If your teen recently went back to college, or is a freshman in their first year, you bet they are feeling a mixed bag of emotions. They are excited about what lies ahead of them, but I'm sure part of them is a bit nervous and missing the comfort of home.
A great way to lift their spirits is to send them a gift box from home to brighten their day. Sure, you could go and buy a pre-made gift box, BUT...YOU know their favorite baked goods. YOU know what size clothing they wear. YOU know what they truly like. I put together some gift box ideas that you can duplicate or use as inspiration to create your own boxes. The Disguise The Surprise dividers create sections and hold the items in place if you need to mail your gift box to your student.
The first box layout is for a girl, but you can change the items for a boy. I used white dividers and included some really fun items. I put some homemade cookies in a tin. I found this silver tin at Michael's, but The Container Store has silver tins (their "small" is the same size as the one I used) and Dollar Tree also has some rigid boxes that would work. I highly recommend putting them in a sealed bag to keep them from making a mess. I also added a courage bracelet from TJ Maxx (in-store only), Encouragement cards from Target, a Que Bella face mask from Target, hair ties from Nordstrom Rack and 2 gift cards to their favorite restaurants. I used Chick-fil-a (purchase in store, or online they have e-gift cards) & Smoothie King. Add some comfy socks (Target, Nordstrom, TJ Maxx, Macy's...lots of places), money rolled up and lip balm. I used EOS lip balm from Target (pack of 4) in this box. I removed them from the packaging so they could fit in the smaller vertical sections along the sides. You can do that to any item if the packaging is not fitting.
The image below shows you exactly where to place the dividers for this layout. But again, the dividers are adjustable and you can move them around to fit the items you purchase.
At the beginning of the school year, the first big holiday will be Halloween. Your kiddos might miss all the traditions and celebrations they had at home. This is an easy and really fun way to put a Halloween themed box together for your child. The box below was geared towards a boy, but you could certainly give it to anyone. I used clear dividers in this box.
Old Navy has some really fun Halloween themed lounge pants for both boys and girls. The top left has a bag of
gummy brains from Target. A strand of orange lights would be really fun for them to string somewhere in their dorm room. I found this one at
Dollar Tree. Target also has small wooden tombstones they could place on their desk (the black & gray in the box). You can find them in-store in the front dollar section (I could not find online). I put a gift card to
Smoothie King in for a treat. The Dollar Tree has some fun small items to fill spaces as well. I included some skulls and
plastic eyeballs in this box. I put some chocolate kisses in here, but again, if mailing this, I would put them in a sealed bag for protection. If you don't want chocolate, you could put something like a bag of Skittles. I used one of the
creepy cloths in this box to make it really festive on top of the orange tissue paper. You can get them anywhere, but I got mine at Dollar Tree. You might need to cut it smaller. If you can't find some of the items that I used, remember individually wrapped candy is always a hit for these college kids.
The image below shows you exactly where to place the dividers for this layout. But again, the dividers are adjustable and you can move them around to fit the items you purchase.
This next box was geared towards a girl with a Halloween theme using clear dividers. I found some really cute lounge pants at TJ Maxx. I don't see them online, but check your local store. Go early, for these these things sell out fast. They had many styles to choose from.
Old Navy also has some cute ones in the men's section, but they can be unisex. A pair of Halloween socks would be fun. These slipper socks are from
TJ Maxx (check your local store), but you can find them in many places like
Target as well. Your teen daughter would love a piece of Halloween themed jewelry. These skull earrings are from TJ Maxx (they don't sell these items online). I included a strand of
pumpkin lights that she could hang in her dorm room. You can find them at lots of places, but I found this one at the Dollar Tree. Target has some cute small plush items to use as well, like the bat in this box (not online, but check the front dollar section of your local Target). Candy is always welcomed by any teen and the Halloween size pieces are great to fill the small sections.
The Dollar Tree has some ball ornaments that look like pumpkins in orange, black and purple. I used those to line the left section in this box. I also added a
black bat clip in the bottom left that I found at Dollar Tree. You could swap with more candy as well. Super festive!
The image below shows you exactly where to place the dividers for this layout. But again, the dividers are adjustable and you can move them around to fit the items you purchase.
I was a guest on our local NBC KSDK Show Me St. Louis where I walked though these gift box ideas.
Click here to watch the segment and get a better look at some of these fun ideas.
College kids LOVE to get a box from home in the mail. These are just a few examples of how you can use the dividers to create a layout that is custom to your gifts. The dividers are available in 5 colors (clear, white, blue, red & green). You can purchase the dividers with or without a shirt box on the site. The shirt boxes I sell will fit perfectly. There is a hinge on the bottom of the long pieces that folds to fit some store bought boxes. Just keep in mind that if you follow the exact layouts above and use your own box, you might need to adjust if it is a bit shorter.
The dividers are REUSABLE, Recyclable & Made in The USA. Your college student could reuse them when making a gift box for someone else. I could see this working really well for a Sorority box. You could include the remaining dividers from the set when you mail the package, or keep the rest for yourself. OR, your student could repurpose them and use as a drawer separator. They work great for hair accessories, jewelry or even socks.
I hope these box examples spark your imagination and desire to do something special and personal for your college student. They would absolutely LOVE to get a box like this from home.
I hope all your students have a great year!
Duffy
