What to pack in shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child

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I am in no way affiliated with Operation Christmas Child or Samaritan’s Purse. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you heard of Operation Christmas Child before? It is an amazing program that sends Christmas presents to children around the world. The gifts are packed in a shoebox and then delivered to over 100 countries around the world. It is a wonderful program to do with your friends and family or with a church group. I wanted to make a list of what to pack in shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child to give you some great ideas!

So what exactly is Operation Christmas Child?

Operation Christmas Child is hosted by Sanitarian’s Purse. The program began in 1993 and has delivered millions of shoeboxes filled with presents around the world. Samaritan’s Purse ships the boxes outside of the US to children who have been affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease. The shoeboxes are delivered to over 100 countries.They also send boxes to children living on Native American reservations within the US.

They try to deliver the gifts by Christmas so shoeboxes are usually due each year during the middle of November.

Check out this clip below (from their official YouTube) for more about Operation Christmas Child. You can even watch a group of children unwrapping their gifts!

Who can build and donate shoeboxes?

Individuals, families, groups, or churches can all donate shoeboxes. We chose to do shoeboxes together as a family project this year.

Do children have to say a certain thing to get a box?

According to the Operation Christmas Child official website:

Shoebox gifts are given to children regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or faith. We seek to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way through each shoebox gift. Children do not have to do or say anything to receive the gifts. We work in and through local Christians in each country who understand the context in their area. Simple gifts—packed with love in Jesus’ Name—deliver hope and joy to children all around the world, regardless of their faith or religious background.

Where do I send the shoeboxes once I’m done?

You can check out the list of drop off locations to see what drop off location is closest to you.

Where to get Operation Christmas Child boxes

Here’s a list of the options to get boxes:

• Order online from Samaritans Purse
• Re-use actual shoeboxes
• Buy in store (big box stores or dollar stores usually have the plastic kind)
• Order online from Amazon

There are a lot of ways to get boxes for Operation Christmas Child. You can use adult size cardboard shoeboxes, order special boxes from them (you can order the boxes through the link above), or use plastic shoe boxes.

What age group is most needed for Operation Christmas Child?

There are actually groups that receive fewer boxes than the others. According to the official website:

In general, we receive more gift boxes for girls than boys. Overall, we receive the most shoebox gifts for girls 5-9. We receive the fewest number of boxes for boys 2-4 and 10-14.

What to pack in an Operation Christmas Child shoebox

I wanted to pack both fun and practical items in each box. I wanted to include items like school supplies, toothbrushes, combs, and bar soap (remember, no liquids are allowed in the shoeboxes). Also, I wanted to be sure to pack unscented bar soap so that my items didn’t arrive smelling strongly like scented soap. Plus, I wasn’t sure if the children would have sensitive skin or not.

Luckily, I was able to catch some really good school supply items at our local grocery store. I got each child a pencil bag and small notebook since they were heavily discounted. I actually bought almost all the remaining ones. I don’t like to buy out the clearance sections, I just feel kind of guilty! Next year, I will shop earlier so I can get extras.

Where to shop for Operation Christmas Child shoebox?

I shopped at Target, the Dollar Tree, Amazon, and our local grocery store for the items in our boxes. Any big box store or any of the stores above will have lots of items for you to pick from. Each of our boxes has a good mix of items from each place.

Ideas for what to pack in shoeboxes

This year, I thought it would be fun if we did six boxes and did all the options for boxes meaning we did both a boy and a girl in each age group. Below is what we packed as well as some other fun ideas.

Ideas for what to pack for a girl age 2-4

For our shoebox, I packed:

• Pencils
• Cross
• Bar of soap
• Toothbrushes (remember, no toothpaste can be sent)
• Bear
• Doll (I kept only the back of the packaging so she would fit in the box)
• Ball (I picked a soft ball since it’s for a young child)
• Crayons
• Gel crayons
• Shirt
• Calculator
• Pencil sharpener
• Coloring book

Other fun ideas:

• Small fluffy blanket
• Backpack
• Water bottle (especially one with a filter)
• Underwear
• Teddy bear
• Shoes
• Socks
• Chunky blocks
• Rubber ducks

Ideas for what to pack for a boy age 2-4

For our shoebox, I packed:

• Comb
• Bar of soap
• Toothbrushes
• Coloring book (not pictured)
• Crayons
• Teddy bear
• Notebook
• Pencil bag
• Ball (I picked a soft one since it is for a younger child)
• Toy car

Other fun ideas:

• Small fluffy blanket
• Backpack
• Water bottle (especially one with a filter)
• Underwear
• Shoes
• Socks
• Chunky blocks
• Rubber ducks

Ideas for what to pack for a girl age 5-9

For our shoebox, I packed:

• Pencil bag
• Bar of soap
• Comb
• Toothbrush
• Notebook
• Stickers
• Fun small bag
• Baby doll
• Troll doll
• Socks
• Coloring book
• Crayons
• Puzzle

Other fun ideas:

• Colored pencils
• Water colors
• Paint brush
• Small purse
• Backpack
• Blanket
• Markers

Ideas for what to pack for a boy age 5-9

For our shoebox, I packed:

• Socks
• Coloring book
• Toy cars
• Notebook
• Comb
• Soap
• Pencil bag
• Markers
• Stickers
• Troll doll
• Toothbrush
• Puzzle

Other fun ideas:

• Colored pencils
• Water colors
• Paint brush
• Backpack
• Blanket

Ideas for what to pack for a girl age 10-14

I had to get creative with our older kids’ shoeboxes. I feel like there is a pretty big difference in what a 10 year old would want versus what a 14 year old would want. I think the 5-9 year olds were the easiest to pack but the older kids were a little harder.

For our shoebox, I packed:

• Notebook
• Reusable menstrual pad
• Coloring book (for adults or older kids)
• Sewing kit
• Soap
• Toothbrush
• Colored pencils
• Crayons
• Scissors
• Cross
• Regular pencils
• Pencil sharpener
• Necklace
• Calculator

Other fun ideas:

• Reusable water bottles
• Water bottle with filter
• Tweezers
• Nail clipper
• Nail files
• Ruler
• Sewing kit
• Wash cloth
• Frisbee
• Travel size tissues
• Jewelry making kit
• Underwear
• Colored pencils
• Water colors
• Backpack
• Purse
• Shirt

Ideas for what to pack for a boy age 10-14

For our shoebox, I packed:

• Notebook
• Shirt
• Soap
• Pencil bag
• Pencils
• Cross
• Pencil sharpener
• Toothbrush
• Colored pencils
• Puzzle
• Underwear (not pictured)
• Scissors (not pictured)

Other fun ideas:

• Reusable water bottle
• Water bottle with filter
• Yo-yo
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Water bottle with filter
• Tweezers
• Nail clipper
• Nail files
• Ruler
• Wash cloth
• Frisbee
• Playing cards
• Solar powered calculator
• Underwear
• Colored pencils
• Water colors
• Backpack
• Sports ball
• Flashlight
• Fishing kit

Last minute shoebox additions for my boxes

I wanted to add a few more items last minute from Amazon. I bought four more boxes of crayons for the younger kiddos. I also wanted to add something for our older kids. I had to think more about their “wow” items. I found these solar powered calculators on Amazon.

I also found these beach balls. I figured they would be good since they are small enough to fit in the box and you don’t need a pump to blow them up or re-inflate them.

What not to include in your shoebox

According to the official Operation Christmas Child website, you should not include:

Candy; toothpaste; gum; used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives, or military figures; chocolate or food; seeds; fruit rolls or other fruit snacks; drink mixes (powdered or liquid); liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans.

Operation Christmas Child’s official recommendation

I would personally recommend not to send things like mittens and scarves (I’m sure a thin fashion scarf would be ok) since you don’t know what climate your recipient will be in. I have learned that sending camo is also iffy. Anything that looks like the child could be part of the military is a no.

Amazon picks for packing a shoebox

These are some items I thought would be good for shoeboxes that can be ordered from Amazon. Some of these are better for larger groups doing Operation Christmas Child together. I really like the idea of the water bottles that have a filter. I’m going to add that to our list for next year.

My overall thoughts about the shoeboxes

The shoeboxes were both bigger and smaller than I thought. It feels like you have so much stuff when you bring it all together but then you pack it in the shoeboxes and sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough. I also read another woman’s story about how important it is to pack a blanket in the boxes but then I was out of room.

This year, some of my boxes got underwear and shirts but next year I have made the commitment to make sure each box gets at least two pairs of underwear and a shirt.

I hope that each year as our family continues to do these we continue to think of more thoughtful gifts for the recipients. Each year, I feel like I get better and better at packing the boxes and finding good deals.

Something I’ve learned after doing this for awhile is that children will only receive one box in their lifetime. I’ve been working hard at making them as special as possible.

No time to pack a shoebox?

If you don’t have time to pack a shoebox, you can always use Operation Christmas Child’s online shoebox packing option!

Including a note

Something I thought that was really cool about doing shoeboxes is that you have the option to include a note from your family to the recipient. I’ve heard many pen pal correspondences start this way, I will be sure to update everyone if one of our box recipients writes to us.

Thoughts on what I’d like to do differently next year

I definitely want to keep this tradition going and continue to do shoeboxes next year. Whenever I was involved with the Angel Tree at a church I attended when I was younger, I always noticed that the older kids were hardly ever chosen. I would always try to do a few of the wish lists for the teenagers. I will keep up my boxes for boys 10 to 14, especially.

I was surprised that boys don’t get as many boxes as girls. I’m a boy mom and a girl mom which is why I wanted to do each gender. Since there is an unequal imbalance we may do all boy gifts next year.

I have to admit the older group is harder to buy for. The age range of 10-14 is a little challenging because things a 10 year old likes, a 14 year old may not like. I wanted to make sure the items I bought would be useful for them. Next year, I will definitely include a reusable menstrual pad if we do girl boxes but we may just do all boy boxes since it sounds like there is a stronger need for them.

I will be keeping an eye out throughout the year for items that go on sale that I could use for our boxes and next year, I will definitely scope out all the school supply clearances! I got lucky this year because our local grocery store still had a bunch of really great school related items on clearance.

The most important thing to do for your shoebox

Remember, the most important thing you can do is pray for the child who will receive your shoebox.

Other helpful resources

I have found several Facebook groups about Operation Christmas Child and they have been very helpful. Please note these are not official groups by Samaritan’s Purse.

• Shoe Boxes Through the Year
• Operation Christmas Child Menstrual Pad Kit Sewing Group
• Operation Christmas Child Obsessed

I also received a ton of items for my boxes from my local buy nothing group. There is an app or you can search on Facebook for “buy nothing group” in your area. Please note that not all items posted in the buy nothing group are new so not everything can be used for your shoeboxes.

I did have several neighbors post new items and I asked for them for my boxes. I had a neighbor in my buy nothing group give me five shirts (all new with tags) for my boxes this year. It was awesome and can be a great resource to keep your eye on. Also, all of the scissors (that’s why some of the older kids got smaller scissors) were given to me from my local buy nothing group.

Comment and let us know!

Do you have any advice on what to pack in shoeboxes for the children or items to add to the lists? Please share your tips below in the comments section!

If you liked this post about Operation Christmas Child, you might also like:

• Our Family Christmas Tradition with Holt International
• Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt
• Christmas Word Scramble

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