47 DIY Gift Basket Ideas for Kids

Looking for creative and unique DIY gift baskets for kids? Making your own custom gift baskets for kids is fun and easy! Today we’ll share our best ideas for kid’s gift baskets and share some tips for how to easily and affordably make your own.

There are a lot of advantages to making your own gift baskets, and the biggest reason we love them so much is you have complete control over what types of things go in the basket. You can choose high quality items to go into the basket that are sure to last and be enjoyed by any kid.

We had so much fun putting together this list and you are sure to be inspired!

1. Just Monkeying Around Kid’s Gift Basket Idea

Monkeys are the theme in this adorable gift basket idea! This is a great idea to give both boys and girls at any age.

Here’s what to include:

• Plush monkey {we LOVE sock monkeys!}
• Monkey themed book
• Barrel of Monkeys Game
• Bananagrams Game {For older kids}

2. Baking Basket

Does your little one love to bake? This is a fun activity to do with a parent or guardian and will be sure to give them some nice tasty treats.

Include some baking mixes, such as cookie mixes, muffin mixes, or cake mixes and add a wooden spoon, a nice big mixing bowl and maybe even some frosting and sprinkles and you are all set to go! For an added touch, you can always include a personalized child’s apron or chef’s hat!

3. Games Gift Basket

Games are a great family activity to enjoy, and you can fill the basket with all sorts of classics, from Connect 4 to Hi Ho Cherry-O, Jenga, a deck of Uno cards and more.

4. Ice Cream Sundae Gift Basket

Who doesn’t love a delicious ice cream sundae? Make up a simple basket by including sundae bowls {make sure to include enough for each person in the family!}, hot chocolate syrup, caramel topping, chocolate chips, marshmallows, sprinkles, and a gift card to a local grocery store to buy the ice cream of course!

5. Arts & Crafts Gift Basket for Kids

Inspire creativity in little minds with this creative arts and crafts gift basket idea for kids. You can include watercolor or acrylic paints, paint-brushes, craft supplies and more.

Here are some ideas for what to put in this basket:

• Watercolor Paints
• Acrylic Paints
• Artist Paper Pad
• Watercolor Crayons
• Watercolor Pencils
• Glue
• Construction Paper
• Pipe Cleaners
• Foam Balls
• Craft Sticks
• Kid’s Craft Idea Books
• Origami Sets

6. Play-Dough Gift Basket Idea

Kids of all ages love playing with play-dough and this is a super fun and affordable DIY gift basket for kids you can make. You can add a variety of different colored play dough and even add in little sets that feature cookie cutters or other modeling clay toy accessories.

7. Jokester Gift Basket Idea

Do you know a kid who loves a good knock-knock joke? Make them a DIY gift basket perfect for Jokesters. You could include a kid’s joke book, magic trick set, or even some harmless prank toys they can use.

8. Retro Toys Game Basket

Kid’s will be excited to see the kinds of toys and games their parents or grandparents might have played with as a kid with this fun idea! You can choose popular toys from the 80’s or 90’s.

Here are some ideas for what you could include:

• Slinky
• Yo-Yo
• Jump Rope
• Magic 8 Ball
• Wind-Up Toys

9. Science is Fun Gift Basket Idea for Kids

Science is always fun, and there are all sorts of science activities you can include in a kid’s gift basket. You could opt for anything from a kit for how to make a volcano out of baking soda and vinegar to making a rocks and minerals gift basket.

Here are some ideas for what you could put in a science themed basket:

• Slime
• Science Books for Kids
• Rock Collecting Kit
• Robot toys
• and more!

10. Movie Night Gift Basket

Snuggle up for a cozy family movie night with this kid’s gift basket idea. Fill the basket with microwavable popcorn, a cozy blanket to snuggle with, a favorite movie, pajamas and other theatre-worthy treats.

11. Kid’s Gardening Gift Basket

Little ones will love watching their own seeds grow, and amazingly you can often get all the supplies you need for this one at dollar stores in the spring time. For this you simply need a packet of seeds, a garden shovel, kid-sized garden gloves, small watering can, a small bag of potting soil and put it all nicely together in a flower pot. You can choose a theme such as herbs, vegetables or flowers!

Many companies also now make kid’s gardening kits, so that’s another option for a larger gift basket is to purchase one of those kits and repackage it nicely in a custom basket while adding a few extra accessories.

12. Action Figures Gift Basket Theme

Does your little one love action figures? Whether it’s a superhero from Marvel comics or classics like Star Wars toys, this is a great option to explore because there are so many licensed items available to include. In addition to scouring through the toys section at the store, be sure to check out where they keep party favors as you can also find some very nice accessories to add in and include!

13. Coloring Book Basket 

Choose 3-5 high quality coloring books that feature a theme the child likes and just add crayons, colored pencils, and markers to include inside the basket.

14. I Love Reading Book Basket

For kids who love reading, a basket full of books can be a great gift! Ask the parents for ideas for what types of books to include, or see if there is a recommended reading list for the child’s grade level. You can also include bookmarks or even a portable reading light.

15. Lego Gift Basket 

Choose three or four small sets to include in the basket, lego books or movies or coloring books or stickers. 

16. Animal Gift Basket 

Choose any animal – then get a stuffed animal, a figurine, a poster of the animal, and a coloring book or story book to go along with the theme.

17. Doctor’s Check-Up Gift Basket

Small children love playing doctor, and this gift basket make it fun! Get a child’s doctor set with play doctor toys, a mini-sized clipboard, and some cute bandages.

18. Dinosaur Gift Basket for Kids

Find some dinosaur toys, a dinosaur coloring book and crayons, a dinosaur book, and maybe even passes to the museum to see the dinosaurs!

19. Bath Playtime Gift Basket

 Toddlers especially will love a gift basket full of bath toys, towels, bath crayons, and bath books. This also makes a great baby shower gift idea!

20. Favorite Cartoon/Book Character Gift Basket

Find some books of their favorite character, a plush toy or action figures, stickers and some little trinkets with the character on it.

21. Princess Gift Basket

For little princesses everywhere, find a tiara, princess dress up clothes, princess figurines, and any other fun toys and trinkets you find with a princess theme.

22. Friendship Bracelet Kit 

For this idea, all you need is an embroidery thread case and fill with different colored laces and a book on how to make different friendship bracelets. You could also add in beads or craft lace!

23. Sticker Basket 

Get a few nice sticker books or make your own, and include tons of different kinds of stickers to put into the sticker books.

24. Candy Basket

You should always check with parents first to make sure it’s okay when giving kids gifts of food or candy {especially if they have food allergies!} but this can be a super fun and simple kid’s gift basket idea you could make for almost any child ages 3 and up. You could choose their favorite candies, or even introduce them to some new ones! 

25. Doll Gift Basket

Choose a cute doll, and then fill the basket with clothes or accessories for the doll. This works well for all sorts of dolls, from Barbie dolls to 18″ dolls such as American Girl or My Life Dolls.

26. Cars Basket

For kids who love cars and trucks, fill a gift basket with different cars and trucks as well as a coloring book of cars and crayons.

27. Puzzle Gift Baskets

Puzzles are always fun and there are so many different themes you can choose from for this to customize it for the child’s interests.

28. Hair Accessories Gift Basket

What little girl wouldn’t love some beautiful new barrettes or headbands all packaged up nicely in a hair accessories basket? You could also add some kid-friendly jewelry or special keepsake item such as a birthstone necklace.

29. Beach Fun Gift Basket Idea

This is a super fun kid’s gift basket idea, perfect for fun at the beach or even just for pretend in the backyard. Include a large family-size beach towel for lounging on, sand toys, kid’s sunscreen with an SPF of 65 or higher, sunglasses, frisbee and water toys.

30. Aspiring Writer Basket

Inspire kids to write with a fun basket that includes a nice diary or journal, a fancy pen, a book of kid’s writing prompts, and maybe even a couple of Mad Libs activity books. Older kids would probably also love magnetic poetry sets to be included!

31. Gamer Gift Set

Whether it’s Minecraft, Roblox or Mario Brothers, it’s no secret that so many kids love different video and computer games. You can make a themed gift basket for their favorite game characters or you can even include a game or gift card in the basket to get a new game or purchase credits.

32. Dog Lover Gift Basket

Dogs are a poplar pet and often times a kid’s best friend, so why not treat them with a dog-themed gift basket? You could choose a dog plush toy, a book about a dog, and a blanket with a dog print on it. If they have a pet dog, you could even add in some special treats and toys for their pet!

33. Cat Lover Gift Basket

Since we included a dog lover gift basket, of course we also had to include a cat lover basket as well! This is an easy gift basket to make – simply choose cat themed toys and accessories the child will like!

34. Sports Themed Gift Basket

Kids who love sports will love a gift filled with different things. You can choose local sports teams as a theme or you could include all sorts of different sports in general or make it specific to one theme, such as soccer or baseball for example.

Here are some ideas to include:

• Sports Team Hat
• Sports Team Blanket
• Sports Team T-Shirt
• Football
• Baseball and Glove
• Desktop Sports Games
• Sports Trivia and Facts Cards or Book

35. Little Traveler Gift Basket

For kids who travel a lot, a travel themed gift basket can be a great idea! You can include a kid-friendly map or atlas, a miniature globe, travel games for the car, and even a travel blanket, pillow or plush.

36. Out of This World : Space Themed Gift Basket

Many kids love learning about outer space, and it makes for a perfect theme for a gift basket! You can include toys, stickers, and books related to stars, the solar system, astronauts, rocket ships or even aliens!

37. Brain Teaser Kid’s Activity Pack

Keep young minds busy for hours with a nice variety of different brain teaser games and activities. You can include popular brain teaser card games, puzzles, and activity books, and maybe even include some fun accessories like a thinking cap. Every kid needs a Rubik’s cube!

38. Unicorn Gift Basket

Do you know a kid who loves all things unicorns? This is a great theme to choose from!

Some ideas for what to include:

• Plush unicorn stuffed animal
• Unicorn themed notebook or diary
• Unicorn Purse or Bag
• Unicorn Stress Ball
• Anything That Glitters!

39. Rainbow Basket

Use the colors of the rainbow to inspire a brightly colored basket of fun! For this idea, you could include items with a rainbow theme, or include one item for every color of the rainbow – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple. You could also include Lucky Charms cereal or Skittles candy! Another idea is just choose the child’s favorite color for a themed basket, for example, everything that goes in the basket is red.

40. Breakfast Cereal Basket

My mom actually made a gift basket like this for my son with a Fruit Loops theme and he really loved it! For this, choose a favorite cereal or theme and get coordinating mugs, bowls, spoons, and a box of their favorite cereals {or a variety pack if they enjoy more than one!}

41. Glow in the Dark Basket

Kids love all things that glow in the dark, and there are so many inexpensive toys and goodies you can choose from to include! From stickers to glow bracelets and glow sticks to glow-in-the-dark stars and toys – you can’t go wrong with a glow in the dark gift basket for a boy or girl!

42. Camping Gift Basket

Families love camping and camping gift set is the perfect choice for little campers of all types! You can include flashlights, camping and outdoor games – and of course don’t forget all the fixings for the classic s’mores, including marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars.

43. Fidget Toys

Kids love fidgets and they are a great sensory toy to help them stay calm. There are all sorts of great choices, from fidget spinners to stress balls, bean bags, and more.

44. Under the Sea Theme

From ocean creature toys to all things mermaids, the possibilities are endless for a fun under the sea theme!

Some ideas for what to include:

• Mermaid Plush
• Plush Octopus
• Ocean Creatures Book
• Bath Toys
• Sharks
• Starfish
• Ocean Puzzle or Game

45. Fairy Garden Theme

Fairy gardens are fun for kids to create and you can often find kits and supplies to make a complete basket in the gardening and craft sections at many stores. You could include a fairy miniature figurine, plants, a nice dish, decorative rocks, and other fairy themed accessories.

46. Music Gift Basket

If you know a kid who loves music, a rock star gift basket might just be the perfect thing! Some ideas for what to include:

• Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone
• T-Shirt for favorite artists or bands
• Poster for Favorite Artists or Bands
• Kazoo or Harmonica
• Books on Favorite Arist
• Band or Music themed Stickers

47. Pirates Themed Gift Basket

Ahoy Matey! Put together a nice assortment of pirate themed toys and accessories and you have a fun gift for both boys and girls! Don’t forget a pirate eye patch!

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We hope you enjoy all of these kid’s gift basket ideas and of course there are so many different options you can choose from to make any gift basket theme! See our list of theme ideas for more inspiration and of course if you’re new to making DIY gift baskets, check out our tutorial on How to Make a DIY Gift Basket.

Do you have any ideas for kid’s gift baskets we might have missed? Have you used any of these ideas? What are your absolute favorites on this list? We’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!