We are so excited to be saving items to donate to Operation Christmas Child this year; it’s our first year participating and we are busy gathering items (and ideas) for the shoe boxes.
Because we can’t be the only ones wondering what to include in the box, we thought we’d spend some time on posting lists of items to help you decide on what to stuff in your shoeboxes.
You can learn more about Operation Christmas Child – we’d love to have you join us in this worthwhile cause.
Remember that when you are packing the box you need to keep in mind the different age groups for the children and pack appropriate toys. The age groups are:
Boys ages 2-4, 5-9 and 10-14
Girls ages 2-4, 5-9 and 10-14
One of the main items to include in the OCC shoebox donation is the “wow” item – the toy. The goal of this gift is to capture the child’s attention the moment they open the box. You want to excite and engage the child with this item – and that is so easy to do because remember we are dealing with children that have next to nothing.
75 Operation Christmas Child toy donation ideas:
yo-yos
baseball (sometimes you can get a good deal on a bucket of balls on Amazon or at stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods)
jump rope
finger puppets
travel size games like checkers or connect 4
lacing cards
magnets
football
jewelry making kit
kazoo
Lego kits
card games like Uno, match game, etc
Play-Doh
mini frisbee
modeling clay
crayons
action figures
Matchbox cars
Silly putty
small craft kits (Michaels, Jo-Ann)
wooden cut outs & marker kits
balloons
plastic animal toys
books
paddleball
baseball & mit
stamps & paper (self inking is best)
stickers
stuffed animals
flashlight with batteries
small paper airplane kit
sticky foam shapes
marbles
hacky sack
puzzles
Slinky
handheld games with batteries
flashcards
toy tool kits
small chalkboard & chalk
small dry erase board & markers
pencil box filled with scissors, glue, etc
doll
spinning top
kaleidoscope
princess tierra, wand, etc.
unopened toys from kid’s Happy Meals
toys that light up with batteries
harmonica
morrocos
mini flute
mini tamborine
soccer ball with pump
Rubick’s cube type toy
trucks
ring toss
dominos
playing cards
blow up toys
punch baloons
pads of lined paper/notebooks
birthday party toys
whistle
jewelry
ribbon wands
small kite
colored thick rope
silly bands
small backpack
rubber bouncy ball
colored pencils & small notepad
pick up sticks
sewing kit
dice
nerf balls
Be sure to keep your eye open all year round for items that will work in the shoeboxes. Stores like Target, Walmart, Joann Fabric & Crafts, Michaels, Dollar Tree, etc. are perfect spots to pick up the toys to fill your boxes. Don’t be afraid to purchase a pack of something and split it up. We bought a giant bucket of 24 baseballs on clearance and are going to put 1 in each box; that sets us our first goal of 24 boy boxes!
Do you have any suggestions you can add to this list of toys?
