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Each holiday I try to do something special for my kids and so I go out and buy a bag or container for each holiday. This container usually gets destroyed or forgotten and thrown away. Starting this Valentine’s Day I’m going to try and change that with designated Holiday Baskets.

I like the idea of a consistent basket because then each holiday I get the same amount of gifts or goodies. The reason I bring up a consistent amount is because five-year-olds can be very observant and have the memory of an elephant on things that matter to them. For example, gifts. My son can remember just about every toy he was given, and remember when he got it. Win for him, right? Curveball for mom? Definitely.

So I bought some baskets on Amazon. Yes they are small, but that makes sure I don’t overspend on a simple holiday, that is NOT Christmas.

So for this upcoming holiday, I plan to fill these baskets with age-appropriate items for each of my kids.

Holiday Basket for a Schoolager

Holiday Tshirt – This one I’ve debated on as it was recently brought to my attention that we buy these holiday-specific items that are used for one day and that’s it. That seems pretty wasteful an opportunity to save money. For example, my son will wear a Valentine’s Day shirt on Valentine’s Day, but is he going to wear it after that holiday? No. So it gets worn once and goes into storage for kid #2.

So this year I decided to yet a plain red shirt from Target.

Holiday Book – I always want to make sure my kids get new books and this is one way to highlight new books for me and my son to read. For this upcoming holiday, I bought “The Invisible String” for me and my son to read. I think the message of the story is very cute and the book has a lot of good ratings.

Holiday Candy – I’m very selective when it comes to giving my kids candy. I try my best to find candy that my kids can enjoy but also avoid ingredients that I know cause problems such as Red Dye 40. So I’m giving my oldest YumEarth Valentine Gummy Fruits for the upcoming Valentine’s Day. I like the YumEarth brand when it comes to treats for my kids. It doesn’t have any dyes in them.

Toy – I tend to try and get something small for a toy as my kids have an abundance of toys. So I try to get something small that can be used at home or during car rides when we are on the go.

Here are some ideas:

1. Pop it Game
2. LCD Writing/Doodle Tablet
3. Disney Eye Found It Card Game
4. Find and Seek Scavenger Hunt card game (Crowd favorite when camping)
5. Search and find a spiral book (I’m not a fan of markers of any kind in the car, but this would be good for eating at a restaurant)
6. Skillmatics Card Game – Train of Thought

Holiday Basket for a Toddler

Holiday Shirt – I ended up getting the boys the same shirt so they match. Yep, I’ve become that Mom.

Holiday Book – Ooo, Baby Baby!: A Little Book of Love. This book caught my eye because it was on sale (of course!) and it made me think of the song “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa. You’re Welcome 🙂

Holiday Candy – For a toddler I did yogurt melts and packets because he won’t know the difference. I did add one of his favorite sweets, chocolate.

Holiday Toy – I ended up getting him a new Tonie Character – Cocomelon. Which I learned you can now buy from Target. If you are not familiar with what a Tonie Box is, you can find them on Amazon and at Target. Each Tonie character reads a story or sings songs that your child can listen to.

This works perfectly for a toddler because thus far, he can’t break it and he can switch out the characters to his heart’s content.

Additional Toddler Toy Ideas:

1. Suction Cup Spinner Toy (Great for sticking to tables at restaurants and the window of the car)
2. Food Grade Silicone Pull Toy
3. Montessori Busy Cube
4. Wooden Sorting Stacking Rocks Stones
5. Push Pop Bubble Fidget Sensory Toy
6. Learning Dinosaur for Toddlers

One thing I don’t buy for my toddler is toys with magnets in them. All magnetic toys are in a secure bin because when the kids are playing with them, I want to pay attention to ensure no magnets are ingested.

Want to see how I made the name tags for the baskets? Check out my post here to see how to make them using a Cricut.

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Do you give your kid(s) something for each holiday?