child loves bananas, grapes and watermelon.
This is a cheap and healthy alternative to any chocolate bunny.
Coloring Books Instead of giving them chocolate, sit them down with a coloring book and watch their inner painter take over.
Video Games Games may not be the best alternative if you are going healthy, but it is a much better bet than chocolate.
Try and get them a game that tests their problem-solving skills and helps them learn.
Disposable Camera You would be surprised with the kind of pictures you can get by looking at things from a different angle.
Give a disposable camera to your child and watch them photograph the world from their eyes and their level.
It may open you up to a whole new world, the world of a child.