Halloween is fast approaching, and if you're looking for a unique and fun way to surprise your kids and neighbors this year, it’s time to jump on the viral boo basket trend!
What is a boo basket, you ask?
It's a gift basket full of spooky treats and Halloween goodies, left anonymously on the porch of a friend or neighbor.
It's a great way to spread some Halloween cheer. Often the basket comes with instructions for the recipient to pay it forward and create a boo basket of their own to leave for someone else. And it's all the rage on TikTok these days.
In this blog, we'll give you some creative ideas for making a boo basket that will be the talk of the block! Specifically, we'll tell you what to put in your boo basket to make it a hit with kids.
So, what should you put in your Boo Basket?
The possibilities are endless, but here are a few suggestions:
1. Candy (of course), is an easy crowd pleaser.
Unless you know the dietary needs and preferences of the kids you’re leaving this boo basket for, I suggest choosing a candy free of the top 8 allergens to ensure that most kids can eat the candy.
- Yum Earth makes a variety of absolutely delicious lollipops and other organic, allergy-friendly fruit candies that adults and kids will happily devour.
We also love Annies fruit snack packs. This time of year they release Halloween-specific snack packs that include bats in addition to their usual bunnies.
We find both on display at Whole Foods. The kids love them! Including these two candies will definitely upgrade your boo basket game!
For more allergy-friendly candy choices refer to a comprehensive allergy-friendly candy guide like this one.
However, to make the ultimate boo basket, you have to think beyond candy, for 3 big reasons.
For one, most candy is small and won’t fill out a basket or make a big statement.
Candy also doesn't tend to last long- it’s eaten quickly.
Plus, many parents can be reluctant to let their kids eat too much candy, or candy that came from an unknown, anonymous source.
True story: my daughter was the recipient of a surprise boo basket. Because it was a random bag of candy that mysteriously appeared on our porch, and we had never heard of a boo basket before, my husband was insistent that we not let Kiara eat any of the candy and threw the whole thing away. She found out at school the next day that it was left by her friend. Oops! So while most people love candy, it’s wise to include other fun items that are not ingestible as well. It will give your boo basket some credibility with skeptical or unknowing parents.
To truly make your boo basket stand out from the rest, we recommend including our Fun-4-Kids Happy Halloween Activity Book. Why?
For one, it's just plain cute, and it’s printed in full color, so it makes for good “eye candy” in the basket.
It’s a big item, with dimensions at 8.5x11, so it will really fill up your basket and help add height, color, and visual interest to it.
It’s perfect for elementary kids of all age ranges, so families with multiple kids will love it. It's filled with 40 pages of Halloween puzzles, coloring pages, mazes, and more, so parents will appreciate that you’re helping keep their kiddos occupied for multiple hours.
If you’re convinced that an activity book is a great addition to your killer boo basket, then you’ll just need a few more perfect complements to round out that basket. Some ideas are:
Crayons
Colored pencils
Markers
Finger paints
Glitter
Stickers
Decorative pens or pencils
A few more affordable but fun and crafty items to throw in could include:
Spooky temporary tattoos,
Halloween-themed cookie cutters
Mini pumpkins or gourds
A pumpkin carving kit
Fake blood capsules and vampire teeth
Halloween face paint kit
Last but not least, consider throwing in a cute and cuddly addition.
A small Halloween stuffed animal is a nice touch. In particular, Squishmallows seem to be real crowd pleasers with the kiddos these days. You can find some really cute ones at places like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Five Below, and Walgreens.
All of these additional goodies will make your Boo Basket even more exciting and memorable. If you included even half of the things on this list, you’re sure to create the best boo basket your neighborhood kids will have ever seen.
But here’s a couple of last tips:
When creating your boo basket, don't forget to add a special touch that makes it your own, such as a personal note or a customized label.
Use a fun basket, such as a witch's cauldron or a plastic pumpkin.
The more personalized and unique your basket is, the more memorable it will be. And the less it will look like a suspicious package from the neighborhood creepo that your husband insists you throw away, haha!
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