5 Fun Family Gift Boxes Inspired By Books This Christmas

While shopping for my nieces and nephews this Christmas, I decided to go in a much different direction than I did last year. Instead of giving smaller individual gifts to the kids, I’m trying out larger family gift boxes this year. For each of the families, I built their gift box around the theme of a popular book. I’m so excited for them to have the opportunity to check out a new book as a family, and then build on that story with some quality play time. Keep reading to see what our family gift boxes include this year.

[Spoiler alert for family members who may have decided to check out the blog today!]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of ‘Genius LEGO® Inventions with Bricks You Already Have’ to consider sharing with my audience. All opinions expressed are my own- and truthfully, my kids love the book so much they don’t want to give this one away, so I have to order another to keep at our house!

BOOK INSPIRED FAMILY GIFT BOXES FOR CHRISTMAS

Build Me Up

I’ve shared before that both of my boys are just nuts about building. I knew they’d love the chance to check out the newest book from Sarah Dees– Genius LEGO® Inventions With Bricks You Already Have. #thebigone quickly became obsessed with the book- he loves taking inspiration from the photos and text, and thinking about ways he can tweak the already really cool designs featured in the book. My youngest is equally enamored with it, even though the builds are well above his skill level. The photos are bright and vivid, so they really draw even very young readers into the world of LEGO® creation. After we spent a bit of time with the book, I knew it was the perfect choice to put together a family gift box for my LEGO® loving 4 year old nephew and his 2 LEGO® fanatic parents as well!

I’ve also included:

• a classic LEGO® blocks set.
  
• some Mayka toy block tape.
  
• a mini-figure blind bag.

Other ideas to tuck inside:

• Brick-Mates Stack By Numbers kits.
• Tenka Labs’ Circuit Cubes sets.
• BrickStix sticker sets.

Other books you might consider:

• Awesome LEGO® Creations With Bricks You Already Own by Sarah Dees
• Epic LEGO® Adventures With Bricks You Already Own by Sarah Dees

Christmas Camp Out

My kiddos are huge fans of dramatic play together, so for family with another set of young brothers, I thought a pretend camp out would be a fun family gift box. I chose #thelittleone’s current favorite camping book as the inspiration for the box- Llama Llama Loves Camping. There are lots of other great camping themed picture books out there though, so be sure to grab what you think your family would prefer.

I’ve also included:

• a play tee-pee that includes a small flashlight.
  
• a set of camping themed dramatic play toys and props.
  • We chose the Learning Resources New Sprouts Camp Out set, but there are several different options out there to choose from.
    
• supplies to make their own s’mores at home.
  • graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars.
    

Other ideas to tuck inside:

• marshmallow roasting sticks.
• kid’s compass, binoculars, etc.
• sleeping bags.

Other books you might consider:

• Caillou Goes Camping by Roger Harvey
• Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite! by Diane deGroat
• Night Animals by Gianna Marino
• Curious George Goes Camping by Margaret and H.A. Rey

Family Forts

Seriously, is there anything more exciting than building a cool fort as a kid? The possibilities for dramatic play are endless when putting together family forts. For my 2 nephews and their younger sister, I put together this family fort kit, inspired by Fort-Building Time.

I’ve also included:

• a commercial fort building kit.
  • We went with the PL-UG Build Your Own Ultimate Fort Kit, but there are a ton of options to choose from out there!
    
• suction cup clips, perfect for attaching sheets or blankets to windows or doors.
  
• clothes pins for attaching lighter building materials.
  
• large binder clips for securing blankets.
  

Other ideas to tuck inside:

• sheets or blankets.
• flashlights or lanterns.
• ropes to string up make-shift tents.

Other books you might consider:

• Secret Tree Fort by Brianne Farley
• The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier and Sonia Sanchez
• The Haunted Fort (The Hardy Boys #44) by Franklin W Dixon and R.H. Tandy
• Fort by Cynthia DeFelice

PJ’s All Day

We borrowed Pancakes in Pajamas from our local library last month. Both of my kiddos loved the story of the Bear family’s Saturday. Since my youngest niece isn’t ready for fort building just yet, I thought the book would be the perfect inspiration for a family meal she can share with her parents.

I’ve also included:

• a new pair of pajamas.
  
• a package of pancake mix.
  
• a bottle of maple syrup.
• some age appropriate ‘breakfast themed’ toys.
  

Other ideas to tuck inside:

• tools for fancier pancakes- there are so many options out there!
  • squeeze bottles
  • silicone shape molds
  • fancy shaped pans
• variety packs of flavored syrups or pancake mixes
• wet wipes (for sticky syrup clean up!)

Other books you might consider:

• Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola
• Pancakes! An Interactive Cookbook by Lotta Nieminen
  • We have a few books from this series, and they’re super cool!
• If You Give A Pig A Pancake by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
• Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle

All That Glitters

As a mom of all boys, there’s a small part of me that loves the chance to shop for little girls. My husband put me in charge of gift shopping for his goddaughter and her little sister, and I loved it. I knew their parents were interested in new books for the girls, and that the little ones love princesses and crafts. When I saw Just Add Glitter at the bookstore, I knew it was perfect for them. (And secretly, I really kinda wanted to get a second copy for my house. But I resisted the urge). Angela DiTerlizzi wrote the sweetest tale of a young girl and her cat who know that a little sparkle improves everything. Samantha Cotterill’s incredibly creative illustrations mix drawings with photography in an engaging way.

I’ve also included:

• a Klutz Jr. ‘My Twinkly Tiaras’ craft kit.
  
• a small set of glitter markers for each girl.
  
• a box of sparkly crayons for each girl.
  
• a roll of shimmery washi tape.
  
• I tucked the smaller craft supplies into a super sparkly pouch for each girl.
  

Other ideas to tuck inside:

• Glitter glue.
• Glitter slime.
• Packages of loose glitter. (If you think the parents are exceptionally brave/tolerant of sparkle!)

Other books you might consider:

• Glitter by Stella J. Jones and Judi Abbot
• A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young

Have you ever given a themed family gift basket at the holidays? What book would your kids most like a gift basket built around? Let me know in the comments below!