DIY Gift Baskets for Children that Are Budget Friendly

Like most of us, children love receiving gift baskets, which is good because they are easy, and cheap to make. There are several things to keep in mind when you are making a gift basket for a child. A few important factors include the child's age, sex, and general interest. You also want to make sure your gift basket is budget friendly, enjoyable, and practical.

The main thing to start with when making any gift basket is the basket itself. This will allow you to fill your basket with proper sized items, as well as give you a starting point. Try to choose baskets that can serve an additional purpose such as a waste basket, a small catch all basket, or a decorative storage basket. They style, size, and color of your basket can help you with your theme as well.

Filling your basket can be a little more tricky. There are tons of items on the market that you can fill a basket with so stay focused. Keep in mind that your gift basket is going to be budget friendly, and practical. Here are some great themes to help get your creative juices flowing.

Ages 3 - 6

This is a great age to use baskets that can double as catch alls, or storage baskets. You can easily fill these gift baskets with items such as crayons, washable markers, coloring books, activity books, stickers, water colors, and so on. All of these items can be purchased at local discount stores, or even dollar stores. You can also use a white t-shirt or apron as the filler for the bottom.

Ages 7 - 10

Between the ages of 7 - 10 the options are endless. You can use baskets double as catch all, storage baskets, or even waste baskets to make your gift basket with. Filling the basket really depends on the child. You can use art supplies, hair supplies (for a girl), grooming supplies (for a boy), and so on. Another cute idea is to make a "pig out" basket. To make a pig out basket start by using a waste basket, then fill it with all sorts of candies, cakes, and snack foods. Most kids love sweets. You can use things such as paper napkins as your filler.

Ages 11 and up.

The pre teens, and teens are the hardest to buy for. I personally think at this age they lack the ability to show emotion, making it difficult for us to know it the do or don't like something. The "pig out" basket works good for this age, as well as the grooming baskets. Another cheap teen basket to make is a movie basket. You can use a large plastic popcorn or serving bowl as your basket. Fill it with items such as microwave popcorn, a few cans of soda, a few candy bars, and a gift card for $5.00 - $10.00 from your local video rental store.

The idea's for budget friendly gift baskets for children are endless. If this is going to be a gift from the family, then involved the family. It's really neat to see how many different ideas everyone has. Once you get started, you'll be making gift baskets for everyone.