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DIY Wooden Book Box for Kids

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This DIY wooden book box for kids is the perfect gift to start their library! The unique gift idea for a baby shower or for Christmas or a birthday!

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Every year, my family does a homemade gift exchange for Christmas. The adults all switch names with each other and the grandkids (cousins) all exchange names.

It’s pretty much our favorite part of the holidays, and I’m always so impressed with what the kids come up with! We’ve had so many creative ideas over the years from Star Wars trash cans, watercolor pillows and personalized photo plaques.

The ideas are always so personalized. Best of all, though, I love that my kids are growing up knowing their cousins so well!

This year, my almost 16 year-old son drew his newest cousin’s name, my nephew who is only 9 months old. But even with the age gap and not yet knowing what interests his cousin will have, my son still managed to pull off a pretty cool gift!

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Supplies to Make Wooden Book Box:

Wooden Box
White Vinyl
Cricut (or other cutting machine)
Cut File

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Directions to Make  Book Box:

I’m going to make this super easy for you guys… all you have to do is use this file I created in Design Space! It’s already sized the exact size you need for that specific box too!

Just print it out, weed your vinyl and then use transfer tape to transfer it to your box. If you aren’t familiar with how to use a Cricut or just need a refresher, be sure to check out my Cricut 101 post. It will show you exactly how easy it is to use!

Now you could go completely DIY on me and make your own box. They aren’t hard if you follow an easy tutorial like this one from I Should Be Mopping the Floor for how to build your own wood box.

But it was December and we were already busy and it is FREEZING outside. So we bought ours and it was the perfect size for what we wanted!

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Kids’ Books to Start a Library:

When my son started looking for books to fill his cousin’s book bin, he originally thought he wanted to find books in the project’s theme. I.e. he thought he was looking for board books for Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

But then he also started veering off in the direction of some of his favorite Christmas books. Since my kids were toddlers, we always incorporated a book tradition as part of our Advent.  I think my son was in the Christmas spirit and wanted to make sure his newest cousin had some of those favorites as well!

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Books to Start a Christmas Collection:

The books below are a great start, but if you’re looking for specific ages and stages you might want to check out Christmas books for toddlers or Christmas books for babies

Llama Llama Jingle Bells– We’re huge fans of all the Llama Llama books! The illustrations are fantastic and they always make us chuckle!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer– You can’t go wrong with Rudolph or a Little Golden book! This is a must for any Christmas collection as far as I’m concerned.

The Berenstain Bears and the Christmas Angel– I don’t understand how there’s one person on the face of this Earth who doesn’t love the Berenstain Bears! They’ll always be my favorite!

Bear Stays Up for Christmas– We have all of our Bear books saved for my future grandkids, because we love them so much!

The Sweet Smell of Christmas– This is a book I grew up with and keeps getting passed down. It reminds me of those scratch & sniff stickers from our childhood. In fact, as I was wrapping my son’s gift for his baby cousin, I saw that he had written on the inside cover without me even realizing. My eyes tear up every time I read this!

Book to pass down to kids

Books for a Baby Shower Gift:

Choose from the best books for baby’s first year or check out some of our family favorites below!

The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule– I still have this book from my childhood!

The Berenstain Bears Kindness Counts– I know, I know… I’m telling you, I really like the Berenstain Bears!

Star Wars: I am a Jedi– My son wanted to get a book that reminds him of his uncle too, so Star Wars was an easy choice!

If Animals Kissed Goodnight– A sweet bedtime book for the little animal lover!

Giraffes Can’t Dance– One of my favorites about dreaming big and going for your goals!

The Saggy Baggy Elephant– Raise your hand if you remember this one from your childhood!

Bear Feels Sick– I feel like the Bear books are almost a modern Berenstain Bears where you get to see into their cool homes and watch all the animals work together!

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I’m telling you, I just absolutely love our homemade gift tradition! It tickles me to no end to think of these gifts a few years down the road still being enjoyed by everyone!

To see some other homemade gift ideas we’ve made be sure to check out these posts:

DIY Homemade Gifts

String Art

Specimen Art

Blanket Ladder

 

And be sure to PIN THIS POST so you can remember where you found the cut file!

DIY Wooden Book Box for Kids Gift