How to Make Preschool Easter Baskets

Happy Easter, preschooler!

If you make your own preschool Easter basket, you will not be hopping from store to store to find the right container for holiday gifts and treats. Get your preschooler or a group of children involved in making the baskets. These baskets may be left for the Easter Bunny to fill or may be used to carry gifts to other family members and classmates. These baskets are not just for Easter. They can have many uses and may find their way to birthday parties or be used for shower favors or to hold potted plants.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic margarine tub
• Hole punch
• Floral wire or pipe cleaners
• Fabric
• Glue
• Strips of recycled paper
• Ribbon, stickers, glitter (optional)
• Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, stickers, crazy straws

Instructions

1. Clean, rinse and dry a large, round margarine tub. Save the cover for another craft project, or recycle it. Use a sharp hole punch to create a hole in the top rim of the container. Create a second hole directly across from the first. A knife may be used to make two slits, in the shape of an "x" on each side, instead of using the hole punch.

2. Make a handle for the basket by tying a piece of floral wire through each hole, tying a knot to secure the wire. Two pipe cleaners may also be used to create the handle.

3. 

   Cut the fabric into long strips. Mix and match fabric scraps or more than one pattern of fabric to create a colorful basket.

4. Run glue over the outside of the tub, in a zig zag motion. Attach a row of fabric along the bottom edge of the tub. Glue on a piece of fabric in a vertical direction, with the bottom portion overlapping the first piece of fabric.

5. Add more horizontal and vertical pieces of fabric, overlapping them and adding more glue as necessary. The end result will be a woven effect, transforming the tub into a basket-like object. Let the glue dry completely before handling the basket.

6. Cut some recycled paper or tissue paper into long, thin strips and place them inside for the Easter grass.

7. Fill the preschooler's Easter basket with age-appropriate gifts, celebrating the holiday and the spring season. Consider a jump rope, a container of bubbles, stickers, sidewalk chalk, a new toothbrush, a new baseball hat or bonnet, or a chocolate bunny.

Tips & Warnings

• Alternative containers include a one-gallon milk jug with the top cut off, an empty egg carton or the small green basket in which cherry tomatoes are sold. Embellish the handle with ribbon. Enhance the preschool basket further by adding glitter glue designs, Easter stickers, sequins and ribbons.

• Do not use plastic grass because it can cause a choking hazard for younger children and for pets, particularly cats.

References

• Easter Crafts
• Preschool Crafts for Easter

Resources

• Everything Preschool: Easter Crafts