I love family Christmas traditions. Since getting married, “J” and I have started to make our own traditions. One of my favourites is early each November we pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.
What Is Operation Christmas Child?
Operation Christmas Child is a part of Samaritan’s Purse. Every year they collect, process, and send thousands of shoeboxes to children in need worldwide. These shoeboxes are filled with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and other fun items. Through the distribution, children receive a shoebox and get to have the Gospel presented to them.
Getting Started
Every year, our church sets up a table at the sanctuary’s back to pick up your shoeboxes and age tags for the boxes. If you don’t go to church or your church doesn’t have the boxes, you can order yours directly from Operation Christmas Child.
Once you have your boxes, you need to select if you want to shop for a boy or a girl and pick what age bracket; 2-4 years old, 5-9 years old, or 10-14 years old.
What To Put in Your Box?
When I pack shoeboxes regardless of age or gender, I try to cover four main areas; something fun, something for learning, something for creating, and something for personal use.
It is essential to remember that there are some items you can not pack in an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox. Candy, food, medications, breakables, and aerosol are not allowed. Do not pack items with liquid in it as it can freeze or leak, ruining the boxes. Toy guns, knives, or military toys are also not premitted. For more information on what you can and can not pack, click here.
Something Fun
You want to include at least one fun item. When you are looking at the toys, keep in mind what age you are buying for. Most toys will say what the recommended age the toy is for. You can also get things in a set and divide it up among multiple boxes.
-stuffed animal
-toy cars
-toy trains
-finger puppets
-soccer ball with a pump
-bouncy balls
-jump rope
-yoyo
-doll
-plastic animals
-puzzles
Something For Learning
It is great to include items in the shoeboxes for the children to use in school. I like to have a notepad, crayons, fun erasers, pencils, and a pencil sharpener for the younger children. For the older boxes, I include the same things but pencil crayons instead of crayons.
-pencils
-pencil sharpener
-crayons
-notepads
-rulers
-pencil case
-erasers
-pencil crayons
-solar powered calculator
Something For Creating
I am a creative person, so I love adding something into the boxes to encourage creativity. Small craft kits that have everything you need in them are great. For the older boys, I try to include some work gloves and small tools for them to use.
-craft kits
-bracelet making string
-measuring tape
-small hammer
-work gloves
-coloured paper
-colouring books
-sewing kit
-small fishing kit
Something For Personal Use
Personal items are an easy thing to include in every box you pack. If you decided to put clothing in your shoebox, make sure you select a size that will fit the oldest age in the category you have chosen. Don’t forget you can’t pack liquids like shampoo and toothpaste.
-t-shirt
-facecloth
-toothbrush
-brush
-hair accessories
-bag
-waterbottle
-socks
-ball cap
-bar soap
-soap holder
Getting It All To Fit
Now that you have all the items, you need to pack your shoebox. If you include a water bottle, you can put things inside the water bottle to allow more items. Take toys out of extra packaging and rolls any clothes. If you bought a large package of something like pencils, for example, you could split that up amongst multiple boxes.
Finishing Touch
To finish your shoebox you can add a personal touch, by including a personal note or family picture. The last thing to put in your packed shoeboxes is a $10 donation to help cover the costs of sending the boxes around the world.
Place the gender tag on the top of the box and check off which age group you selected for your shoebox. Finally, put some elastics around the box to keep it closed and take it to a local drop off location.
I hope you enjoyed getting some ideas on how to pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child this year. Make sure to read all the information on their website before filling your box. This post is simply for shoebox packing ideas and may not have all the up to date rules and guidelines. If you can’t physically pack a box, you can also do it all online through the website. Collection week for 2020 is running November 16–22, so make sure to get your shoeboxes packed and bring a smile to a child in need.
Thanks for reading,
Natalie