Operation Christmas Child Gift Ideas and Where to Shop

Have you heard of it? I’m sure you have. If not, let me tell you about it. Operation Christmas Child is an annual ministry project organized by Samaritan’s Purse that delivers shoeboxes full of goodies to kids all around the world. You pack the boxes, cover the $7.00/box shipping & handling fee, and drop them off at a collection site, and they deliver the boxes to the kids. It’s a simple, meaningful way to give to kids in need during the Christmas season. For the logistics, click the following link: Operation Christmas Child.

Now for the gift ideas.

Educational*

Books (science, math, world history, picture books, chapter books, etc.)
Spelling Flashcards
Vocabulary Flashcards
Math Flashcards
STEM materials
Music books
Music flashcards
Xylophone
Recorder
Tambourine

Clothes

Basic t-shirts (long-sleeve & short-sleeve)
Dress pants
Jeans
Long skirts
Dresses
Stockings/tights
Sweater
Rain jackets
Rain boots (ones that aren’t heavy)
Pajamas
Athletic pants & shirts
Underwear
Socks
Shoes
Sunglasses
Scarves
Jewelry
Toboggan hat
Baseball hat
Fisherman’s hat

Hygiene

Toothbrush
Toothbrush holder
Toothpaste
Bar soap (that actually smells good)
Chapstick/lip balm
Pads
Hand wipes
Facial wipes
Bandaids
Loofa
Facial tissues (Kleenex, Puffs, etc.)

Household

Bath towel
Facial towel
Small plastic cup
Tervis tumbler
YETI tumbler
Duct Tape
Tool set
Fishing gear
Plastic reusable eating utensils
Flashlights (with extra batteries)
Rubber bands

Cosmetics: Facial Care

Powder
Blush
Eyeshadow (the powder kind)
Eye pencils
Lip pencils
Lipstick
Makeup brushes
Facial wipes to remove makeup
Cute bag for makeup

Cosmetics: Hair Care

Hair brush
Comb
Ponytail holders
Bobby pins
Hair clips
Hair bows
Hair bands/headbands
Plastic mirror
Bag for hair essentials
Plastic curlers that don’t need to be heated

Back-to-School

Pencils
Pencil sharpeners
Erasers
Pens
Crayons
Markers
Colored pencils
Highlighters
Notebooks
Journals
Index cards with a holder
Rubber bands
Pencil case
Book bag (one that fits in a shoebox)
Glue sticks
Child-safe scissors

Fun/Adventure

Dress-up clothes
Stuffed animals
Dolls
Coloring books
Frisbees
Tennis balls
Baseball
Softballs
Volleyball (with an air pump)
Soccer ball (with an air pump)
Small baseball/softball bat
Glowsticks
Hand puppets
Toy sets (house, doctor, outer space, etc.)
Legos
Ballet shoes
Puzzle
Watercolor paint set & paint brushes
Wind-up music box

Inexpensive places to find gifts:

Dollar stores
Walmart
Target
Drugstores

Unexpectedly neat places to find gifts (you can find good sales at these places):

Bookstores
Anthropologie
Urban Outfitters
T.J. Maxx
Home Goods
Francesca’s
Vera Bradley
LOFT
Kohl’s
JcPenny

If you aren’t sure which items you want to include, pick items from each category that correspond to the gender and age of your child. Hope these are helpful to you!

*I realize that these may be in English. If you are unsure about this, read my previous post: What Girls Really Need.