31 Christmas Eve Box Ideas for Kids by Age (Toddler to 8)

Soft, snug-fit footed pajamas in a Christmas print are the one filler every toddler box shares. Buy one size up so the feet still fit on New Year's, and pick cotton over fleece if your house runs warm. Take the tags off and wash them before the 24th so they go straight on after the bath. If the box has nothing else in it, it still counts.

Ages: 1 to 3.

Cost: $12 to $25, or free if you wrap a pair they already own.

Safety: choose snug-fit or flame-resistant sleepwear as labeled, and skip pajamas with drawstrings or loose buttons.

A single board book about Christmas Eve, a snowman or the nativity, depending on your family, becomes the bedtime read that night and most nights until New Year's. Board books are the right call under 3 because the pages survive being chewed and thrown, and the same book comes out of the box again next year, which is what makes it a tradition. Read it on the couch with the lights off and the tree on.

Ages: 1 to 3.

Cost: $5 to $10, or free from the library.

Safety: board books only, no lift-the-flap books with small paper tabs for babies who still mouth things.

The toddler version of a Christmas Eve activity is a bath with crayons that draw on the tile. Drop two or three in the box, run the bath right after the box is opened, and let them scribble a tree on the wall while you rinse. Wipes off with the shower head. It fills the gap between pajamas and bedtime that usually turns into a meltdown, and it needs nothing you have to set up or clean later.

Ages: 18 months to 3.

Prep: none.

Mess: low, washes off tile.

Supplies: bath crayons.

Safety: a grown-up stays within arm's reach for the whole bath; bath crayons are not for mouthing, so take them away at the first bite.

Give the cocoa in a cup with two handles and a lid so the Christmas Eve cocoa is theirs without ending up on the pajamas. Make it warm, not hot, with mostly milk and a spoon of the cocoa mix, and skip hard marshmallows for anyone under 3. The cup is the part that lasts: it becomes the cocoa cup every December after that, and toddlers remember objects more than events.

Ages: 1 to 3.

Cost: $6 to $12 for the cup; the cocoa packet is pennies.

Safety: test the temperature on your wrist, use mini marshmallows only for 3 and up, and never leave a toddler alone with a hot drink.

One soft toy with a Christmas theme, a reindeer or a snowman, gives a toddler a thing to carry from the box to the bath to bed. Choose plush over anything that lights up or plays music: light-up toys often run on button batteries, which are the one thing you do not want in a 2 year old's bed. Machine washable is worth paying for, because this one is going everywhere.

Ages: 1 to 3.

Cost: $10 to $20.

Safety: check for sewn, not glued, eyes, no bead or bell fillings, and no button batteries anywhere in the toy.

Three chunky crayons and one coloring sheet, a tree or a stocking, is a 10 minute filler that costs under $5 and keeps a toddler at the table while you make the cocoa. Jumbo crayons are easier for small fists than regular ones and harder to snap into pieces. Tape the finished sheet to the fridge next to the cookie plate so Santa can see it.

Ages: 1 to 3.

Prep: 1 minute to print.

Mess: low.

Supplies: jumbo crayons, a printed coloring page.

Safety: sit with them; jumbo crayons are made to be hard to break, but a broken end still goes in a mouth.

Slipper socks with rubber grips on the bottom are the practical filler: new, cozy, Christmas-patterned and useful for the Christmas morning stair run. For a toddler, pick the kind with grips across the whole sole and a stretchy cuff they can pull on themselves. They are also the cheapest way to make a box feel full, because socks take up more room than they cost.

Ages: 1 to 3 (and every age after).

Cost: $8 to $15 a pair, less in a multipack.

Safety: grips on hardwood only help if the socks fit; too-big socks bunch under the foot and slip.

A small jar of rolled oats mixed with a spoon of birdseed, with a tag that says to sprinkle it on the grass before bed so the reindeer can find the house. Toddlers love the sprinkling, and the sweeping arm motion is the whole activity. Skip glitter and sugar sprinkles; birds eat what is left, and plain oats and seed are fine for them. The printable tag at the end of this post has the reindeer food label.

Ages: 1 to 3 (works to 8).

Prep: 2 minutes.

Mess: low, outside.

Cost: free from the pantry.

Supplies: rolled oats, a spoon of birdseed, a small jar, the printable tag.

Safety: no glitter, no small candies in the mix, and a grown-up holds the jar so it is not eaten by the handful.

Let a 4 year old choose the pajama print in November, then wrap them so they forget. Opening the pair they picked is a bigger moment than a surprise pair, and it ends the pajama argument before it starts. Two-piece cotton sets work for this age; footed pajamas start to fight with the 5 year old who wants to be big.

Ages: 4 to 5.

Cost: $14 to $28.

Safety: sleepwear labeled snug-fit or flame-resistant; wash before wearing.

One new picture book is the heart of the box for this age. Pick the story you want to read every Christmas Eve from now on, because that is what will happen. Classic choices run from the night before Christmas to a snowman story to a nativity book, depending on your family. Read it last, after the lights walk and the cocoa, with the tree lights on.

Ages: 4 to 5.

Cost: $8 to $18, or borrow it from the library and buy it next year if it sticks.

A small handled mug that is theirs, with a cocoa packet and a snack bag of mini marshmallows, turns cocoa into an event. Let them pour the marshmallows in themselves. The mug comes out of the box every December, and by 8 they will ask for it by name. Make the cocoa warm, not hot, since a 4 year old drinks fast.

Ages: 4 to 5.

Cost: $8 to $15 for the mug and cocoa.

Safety: warm, not hot, and mini marshmallows only; whole marshmallows are a choking risk under 5.

A small flashlight with a wrist strap is the filler that creates the rest of the evening: a walk around the block to look at lights, or a hunt for Santa's sleigh in the sky, or a flashlight read under the blanket. Preschoolers love owning a light. If you live where it is too cold for a walk, the lights drive in pajamas works the same, and the flashlight rides along.

Ages: 4 to 5 (to 8).

Prep: none.

Mess: none.

Supplies: a kids flashlight, batteries, coats over the pajamas.

Safety: AA or AAA batteries, not button cells; hold hands near the street and keep the walk to 20 minutes in the cold.

A sheet of reusable window clings or a sticker scene gives a 4 year old a 15 minute job while dinner clears: decorate the window by the tree. Clings peel off and go back on, so there is no mess and no glue, and the window stays decorated through New Year's. It is also the easiest filler to find for under $5.

Ages: 3 to 5.

Prep: none.

Mess: none.

Supplies: window clings or a sticker scene sheet.

Safety: clings are not for mouths; for a 3 year old, hand them one at a time.

An ornament with their name or the year goes on the tree before bed as the last job of the night. By 8 they have a small collection that is theirs to hang every year, which is the kind of tradition that survives into the teenage years. Paint-your-own ornaments double as the evening's craft, if you want one.

Ages: 4 to 5.

Cost: $5 to $15.

Safety: shatterproof ornaments for this age, and metal hooks replaced with a ribbon loop.

Put one plain sugar cookie and a small tube of icing in the box, or a mini decorating kit, and the evening gets its craft: decorate Santa's cookie, set it on the plate with a carrot for the reindeer, done. For a 4 year old, one cookie is the right number. A kit with pre-baked cookies saves the baking afternoon that nobody has on the 24th.

Ages: 4 to 5 (to 8).

Prep: 2 minutes.

Mess: medium, sprinkles.

Supplies: a plain cookie, icing, sprinkles, Santa's plate.

Safety: nut-free kits if cousins are visiting; sprinkles are small, so sit with a 3 year old sibling.

The 'something to do' in a preschool box does not have to cost anything. Print a Christmas bingo board or an I spy page, fold it into the bottom of the box, and play it at the table while the cocoa cools. Our free Christmas scavenger hunt cards work here too: tape the 12 picture cards around the living room before dinner and let the hunt start as soon as the box is open.

Ages: 3 to 5.

Prep: 5 minutes to print and tape.

Mess: none.

Cost: free.

Supplies: a printed bingo board or picture cards, tape, stickers for markers.

Safety: stickers and bingo chips stay away from toddler siblings.

By 6, the ask is usually to match the grown-ups. A family set in the box, with the adult pairs wrapped for the parents, makes the Christmas morning photo and turns bedtime into a thing the whole house does together. Buy in early November; the popular prints sell out of kids' sizes first.

Ages: 6 to 8 (sets run from baby to adult).

Cost: $20 to $45 a set.

Safety: snug-fit cotton or labeled flame-resistant; no drawstrings on the kids' pairs.

A short chapter book they read themselves, or a Christmas joke book they read to the family at dinner, replaces the picture book at this age. Joke books win for 6 year olds who are new readers because every page is a finish line. Chapter books win for 8 year olds who want to stay up. Either way, bedtime reading in new pajamas is the end of the evening.

Ages: 6 to 8.

Cost: $6 to $12.

Write a homemade ticket for the Christmas movie you have already picked, and tuck it in with a bag of microwave popcorn or a popcorn kit. The ticket is the filler; the movie is the activity. Keep it to one movie, in pajamas, after the box, and let them hold the remote. For a box of siblings, one ticket each with assigned seats on the couch settles the usual fight.

Ages: 6 to 8.

Prep: 2 minutes to write the ticket.

Mess: low, popcorn.

Supplies: a handwritten ticket, popcorn, a bowl.

Safety: popcorn is a choking hazard under 4, so toddler siblings get a different snack.

A cocoa bomb in the box, dropped into a mug of hot milk at the table, is the filler 6 to 8 year olds remember: the shell cracks, the marshmallows float up, and the cocoa makes itself. One bomb per kid, hot milk poured by a grown-up. It costs more than a cocoa packet and earns it on this one night.

Ages: 6 to 8.

Cost: $10 to $20 for a box of four to six.

Safety: the milk is hot, so a grown-up pours; the hard chocolate shell is for 6 and up, not for the toddler at the same table.

A small kit with two or three wooden or ceramic ornaments, paint and ribbon gives an 8 year old a 20 minute craft that ends on the tree. Put a sheet of newspaper in the box with it. Painted ornaments from the Christmas Eve box, dated on the back, become the ones they hang first every year after.

Ages: 6 to 8.

Prep: 2 minutes to spread newspaper.

Mess: medium, paint.

Supplies: ornament kit, newspaper, a cup of water, paper towels.

Safety: washable paint only, and the ornaments dry overnight before they go on the tree.

One fast card game that everyone from the 6 year old to grandma can play, with rules that fit on a card, gives the evening a shared half hour after the box and before the movie. Keep it under 15 minutes a round and let the kids deal. Avoid anything with 50 tiny pieces; cards go back in the box when the night is done.

Ages: 6 to 8 (and the grown-ups).

Cost: $7 to $15.

Safety: games with small tokens stay off the floor when there is a toddler in the house.

At 6 to 8, the reindeer food is a job, not a gift: a scoop of oats, a spoon of birdseed and a small jar in the box, and they mix it, label it with the printable tag and sprinkle it on the lawn after the movie. Add a note from Santa asking for a double batch this year and the whole thing takes on a mission.

Ages: 6 to 8.

Prep: 2 minutes.

Mess: low.

Cost: free from the pantry.

Supplies: oats, birdseed, a jar, the printable tag, a spoon.

Safety: no glitter or candy in the mix; birds will eat it in the morning.

A 100 to 200 piece building set, a mini Christmas tree or a tiny sleigh, keeps a 7 year old busy for 30 minutes at the table while the grown-ups finish the wrapping. Pick a set that finishes in one sitting, not a 1,000 piece project that spills into Christmas morning. Keep the finished build on the mantel until New Year's.

Ages: 6 to 8.

Cost: $8 to $15.

Safety: small bricks are a choking hazard for siblings under 3; build at the table and sweep the floor after.

The classic $1 filler. One wrapped candy cane in the box, a hook on the tree for it afterward, and the rest of the pack becomes tree decorations. Skip it for toddlers, and for everyone else make the deal in advance: the cane is for Christmas Day, not bedtime.

Ages: 4 to 8.

Cost: under $1 each in a pack.

Safety: hard candy is a choking hazard under 4, and a broken cane has sharp edges; the toddler's box gets a soft filler instead.

A one-page letter, folded and sealed with a sticker, that says the box is from Santa's workshop (or from Mom and Dad, see below) and tells them the plan for the evening: pajamas on, cocoa at the table, reindeer food on the lawn, lights out by 8. Kids who can read will read it out loud; kids who cannot will have it read to them three times. It costs nothing and it is the filler they keep.

Ages: 2 to 8.

Prep: 5 minutes.

Cost: free.

Supplies: a sheet of paper, a sticker or a bit of ribbon.

A multipack of Christmas socks splits into one pair per box across three kids for under $4 a child. Socks fill space, they are new, and they get worn on Christmas morning. Roll them so they look like a present rather than laundry.

Ages: 1 to 8.

Cost: $8 to $14 for a pack of three to six.

A full Christmas coloring book from the dollar aisle, paired with crayons they already own, is the cheapest 20 minute activity in the box. It also travels to grandma's house on the 25th. Fold the first page over and write their name on it.

Ages: 3 to 8.

Cost: $1 to $8.

Two glow bracelets per kid, cracked and snapped on before the lights walk, cost pennies out of a bulk pack and make the walk feel like an event. They also make kids easy to spot on a dark sidewalk. Hand them out at the door, not in the box, if you have a toddler who will chew them.

Ages: 3 to 8.

Cost: $6 to $12 for a bulk pack of 100.

Safety: glow sticks are not for mouths; the liquid is not meant to be swallowed, so supervise under 5 and throw away any that crack open.

A large decorative key on a ribbon with a tag that says it opens the front door for Santa, hung on the door handle before bed. It answers the no-chimney question for 5 to 8 year olds and becomes a yearly job: hang the key, then bed. Under $10, and you can make one from any old key and a ribbon.

Ages: 4 to 8.

Cost: $5 to $12, or free with a spare key and ribbon.

Safety: hang it out of reach of toddlers, and use a real, old key, not a small novelty one, if a 2 year old is in the house.

Wash the Christmas pajamas from last year, borrow one picture book from the library, put a cocoa packet from the pantry in a mug you already have, print the free tags at the end of this post, and fill a jar with oats for the reindeer. Put it all in a shoebox covered in last year's wrapping paper. The box opens, the pajamas go on, the book gets read. Your child does not know the difference, and this is the version most families started with.

Ages: 1 to 8.

Prep: 15 minutes.

Cost: $0.

Supplies: pajamas, a library book, a cocoa packet, a mug, oats, a shoebox, wrapping paper, the printable tags.