Operation Christmas Child with Young Kids

Good News.  Great Joy.

We look forward to participating in Operation Christmas Child every year.  We have done it several years from before we had kids to now.  It's such a great way to get involved and share the gospel/spirit of Christmas around the world.

Samaritan's Purse is an amazing organization.  They are very involved in helping people all over the world.  You can read all about their Operation Christmas Child mission here.

I showed  this video 25 Years of Operation Christmas Child to my kids and it made me cry!  You could just see the JOY that these boxes bring to so many children.  This video really helped my kids connect with the project and it was neat to look back on how much this project has grown in 25 years.

November 12-19 is collection week so you still have several days to fill those boxes.  Go to their website for more information and to see pick up locations.  We don't live in a big city and I found seven drop off location options for us.  We sent them through our church, but it was nice to know we had several different options.  They ask for a $9 donation/box to cover shipping costs, but it is not required.

Our kids are young so I know it can be tricky to find ways for them to serve others.  They love to help me deliver meals to families, visit elderly neighbors, write notes of encouragement and cookies and they had a great time packing Operation Christmas Child boxes this year.

They both got really into finding items for their boy and girl.  We opted to do one child at their same age/gender.  It was really easy for them to connect with and find items for because they were able to think about things that they love to share with others.

We pulled items from our bins of extra things around the house - new packages of stickers, hair accessories, art supplies, etc.  We shopped for school supplies hygiene items and shirts.  We did a mix of brand new items and gently used items this year.

Age 2-4 Girl Box ideas:
stuffed animal
beanie babies
toy horses
bouncy balls
index cards
crayons
markers
sidewalk chalk
bracelets
hair accessories
sunglasses
cup
spoon
floss
tooth brush
soap
shirt
socks
Hatchimals - I was especially excited for Olive to add a handful of Hatchimals to her box.  We talked all about giving to others and sharing things we had with needy people around the world.  Olive thought about it and picked out a handful of Hatchimal characters to add to her box.  Totally her idea.  She LOVES her Hatchimals so I was extra proud of her for going outside of her comfort zone to share happiness with other kids.

Age 2-4 Boy Box Ideas:
large car
beanie babies
matchbox cars
index cards
crayons
markers
sidewalk chalk
zippered pouch
mini football
bouncy balls
sunglasses
cup
spoon
floss
tooth brush
soap
shirt
socks

Fletcher was really sweet.  We added cars to the box to giveaway and he kept coming up with cars from his stash of favorite to share.  I know he's young, but it makes me so happy to see him sharing things he loves with others.

It's amazing how quickly these boxes fill up!!  We had hoped to add in some bandaids, a wash cloth, hair brushes and mini notepads, but we ran out of time.  We also thought about adding in some shoes, jump ropes, harmonicas or games like tic tac toe/marbles/jacks.  Maybe next year!

What are your favorite things to include in Operation Christmas Child boxes?  Leave me a comment with your ideas so I can look at it when we're assembling our boxes for next year.

We prayed for the kids who'd be receiving our boxes, added in some personalized art and added a rubber band to each box.  It was really fun to deliver these boxes to church and see a HUGE pile of boxes waiting to be picked up. 

Don't worry if you're not able to get things together this year to participate. 

I'd encourage you to start collecting items NOW and you'll be set to join in the Operation Christmas Child service project next year.  I save happy meal toys, stock up on art supplies during back to school sales, keep an eye out at the dollar spot and Dollar tree for items and put things back all year long.  That way we are not scrambling to shop for everything new when November rolls around.