Are you a long-distance family member missing your little trick-or-treaters this Halloween?
We've got you covered with four festive, easy and inexpensive care-package ideas that kids will love.
- Fang-tastic Baking Box
- Print your favorite Halloween recipe such as Frankenstein Krispie treats or Spider cupcakes. Laminate it or put it inside of a plastic page protector so it stays clean and safe from little hands that become sticky while they bake.
- In your box, include some of the shelf-stable ingredients that would mail well without melting and a gift card to a grocery store or grocery delivery service for the remaining ingredients.
- For extra-special additions to their baking box, include things like Halloween aprons, fall themed dish towels, cookie cutters and utensils.
- Include a package of plastic vampire fangs and print pictures of ways they can make simple foods spooky – from apples to donuts!
- Crafty DIY Halloween Box
- Send a craft-lover ’s surprise with a box full of supplies.
- Make sure to include printed directions and images for easy crafts they could use the supplies to create.
- Yarn pumpkins are simple, inexpensive and easy for all ages. Stock their box with orange yarn, brown and green pipe cleaners, glue and balloons.
- Spooktacular Reading Box
- Set them up for reading success while having some spooky fun with a reading box. Include copies of festive reads like If You’re Scary and You Know It and Monster Train.
- Fun reading-themed additions to their box could include: a cuddly stuffed pumpkin or black cat, their favorite snack and printable Halloween bookmarks that they can color in themselves.
- Not-so-scary Halloween Movie Night Box
- For this box, include a DVD of a Halloween movie age-appropriate for your little goblins. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is classic sure to please all ages.
- Set the stage for a cozy movie night, with festive pajamas or a soft throw blanket.
- Include Halloween themed plates or bowls along with a gift card so they can purchase their favorite movie-watching treats.
To deepen your connection with your long-distance trick-or-treater, make sure to include an invitation for a virtual meet-up in their box.
The little crafters and bakers can show you their creations or you can have your own set of supplies on hand to virtually craft and bake “together.”
The little readers can read you a few pages from their book or you can read a few pages from your own copy to them while they follow along.
For those with the movie-night box, both of you can watch the movie and then meet up to chat about your favorite parts.
Bonus Idea: Looking for something meaningful to send but don’t have time to pull together a care package and mail it? Send a Make Momentos Halloween e-card or an adorable recordable e-book like Witches or Bubble Head Boo: Happy Clean Halloween. It only takes a few minutes to record and send and kids will love hearing your voice when you can’t be with them in person on Halloween.
No matter what you send, kids love receiving something special and personalized. Especially when it’s a surprise thoughtfully put together from someone they love and miss.