Boo Basket Ideas
How to create a Halloween Boo Basket with tons of Boo Basket Ideas to create some Halloween fun all season!
What is a Boo Basket?
A Boo Basket (also known as a Spooky Basket) is a small gift basket of goodies to celebrate spooky season. Essentially, it’s a fun way to celebrate the Halloween season with a few Halloween goodies!
These may range from a few Halloween treats, simple decor, Halloween trinkets, small toys, or something to wear in some form of Halloween gift baskets to help you get in the spooky spirit! They can be elaborate or super simple.
If you were planning on doing an activity or craft, gifting seasonal pajamas, or have a fun game or toy, these cute Halloween-themed baskets are a way to give these items in a fun and exciting way.
Who do you give a Boo basket to?
You can give these cute Halloween gift baskets to anyone. Who doesn’t love a festive surprise with a little personalized touch and spooky fun?
Traditionally, a boo basket is given to children to kick off the Halloween season. But lots of people love to give one to each family member.
And we think it’s a great idea to make it a romantic and/or thoughtful gesture in your relationship. And we have tons of spooky basket gift basket ideas to help you out! Check out our Spooky Basket Ideas for Your Boyfriend or Husband, and Boo Basket Ideas for Her posts for great spooky basket for adults instructions and ideas.
And if you want to participate in the “We’ve been boo’d” tradition, you can leave a full boo basket on your neighbor’s front porch.
But we’re going to focus primarily on fun ideas for your family, and specifically, boo baskets for kids.
When do you gift a boo basket?
There’s no wrong time! Most people do them at the start of October or the week before. We like to do them in September before our Disneyland at Halloweentime annual vacation. They typically find a shirt and pjs for the trip. But we also like to gift them early because it gives my kids a few weeks to enjoy some activities and wear their Halloween shirt and pajamas to events throughout the season.
What to Put in a Boo Basket
Here’s a list of Boo Basket ideas and a roundup of what to put in a Book Basket.
A Trick-or-Treat Pail
This is what many parents do to gift a fun trick-or-treat pail. And while you’re al it, add a few fun surprises and practical items you’ll use this Halloween season.
Something Fun to Wear
Halloween Pajamas
Is there anything more fun for a child than Halloween pajamas?! They are a really easy way to be festive without spending a lot of money. Plus there’s nothing like glow-in-the-dark pajamas kids can wear all season. They are a great base for so many costumes. Plus, I think it’s one truly perfect item for a Boo Box kids can enjoy on repeat! I shared a huge roundup of Halloween pajamas for kids in this post, and so many of them ship super quickly!
Halloween Shirt/Festive Shirt
I didn’t know this was a thing until I ran an errand one September. My mom found a cute skeleton shirt that my son loved and wore all season. Target often has a line of great Halloween shirts for kids and adults, too! It’s something fun to enjoy all season and wear and enjoy during festive Halloween activities.
Halloween Books
We have a full list of the best Halloween books for kids you can find in this post.
For this year, I included some we’ve loved and checked out from the library regularly. It’s a great way to keep things free and still give a cozy item to enjoy for a few weeks of the season.
Halloween Activities
Halloween Themed Activity Books
I love keeping my kids occupied with fun learning, art, and activity books. When you can find a great Halloween-themed activity book that provides some screen-free fun, Here are some of our favorites:
- Paint By Sticker Halloween
My son is obsessed with these books, and they provide hours of quiet time fun! - Day of the Dead Sticker Book
Another great mosaic activity book perfect for elementary-aged kids. - Brain Games Sticker-By-Letter Monsters
This is an easier sticker book option, and it’s super cute! - First Big Book of Coloring: Monsters
I’ve raved about these books so many times. They are the perfect coloring book for all ages! They have crisp white pages with deep black outlines that are perfect for little hands or paint projects. There are plenty of Halloween-themed designs in this book. - Highlights Halloween Activity Books
These are so fun and so well done!
*I have tons more linked on my Amazon storefront!
You can also include some spooky stickers or printed coloring pages for an inexpensive option.
Halloween Crafts
I start looking for these easy items at the Target Spot in September. It’s a great place to grab several items for about $3 a piece. We’ve had tons of luck finding Halloween craft kits at Michael’s. Be sure to try their buy online and pick up in-store options! Also, Target has some of the coolest Halloween crafts we’ve seen! You could also include our Q-tip Skeleton or Cotton Ball Ghost printables with supplies. They’ve both been a huge hit with hundreds of families!
Halloween Activities for Quality Time
Halloween Treat
We love baking a spooky treat! It’s easy to include the monster eyeballs or Halloween M&Ms we add to cookies with a note that we’ll have a special baking day together.
You could also get a few different types of Halloween candy and make the trendy candy salad for a sweet treat before a Halloween movie night.
Creating a treat is actually a cheap and really fun thing to do together!
Halloween Game
There are about a hundred ideas on Pinterest, but I like going easy and buying a kit. Target kind of killed it this year and made a handful of games that are all about $10. I’d highly recommend one of those! But our Halloween BINGO cards are our secret weapon to have a free game night using our free printables.
Halloween Outing
Were you planning to take your family to the pumpkin patch or corn maze? Is there a fun Halloween light display in your area? Go ahead and add “tickets” or a card sharing the fun outing.
Halloween Movie Night
Feel free to gift an actual DVD your recipient will love (if they have a DVD player). However, there are so many great Halloween movies for kids on Disney+, Amazon, etc. You could also do an Amazon gift card or a Fandango gift card to cover the cost of a rental.
That bonding time together is something kids just cherish, and it’s so easy to give some popcorn or a movie to enjoy!
Blankets
If you’re ready to spruce up your cozy time together, a seasonal-themed or colored blanket is a great gift! We love to include them for family movie nights and drives around the neighborhood to look at Halloween decorations.
Haunted Gingerbread House
Trader Joe’s sells these for $9.99 and has everything you need to create your own spooky house.
Hot Chocolate Party / Apple Cider Celebration
Give a cute mug and some hot cocoa mix or apple cider to celebrate the first chilly morning of the season together.
Trick or Treat Buckets
One of the most popular ideas is to grab trick-or-treat pumpkin heads, pails, or buckets of some kind to be used for trick-or-treating. It’s a cute presentation, and a practical item!
Halloween Toys
A Halloween Plushie
I don’t know a single kid who wouldn’t go nuts for Squishmallows or tiny Halloween-themed fring to snuggle up to this Halloween season.
Sensory Bin Items
When my kids were toddlers and preschoolers, they went bananas for Halloween-themed sensory bins. I’d pick up a few small items from the Dollar store and Walmart (like plastic spiders) and create a fun sensory bin they’d play with all season.
Boo Basket Printable (Free!)
If you need a free Halloween Boo Box Printable, we have you covered! Download your copy here!
We hope this helped spark some fun ideas to celebrate Halloween! You can go all out or go really cheap, and these are still a fun way to make Halloween time a little more fun and exciting!
Like this Boo Box Idea? You may like these posts too:
50 Halloween Activities with Free Printable Download
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