Ditch the candy this Easter! 5 sweet activities for a sugar-free celebration

While many hold fast to the tradition that an Easter basket isn’t complete without a chocolate bunny—the bigger, the better—there is also a movement among some parents to downplay the holiday candy and create a less sugary celebration. To prove that an Easter Egg hunt without jelly beans can be just as fun as the high-fructose variety, The Red Pill Parents has created this list of 5 sugar-free Easter activities for kids.

Even if you decide that going sans-chocolate-bunny is not an option, these fun ideas for egg hunts and nature-themed baskets are a great way to ring in the spring.

The Secret Message Egg Hunt

Write a message from the Easter Bunny to your child, instructing them where to locate a special surprise that you’ve hidden. Number and cut out each word, then place in a hidden egg.

The Bunny Coupon Egg Hunt

Speak to your kids—through the Easter Bunny—in their language of love: in each egg you hide, include a “Bunny Coupon” for something that will make them feel special: an extra nighttime story, a hand-holding walk, a half-hour-later bedtime, Dinner with Dad, a lunch date at school, a family board game, etc.

The Delayed Gratification Egg Hunt

Rather than filling eggs with candy they will want to immediately devour, give them something to look forward to, in the form of gift certificates for one trip to a bowling alley, skating rink, putt-putt golf course, indoor inflatable play center — or even a ticket to a puppet show, theater production, amusement park or sporting event.

A Dig-in-the-Dirt Easter Basket

Honor the renewal of spring and encourage your kids’ connection with nature by filling a basket with seed packets, flower bulbs, child-sized gardening gloves and tools.

A Giving Back to Nature Family Ritual

Transform the Easter basket concept into an opportunity for giving back to nature: collect scraps that birds can use in nest building and put them out in the yard for them to find. Watch with your kids to see what is taken each day, and while you’re outside, look for signs of spring’s transformation (and be sure to check for bunny tracks!).

This collection of candy-free Easter celebrations is courtesy of The Red Pill Parents, an online community created by, and for, parents exploring ways to raise their children more consciously.