How To Make a Magical Kindergarten Care Package Your Child Will LOVE
Hey, mama.
We all want our littles (now bigs!) to feel empowered, safe and good in their transition to Kindergarten. If your little is just getting ready to start or had a rough transition in the past few weeks, here is a care package idea that is magical, whimsical and they are certain to love and feel loved by!
This is a very easy and accessible entry into whimsy, imagination and magic for your kid, even if you yourself struggle to access that part of yourself. Maybe you are the king or queen of imagination in your household - amazing! Add your own flair and words and additions to this project.
Let’s get started.
First, gather some materials. You will need:
Paper - It’s fun to use velum! It makes the gift feel more magical as it is so different from paper usually used at home.
Ribbon - any yarn or ribbon will do, but if you are looking for supplies, these are so great!
Small Containers - These can be discarded tiny jewelry boxes, jelly jars, anything small that can be wrapped up nicely. Here are some buying options if you aren’t a pack-rat like me: boxes, glassine envelopes, coin envelopes, mini glassine pouch
And aside from stickers and decorative items, that should be it. Oh, and the item to be scavenged for, of course. But I’ll get to that below. A thrift store is a great place to scavenge for unique and wild items your kids will love too! Both for containers and the magical item itself.
A picture of my daughter’s care package after being opened and raided :) Keep it simple or go sparkle-and-shine!
Recipe for Magic:
Length of Time to Assemble: 15 minutes
Amount of Joy Contained Here: Unlimited
Calories: None
You can either head over to my Freebie Page and download the printable version with instructions or read through here and I will outline it in much the same way, with some added links if you need more inspiration/want to spruce it up.
Follow the instructions for each section below. You can either write out the instructions in your handwriting (or a fairy’s!) on the paper of your choice or print out the freebie printable.
Magical Item #1:
Dragon Stone
(For gift-giver to find: a small stone that can fit in child’s pocket easily. A stone that is round and smooth is preferable, but any stone is great. Or go all-in with this )
(Write the following)
Brings both bravery and calm. Rub fingers over surface. Fast for bravery, slow for calm.
Feel that tingle in your toes? That means it’s working!
Careful: Warms to touch.
Magical Item #2:
Healing Wand
(For gift-giver to do/find: A small, unique stick. Or just any old stick that will fit in child’s hand/envelope. For integrity purposes: blow kisses for it to hold :)
(Write the following )
If you get an owie: Hold this wand in your hand close to the owie. Watch closely! You will see our kisses blow out. We left lots inside.
Warning: Keep away from lizards.
Magical Item #3:
Communicator
(For gift-giver to find: A small bead, button, metal nut, etc. Anything with a hole in the middle. Check here if you are struggling)
(Write the following)
For when you are missing your parent(s):
Blow through the hold in the beads to send a magical message to your parents. We can feel your love and hear the magic!
For best results: Make sure to blow extra hard so the message gets to us!
Magical Item #4:
Joy Stone
(For gift-giver to find: A small stone, unique size and shape if possible. But any stone is great. Or here for a magic stone)
(Write the following)
For when you are sad:
Hold this rock by your ear - there is a love song hidden inside from your family!
Close your eyes and stand on one foot to hear even better.
Warning: Do not use while eating.
Magical Item #5:
Moonbeam
(For gift-giver to find: a small piece of cloth, yarn, string, etc that is white or blue or silver. Or these cool stones work too)
(Write the following)
Hang in room for moon protection and love as you sleep. Keeps all the bad dreams away and sings good dream ideas all night long.
Careful: Do not use after eating ice cream.
Magical Item #6:
Magical Dragon Scale
(For gift-giver to find: A small piece of metal: a discarded button, scrap metal (not sharp!), an old earring, etc. Or gemstone like this. Or really go for it with this )
(Write the following)
Gives the holder dragon powers (fire, ferocity, fearlessness, excessive bravery).
To use: blow on scale. Spin twice. Bow to a tree.
Best used outdoors, in damp weather.
Magical Item #7:
Memory Catcher:
(For gift-giver to find: tie a bundle of yarn together to form a kind of tassel. Or find a tassel)
(Write the following)
Made of: raindrops, gingerbread, snail songs, unicorn hair.
When the day feels long and you miss home:
Shake this over your head. It’s full of hugs and kisses and makes time move faster! Your family can feel it, too and are thinking of you in that moment!
Warning: Unicorn hair is known to cause allergic reactions in some.
Assembly:
Pair the cut out paper (or written paper) and the magical item and find a separate envelope or tiny box for each. The more magical the better - think colorful envelopes, stickers, tiny toiletry boxes, yarn wrappings, anything to spruce it up. Reference beginning of this post for ideas and links if needed.
Gather all of these tiny packages (you should have 7 separate envelopes or boxes - or however many items below you decide to use) into a larger box. The separate packages make it feel so much more magical - each can be unwrapped and explored separately. (My daughter said, “Mama! I love that there are so many!”) Wrap it up with lots of string, yarn, paper, stickers, you name it. Then choose a way to gift: old fashioned gifting: “for you!”. Or a treasure hunt. Or a fairy hunt. Or... your imagination is the limit.
Ok, mama, papa, auntie, uncle. I hope you found some magic out there and actually had fun making this care package. Add glitter. Add sparkle. Shake in some extra magic however you would like. I cant wait to hear how your kiddos like it!
And I so hope Kindergarten starts out full of wonder and magic and as few tears as possible. You’ve got this, mama. And so do they.