33 Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas College Students Will Love
Are you looking for Easter basket ideas for college students? Look no further! I have compiled a list of 33 non-candy items that any college student would love to find in their Easter basket.
33 Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas College Students Will Love
(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking those links. See my disclosure page for more information)
1. Frisbee
With the growing popularity of frisbee golf, a frisbee (or disc) is a great addition to an Easter basket.
2. Water Bottle
Is an environmentally and health-conscious student on your list? How about a BPA-free water bottle with an attached lid loop so it doesn’t get lost?
3. Plastic Eggs Filled With Quarters For Laundry
If your college student doesn’t bring home his or her dirty laundry when he or she runs out of clothes, then chances are he or she will need quarters for the laundromat. Help them out by filling plastic eggs with some and placing them in their Easter basket.
This brand of laundry detergent sheets is lightweight and small, making it a great addition to laundry-themed Easter care packages.
4. Gift Cards
Gift cards are always appreciated by college students no matter what the dollar amount.
Get them one for the movie theatre nearest campus or one for the convenience store they head to for study snacks.
Did you know that you can earn gift cards while doing things you already do online, like shopping and internet searches? Yep! Here is a list of companies that do just that.
5. USB Flash Drive
Since they are lightweight, inexpensive, and super handy, a USB Flash Drive is a great addition to an Easter basket you are planning to mail to a college student.
6. Earbuds
Another lightweight and handy gift is wired earbuds with a type C connector. Yes, college kids still use these, especially when they forget to charge their wireless ones. The great thing about these ones is they will work with any device that has a type C port since it is rare now that a laptop or a phone has a headphone jack.
7. Nail Polish
Most nail polish lovers could always do with another shade of nail polish. My daughter really likes the Essie brand of nail polish.
8. Lipgloss Or Chapstick
Lipgloss is another item that is needed and gets lost often. Okay, so lipgloss or chapstick might not be a need for many people, but it is for most college students.
9. Smartphone Accessories
Pretty much every college student nowadays has a smartphone, so why not throw a few handy accessories in their Easter basket?
A few ideas are:
- A cell phone wallet that sticks to the back of either the smartphone itself or the case and holds up to three cards or two cards and cash folded up in the last slot.
- A New PopSocket–they come in a wide variety of colors, too.
10. Highlighters
When I was in college, my study notes were a fluorescent mess. Nowadays, with the popularity of bullet journals, highlighters still make a great Easter basket stuffer for college students.
11. Money Clip Or Change Purse
These RFID money clips that also hold several cards are easier to store in a pocket than a bulky leather wallet, and they protect you from having the information from your bank cards stolen. For something a little more feminine, this coin purse is small enough to fit in a pocket yet big enough to hold cards, cash, and lip balm. You could add a gift card or two to either of these and that on its own would be a great Easter gift. Well, you might want to add a bit of chocolate too!
12. Colored Pens
You can get pens in just about any color imaginable nowadays and if your college student is a lover of all things stationery, she or he will love any shade you pick. Of course, you could make it easier on yourself and purchase a multi-colored pack.
13. Sticky Notes or Flashcards
Even in this day and age of an app for everything, college students still use sticky notes and flashcards on a regular basis.
14. Coffee Or Tea
Add a pound of their favorite coffee to their basket or a package of coffee pods. This collapsible pour-over would be easy to slip into a care package and allow them to make coffee anywhere life brings them.
Are they not coffee drinkers? Do they like tea? Get them a sampler so they can try a few new types.
15. Scented Candles
Dorm rooms can get very smelly and scented candles can help. If you are shipping your Easter basket, this candle brand comes in a tin so you don’t have to worry about glass breaking in transit.
16. Multi-Tool Keychain
This utility tool acts as both a flathead and Philips screwdriver and has three hex drives. And that is just the beginning of the useful things found in this tiny keychain tool.
17. Adult Coloring Book
Coloring is a great way to soothe away study stress, so why not add an Easter-themed coloring book to your student’s collection?
18. Pencil Crayons
If you are throwing in a coloring book, new pencil crayons make a great companion.
19. Comic Book
Laughter is another great stress reliever so toss a comic book in that basket.
20. Key Chain
These carabiner keychains are pretty handy. Your college student can use them to clip their keys to just about anything.
21. Blank Notebook
A classic blank notebook can be used for thousands of different things, from note-keeping to bullet journaling and more.
22. Coffee Mug
No one can ever have enough coffee mugs. Especially ones with inspirational Bible verses on them.
23. Hair Accessories
Exactly where do the bobby pins and hair elastics we buy disappear to? It is an age-old question. Help your college student out by including a fresh supply in their Easter basket.
24. Flip Flops
Flip-flops are great for summer and for showers in dorms. They tend to wear out rather quickly so new flip-flops are always appreciated by those who love wearing them.
25. Sharpies
Can any student really have enough Sharpies around?
26. Travel-Sized Toiletries
See if their favorite lotion and body wash come in travel sizes. This will make shipping easier and less expensive.
27. Tire Gauge
When they need this, they will thank you. Until then, they will probably roll their eyes at this gift–but hey, the best gifts are those we use.
28. Pack Of Styluses
Help them avoid sore thumbs with a pack of Styluses.
29. LCD Doodle Board
These boards are not just something to express creativity through drawing. They are also great for to-do lists and for those who memorize potential test material through writing.
30. A Case For Their Ear Buds
This style for AirPods Pro glows in the dark, allowing your college kid to find them on nights they can’t sleep without waking their roommate.
31. Fidget Gadgets
These transformable fidget spinners are great for learners with ADHD and they can bend them into a phone stand.
32. General Safety Supplies
Put your mind at ease by sending a pocket-sized first aid kit or a safety whistle. Another idea is batteries and a compact flashlight in case they are in a power outage and their phone, which everyone now uses as a flashlight, dies.
33. Small Flat Weaving Loom Kit
My college-age daughter gave me one of these for Christmas and they are so much fun. I thought I would mention it on this list as it is light and flat making it great for mailing. Yarn weaving wall hangings is currently a super popular craft.
Tips For Sending An Easter Care Package To Your College Student
If your college student won’t be making it home for the Easter weekend, here are a few packing tips to save you money and keep things festive.
Before You Start Shopping, Grab This
The United States Post Office offers many different sizes of flat-rate shipping boxes. This is probably the cheapest way to send your goodies.
Grabbing the box ahead of time is going to make sure that all your gifts fit inside the box that suits your postage budget.
Use These Things To Give It A Basket Feel
Paper Easter grass or Spring colored tissue paper will not only prevent the contents of your gift box from getting damaged in transit, but also give the gift a more Easter feel.
Throw In A Few Traditional Easter Candies
Yes, this list is supposed to be full of non-candy easter basket fillers, but that doesn’t mean a no-candy easter. Easter wouldn’t be complete without a small chocolate easter bunny and a snack-size bag of jelly beans.
Ship Directly To Their Door Step With Zero Shipping
There is a way to avoid spending a dime on shipping your Easter products. If you are an Amazon Prime member, use my College Easter Gift Ideas shopping list on Amazon to pick out what you want to send. Then, when you are checking out, change the shipping address to that of your student’s and it will be shipped to them at no cost to you. Make sure to change your address back afterward.
More Easter Basket Filler Ideas
Easter Gift Ideas For Toddlers