Do you know a child who is ill? Maybe they broke their leg and are stuck in the hospital, or maybe they are at home on bed rest. They are probably bored and feeling ignored. A get-well gift basket is a really nice way to help make them feel better! This article will show you are to build a great get-well gift basket, full of items to entertain a child!

The Basics

You'll need a couple basic items with which to build any gift basket. First, obviously, you'll need a basket. Purchase a medium to large wicker basket at your local craft store. Also get some plastic cellophane wrap. Make sure there's enough to fully cover the basket. You can get this in clear, or go for a cheerful color, like yellow or blue. Lastly, get some decorative ribbon to match the cellophane or basket.

Toys

Now it's time to get the actual gifts. First get a medium to large sized stuffed animal. If you know the child has a favorite animal, get them the plush version. Or, you could just get them the classic get-well teddy bear. A plush animal is a great thing to provide some comfort when they're not feeling well. This will also be the focal point of the basket because it is a larger item.

Next, get some other items to fill in the basket. Focus on entertainment. After all, a sick or bedridden child is often one bored kid. Coloring books are a great option for a young child or young-adult fiction novels for an older child. Puzzle and activity books are also a fun item, or DVDs of Disney or other kid's movies. Besides books and DVDs, you could also get small toys. Things like action figures or dolls, games or puzzles, and even arts and craft kits. So for an example, let's say you're putting together a basket for a child in the 5-7 age range. Get them a stuffed animal, a couple of coloring books, a box of crayons, and a fun card game like Skip-Bo that they can play with visitors. This is an affordable option, with lots of things to keep them busy.

Assembly

Once you've gotten everything purchased, it's time for that final step: assembly your gift basket. First, take the wicker basket and arrange your gifts in it. Remember, the stuffed animal is your focal point and the largest item so arrange it in the middle and back of the basket. Now arrange the other, smaller items so they surround the stuffed animal. Hopefully, things will be packed in tightly enough that everything won't shift around easily, but if not a little scotch tape might make everything stay where you want it.

Once the gifts are arranged, lay the large piece of cellophane wrap flat on the floor. Place the wicker basket with toys in the center of the plastic. Pull the edges of the cellophane up so it surrounds the basket and the edges meet at the top. There should enough cellophane available at the top to gather together and tie with the decorative ribbon. And there you have it! A great gift-basket to entertain a sick or injured child!