Every spring the same problem shows up at the drugstore checkout line: a fistful of plastic eggs, a bag of jelly beans, and a basket that still needs an actual gift somewhere inside it. This list flips that order. These 32 easter gifts for kids are the toys, kits, and books worth building a basket around, with the candy and grass treated as packaging instead of the main event.
Age is the part that trips people up. A toddler who still puts small pieces in her mouth and a nine-year-old who wants a scooter should not be shopping from the same list, so every entry below says roughly which age it suits instead of leaning on a vague 3-to-12 label. If the adults in the house are quietly hoping for a basket too, that is a separate shopping trip; see easter gifts for adults for that half of the holiday.
Every product below was checked against Amazon’s live catalog for availability and current-generation status on August 18, 2026, so nothing here is a discontinued color or a listing that quietly vanished last April. Easter also kicks off a run of spring occasions worth planning ahead for – Mother’s Day lands about three weeks later, and bookmarking a mothers day gifts for sister list now beats scrambling in May.
Dino Egg Dig Kit
Why it’s hereTwelve dinosaur figures hide inside one jumbo egg, each wrapped and ready for a kid to dig or crack open with the included tools. This lands best in the six-to-ten range, the kids who have outgrown the DUPLO farm but still want something to unwrap. The figures cover a real spread of species, not just one dinosaur repeated twelve times, so a kid with a dinosaur book can go match them up afterward. Expect glitter dust from the surprise wrapping to end up on the carpet either way.
Skip it ifThe dig tools are flimsy plastic that will not survive being used again next spring; twelve loose dinosaur figures also vanish fast in a yard full of grass.
A whole shelf’s worth of dinosaurs in one egg.
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Burrow Bunny Plush
Why it’s hereThis bunny has exaggerated feet and ears built for small hands, plush and soft, with no batteries or sound effects. The box says ages 3 and up, though it plays younger than that number suggests – the kids who want something to carry around and sleep next to more than something with rules to learn. The material holds up to a wash cycle, which matters for a toy that ends up on the floor a lot. A kid who has moved on to LEGO sets will likely set this aside within a season.
Skip it ifIt does nothing – no sound, no motion, no lights – so a kid expecting an interactive toy will lose interest fast. The oversized ears also make it awkward to fit into a small basket without folding.
There is nothing here to break or run out of batteries.
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Mermaid Terrarium Craft Kit
Why it’s hereA kid layers colored sand, a mermaid figure, and small shells into a glass jar to build a tiny scene of their own. Ages 6 and up is the sweet spot, since it takes some patience with small pieces and careful pouring. It works well as a sit-down craft for a rainy afternoon, not a backyard activity. The finished jar has a real permanence to it – it sits on a shelf afterward, not shoved into a toy bin.
Skip it ifExpect sand across the table on the first attempt no matter how careful the kid is, so cover the surface before starting. There is only one kit here, too, so a sibling who wants their own needs a second one bought separately.
Worth the mess.
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The Great Eggscape Book
Why it’s hereTeamwork and asking for help are the themes here, wrapped inside a picture book about a hard-boiled egg trying to escape being part of an Easter dish instead of a lesson delivered flatly. It reads well for the four-to-eight range, early enough for a parent to read aloud, late enough that a second grader can handle it alone. The Food Group series has a following already among kids who liked the first book, so this works well as a follow-up gift. Hardcover construction means it survives a toddler sibling’s attention better than a paperback would.
Skip it ifKids who have already read the first Food Group book might find the plot predictable, and a kid who does not like being read to will not suddenly change their mind for this one.
Reading time, not playtime, though a story-loving kid won’t mind.
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Razor A3 Kick Scooter
Why it’s hereThe scooter folds down for storage and holds riders up to 143 pounds, with a suspension system in the front wheel that takes some of the sting out of cracked sidewalks. Razor built this for kids five and up, though it really comes into its own around seven or eight once a kid has the balance to go fast on it. Adjustable handlebars mean it grows with a kid for a couple of years instead of getting outgrown by summer. A driveway or a paved park path works far better than carpet or gravel.
Skip it ifA helmet is not included, and skipping one is not really an option once this thing picks up real speed on a downhill stretch. Needs pavement.
Buy the helmet too.
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Wooden Play Egg Carton
Why it’s hereSix wooden eggs sit in a carton, each one split so a toddler can peel the shell off a hard-boiled egg or flip a fried egg over. It is built for pretend kitchen play, ages three and up, and holds up to being dropped and gnawed on in ways plastic play food does not. There is no sorting puzzle here, just open-ended play, which makes it a good match for a kid who already has a play kitchen and needs more food props. The wood has a nice weight to it that plastic versions do not.
Skip it ifA kid past the pretend-kitchen stage will find this babyish fast, and six eggs is a small set next to a fully stocked play kitchen collection.
It won’t beep, light up, or need batteries.
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Flower and Herb Growing Kit
Why it’s hereSeed packets for both flowers and herbs come with small pots and soil pellets, enough to start several plants at once on a windowsill. Kids around six to ten who can handle watering on a schedule without a parent doing all the work get the most out of this. Results take real weeks to show up, so it is a gift for a patient kid or one a parent is willing to check in on daily at first. A sunny windowsill is basically required; a dark bedroom will not grow much of anything.
Skip it ifNothing sprouts overnight, so a kid expecting instant results will be disappointed by day three; seeds in kits like this do not always germinate, which means a backup plan helps if half the pots stay empty.
Patience required, in plant form, and even more patience if the seeds don’t cooperate.
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Bunny Ring Toss Game
Why it’s hereThree inflatable bunny targets and twelve rings come in the set, enough for a small group, not just one kid tossing alone. It works best outdoors on grass, ages four and up, and doubles as a classroom or backyard party activity, not a solo toy. Setup takes a few minutes with the included pump attachment point, and it packs flat again once the hunt or party wraps up. A driveway works too if the yard is out of commission.
Skip it ifInflatable plastic like this punctures on gravel or near a dog with sharp claws, and wind on a bad day turns the targets into tumbleweeds mid-game.
Better with siblings, cousins, or a full driveway of kids.
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Mini Brands Home Capsules
Why it’s hereTwo capsules come with this pack, and inside each is a set of tiny replica household products – the kind of blind-box format that has become a real playground trend among kids seven to eleven. Nobody knows which minis they will get until the capsule is open, which is the entire appeal for a kid who collects these. It is a small, light gift, easy to tuck into a basket without taking up real space. A kid who already has a shelf of these will want the specific ones they are missing, and this will not guarantee any of them.
Skip it ifThe blind-box format means duplicates are common, so a kid chasing a specific mini might not get it. The pieces are small enough to be a real choking hazard for a younger sibling in the house.
Duplicates happen more than kids expect.
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Kinetic Sand Folding Sandbox
Why it’s hereThe sandbox folds flat for storage and comes packed with kinetic sand plus a few molding tools. This is really a three-to-five toy; a kid much older will want real sand, not an indoor substitute. Kinetic sand holds together like wet beach sand but never fully dries out, which keeps it out of the vacuum most days if the tray gets used on a hard floor. It is an indoor toy first, built more for a coffee table than a yard.
Skip it ifSpill it near carpet even once and the sand works its way into the fibers for weeks. Refills also cost real money, since the sand does not multiply on its own.
The sand escapes the tray eventually.
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Beanie Boos Chihuahua Plush
Why it’s hereBig glittery eyes are the whole signature of this line, and this chihuahua is sized for a backpack clip or a nightstand, not a full-size stuffed animal shelf. TY built the Beanie Boos line around kids roughly six to ten who collect them by the dozen, so this works best as one entry in a bigger set, not a single standout gift. It is small enough to hide inside a plastic egg for a real hunt, which a lot of the bigger plush toys on this list cannot manage. The fabric is soft but thin, built for looks more than for rough handling.
Skip it ifA kid who is not into the Beanie Boos craze will see this as just a small stuffed animal, nothing special. The glitter eyes are sewn on securely but not indestructible, so a toddler who chews on things should not get this one.
Small, sparkly, easy to lose.
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Squishmallows Axolotl Plush
Why it’s hereEight inches is the size here, small enough to fit in an Easter basket without needing its own box. The teal axolotl design stands out more than another round bear or cat in the same lineup. Squishmallows skew younger on paper, but the fandom runs well past age ten at this point, so a nine-year-old collector will not find this babyish. The stuffing is ultra-soft, made for hugging, not for sitting upright on a shelf.
Skip it ifThe 8-inch size is on the small end next to the 12-inch and larger versions serious collectors chase, and there is only one in the box, so a kid hoping for a matching pair needs a second order entirely.
Soft, small, instantly claimed.
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Bluey Color Wonder Coloring Set
Why it’s hereThis set includes eighteen mess-free coloring pages and five markers built around the Color Wonder system, where the ink only shows up on the special paper and not on skin, walls, or the couch. Hand this to a toddler around three or four and regular markers start looking like a wall-decorating disaster waiting to happen. Bluey is the draw for a kid who watches the show, and the mess-free format means a parent can hand this over without hovering. A kid past the coloring-book stage will want real markers instead.
Skip it ifThe markers only work on that specific paper, so once the eighteen pages are used up, a parent needs to buy refill pads to keep it going. It is squarely for younger kids, so a sibling in the 8-to-12 range on this list will find it too simple.
Bluey fans only.
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Bunny Print Crew Socks
Why it’s hereThese are printed crew socks sized for kids roughly seven to nine, with cartoon rabbit ears knit into the cuff instead of a plain seasonal pattern. It is the kind of small item that fills the bottom of a basket without needing to be a real toy. Cotton-blend socks like this work as an easy add-on next to something bigger, not a gift on their own. A kid outside the labeled size range will just get an ill-fitting pair, so check the sizing chart before ordering.
Skip it ifUnwrap socks alone and a kid expecting a real toy will visibly deflate, so pair this with something bigger rather than sending it solo. The bunny print also reads a little young for a ten-and-up kid who would rather have a plain crew sock.
A stocking-stuffer sized right for a basket.
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Dino Fossil Excavation Kit
Why it’s hereA kid chips away at a plaster block with the included tools to reveal dinosaur eggs buried inside, closer to real paleontology play than the jumbo egg kit earlier on this list. It is rated for kids five to twelve, and the actual digging takes real patience, ten minutes or more per egg depending on how carefully a kid works. Dust gets everywhere during the process, so a tray or old towel underneath saves the table. Siblings on opposite ends of that age range can both use it, just at different speeds.
Skip it ifThe digging tools are basic plastic and can snap if a kid forces them, and the plaster dust is properly messy indoors, better suited to a garage or a covered table outside.
Worth doing outside.
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L.O.L. Surprise Mini Winter Family
Why it’s hereLayers of packaging are the whole point: a doll, a smaller ‘lil sis’ figure, and a pet come wrapped together with five or more surprises to reveal one at a time. It is a small collectible, similar in spirit to the kind of stocking-stuffer picks on the valentines day gifts for kids list, easy to slip into a plastic egg without needing extra padding. Kids around five and up who already trade these at recess are the target here, not a kid outside the collectible-doll world entirely. The unwrapping itself is half the fun, layers a kid peels through one at a time.
Skip it ifThe figures are small enough to be a choking risk for a toddler sibling nearby, and a kid deep into the L.O.L. line will already have several near-duplicates from past sets.
Interest fades faster than the wrapping paper does.
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Interactive Chicken Coop Playset
Why it’s hereThe hen reacts with more than twenty sounds and movements, and a surprise baby chick hides somewhere inside the coop until a kid finds it. Little Live Pets built this for kids five and up who like a toy that responds instead of sitting still. It runs on batteries not included in the box, worth grabbing before the wrapping goes on. This skews toward nursery-themed pretend play, so a kid already deep into dinosaurs or robots might pass right over it.
Skip it ifBatteries are sold separately, so factor that in at checkout rather than at the reveal; the sound effects also run loud and repetitive enough that a parent working from home nearby will notice fast.
Loud hen, happy kid.
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Wooden Peg Puzzle 4-Pack
Why it’s hereThere are four wooden puzzles in this set – vehicles, farm animals, safari animals, and pets – each with chunky pegs sized for small hands still working on grip. A two-year-old can manage the pegs with a little practice; a kid past five will find them too easy. This is about as far from a teen or tween gift as anything on this list gets; once a kid ages out of pegged pieces, the easter gifts for teens list is a better place to look for an older sibling. The wood construction holds up to years of use better than a cardboard puzzle would.
Skip it ifA toddler who has already worked through basic shape puzzles will fly through these fast, and four separate puzzles means four separate trays worth of pieces to store, sort, or lose track of somewhere in the house.
Toddler-proof, more or less, though not immune to a determined chewer.
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Bunny Print Pajama Set
Why it’s hereThis is a long-sleeve cotton pajama set with a rabbit print running across both the top and bottom, sized for kids around size 6, roughly a five-to-seven-year-old. It works as a photo-ready Easter morning outfit more than a toy, the kind of thing that shows up in the family group chat before anything else gets opened. Cotton construction means it launders fine alongside regular kid clothes without special care. Sizing runs by number rather than age band, so double-check against the kid’s current pajama size before ordering.
Skip it ifOne size only means no room to size up for a kid mid-growth-spurt, and pajamas as a headline gift can land flat for a kid hoping to unwrap a toy first.
It earns its keep for exactly one photo.
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Outfoxed Detective Board Game
Why it’s hereKids work together rather than against each other to solve which fox stole the pot pie, moving through clues as a team instead of racing to beat each other. Gamewright built it for preschoolers on up, and it plays with up to four kids at once, so it earns its keep at family game night rather than sitting shelved after one play. Games where nobody loses tend to survive tantrums better than competitive ones do at this age. A parent or older sibling can run the game the first few rounds until a five-year-old has the mechanics down.
Skip it ifThe cooperative format means there is no real replay tension once a kid has memorized the solution pattern, and losing pieces from a game this small is a real risk within the first year.
Nobody loses, so nobody cries.
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Glitter Unicorn 100-Piece Puzzle
Why it’s hereA hundred pieces make up the finished scene, sized right for a kid around six or seven working mostly independently instead of needing constant help. Ravensburger cuts these thick enough that pieces do not bend or tear during a determined kid’s fifth attempt at the same corner. The glitter is baked into the printed image itself, not loose glitter that shakes free in the box. A kid who has outgrown 24-piece puzzles but is not ready for 500 pieces sits right in the gap this fills.
Skip it ifHand this to a kid under five and expect real frustration, since a hundred pieces is far too many without heavy adult help. The finished puzzle also needs somewhere flat to sit undisturbed for a day or two, a real ask with younger siblings running around.
Right in the puzzle-difficulty sweet spot between too easy and too many pieces.
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Color-Match Egg Sorter
Why it’s hereTwelve eggs split into halves that only reconnect with their correct color or shape match, a hands-on way for a toddler to practice sorting before doing it in a workbook. It is built for the two-to-four range, Montessori-style learning without looking like a flashcard drill. The eggs pack down small enough to travel, useful for a car ride or a waiting room rather than just a shelf toy. A kid past matching games will solve it in under a minute and move on.
Skip it ifTwelve small egg halves are easy to lose under a couch or in a diaper bag, and a toddler who still mouths toys should not get unsupervised access to pieces this size.
Kid loses at least one piece within a week.
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Yoto Mini Audio Player
Why it’s hereKids insert small cards into the top slot to play stories, music, or podcasts with no screen involved anywhere in the process, rated for ages three to twelve so it spans most of the kids on this list. The 2024 edition adds a clearer speaker and a redesigned card reader over the original Mini. It is screen-free by design, which matters to parents trying to keep a bedtime routine off a tablet. Cards are sold separately beyond the handful that ship in the box, so budget for a few extra if the kid takes to it.
Skip it ifThe starter cards are limited, so real use means buying more content over time, and this only makes sense as a gift for a family willing to build out a card library rather than a one-and-done toy.
The rare screen-free gift a kid really wants.
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DUPLO Caring for Animals Farm
Why it’s hereChunky DUPLO pieces build into a small barn and farmyard, with animal figures a toddler can move around once the structure is assembled by a grown-up or older sibling. The pieces are sized for a two-year-old’s grip, large enough that they will not disappear into a couch cushion the way regular LEGO bricks do. This is toddler territory through and through; a kid who has aged into standard LEGO sets will find it too simple and want a bigger build with real bricks instead. Building the barn together makes a decent shared activity before handing it off for solo play.
Skip it ifA toddler who is already deep into standard LEGO will not want to step back down to DUPLO size, and the animal figures amount to just a handful of pieces rather than a full farm set with fences and equipment included.
Two-year-olds will play with it for months; eight-year-olds will not touch it.
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Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike
Why it’s hereThere are no pedals on this bike at all, just a low seat and footrests, built so a kid learns balance first and pedaling later on an actual bicycle. Strider rates it for ages one through four, and the seat height adjusts across a wide range to keep up with a fast-growing toddler for a couple of years. Riders push off with their feet, so this works on flat pavement or a smooth backyard rather than gravel or grass. A kid who already rides a pedal bike has outgrown this by definition.
Skip it ifThe price sits well above most of what else on this list costs, which is a hard number to justify for a phase that lasts maybe two years before a kid moves to pedals; it also needs pavement or a hard flat surface to be worth using at all.
A real financial commitment for a phase of childhood that only lasts a couple of years.
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Egg and Spoon Race Set
Why it’s hereSix wooden spoons and matching eggs make up the set, enough for a family relay race or a small group activity at a party without anyone waiting around for a turn. It is built for outdoor use and works across a wide range of ages, since balancing an egg on a spoon is surprisingly hard for a five-year-old and still a little tricky for a twelve-year-old showing off. JOYIN packages it with extra eggs in assorted colors, so a lost piece here or there does not end the game. This is more activity than toy, better suited to a birthday party or a backyard gathering than solo play.
Skip it ifWooden eggs crack if a kid stomps on one by accident, and the spoons are basic enough that a determined kid will find a way to cheat by cupping the egg with a thumb.
Low-tech, but it works every time.
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Klutz LEGO Gear Bots Kit
Why it’s hereGears that really turn are the payoff of this kit: a spiral-bound book walks a kid through building small mechanical bots using the included LEGO pieces. The reading level lands around age eight, with older tweens handling the multi-step builds solo. This sits firmly in tween territory, more STEM project than toy, closer to a school science fair entry than an Easter basket filler. A younger sibling still working through the DUPLO farm elsewhere on this list will not have the patience or fine motor skills for it yet.
Skip it ifThe instructions assume a reading level around age eight or higher, so a younger kid will need an adult reading alongside them the whole way through. Losing a single small gear piece can stall a build partway, and replacements are not something you can just grab from a junk drawer.
Tween-approved, adult-envied.
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Bubble Leaf Blower Toy
Why it’s hereSqueeze the trigger and this pushes out a steady stream of bubbles instead of the usual dip-and-blow wand routine, built for ages three and up who want more bubbles with less effort. It comes with a bottle of solution to start, though a kid who really takes to it will burn through that fast. This is a strictly outdoor toy, backyard or park territory, since indoor bubble residue on a floor is its own cleanup problem. The plastic body is sturdy enough to survive being dropped on grass or pavement a few times.
Skip it ifRefill solution is not included in bulk, so budget for more bottles if this becomes a daily backyard activity, and it runs on manual pumping rather than batteries, which tires out small arms faster than a kid expects.
Only if there’s a yard to use it in.
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Color-Changing Watering Can Set
Why it’s hereCold water is the trigger: fill the can and its exterior shifts color, a small visual trick that turns a basic gardening chore into something a toddler wants to repeat over and over. Green Toys builds these from recycled plastic, and the set includes a small trowel and rake sized for little hands, not scaled-down adult tools. Kids around two to five who are just starting to help water plants or dig in a garden bed are the right audience for this one. The color-change effect fades once the water warms up, so refilling with fresh cold water resets the trick.
Skip it ifThe color-changing effect is a novelty that a kid figures out and stops noticing within a few uses, and the plastic tools are lightweight enough that real digging in packed dirt just bends them.
Kids stop noticing the color trick within days.
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Light-Up Dinosaur Terrarium Kit
Why it’s hereSoil, moss, and rocks get layered in order to build this one, with a dinosaur figure settling into the finished terrarium and an LED base lighting it from underneath once it is assembled. Building it takes real steps, so this is a sit-down project rather than a five-minute unboxing. This one skews slightly more advanced than the flower kit earlier on this list, rated for ages six and up, with a nighttime payoff a windowsill herb garden does not have. The light runs on batteries not included, worth checking before wrapping day.
Skip it ifBatteries are not in the box, which means the light-up payoff is delayed if nobody has spares on hand, and real moss can dry out or mold if it is not watered on any kind of schedule.
Science project with a nightlight bonus.
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Glow-in-the-Dark Rock Painting Kit
Why it’s hereRock painting is the whole idea here: smooth stones, small paint pots, and brushes, plus a paint mix that glows after dark once it has had time under a light to charge up. It is rated for ages six to twelve, wide enough to cover most of the kids on this list at once if there are several to buy for. Painted rocks double as a hide-and-seek activity in the yard afterward, not just a craft that ends up in a drawer. The glow effect is clearly visible in a dark room, not the faint kind that needs squinting to notice.
Skip it ifLeave a painted rock out in the yard for a couple weeks and the paint starts to chip with weather exposure, so touch-ups are part of the deal. The glow effect also fades within an hour or two once it is out of the light source.
Fun by day, cooler after dark.
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Face Painting Kit with Stencils
Why it’s hereFace paint is the medium, and this kit leans into it hard: sixty reusable stencils, a guide book with thirty-nine designs, and twenty-four water-activated paints in one palette. It covers more than thirty full faces before anyone needs a refill, which makes it a real option for a birthday party or a group of siblings and cousins rather than one kid’s solo craft session. Ages six and up can mostly manage the stencils themselves; younger kids will need an adult holding the stencil steady. The paint washes off with soap and water, no special remover required.
Skip it ifFace paint can irritate sensitive skin, so a patch test is worth doing before covering a kid’s whole face, and holding a wet stencil still without smudging takes more patience than a lot of kids under seven have.
Basket filler that also works for parties.
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