30+ Box of Sunshine Ideas + Free Printables

A Box of Sunshine is the PERFECT way to brighten someone’s day. They can be simple or fancy – there are so many fun ideas for what you could put in them. Here are over 30 inexpensive ideas that anyone could enjoy. We are also including a free printable to make this even easier to do!

We all have tough times in our lives, but one thing that has helped me through those times is the support and love I’ve received from my loved ones – including a box of sunshine.

I can honestly say it meant so much to me and definitely lifted my gloomy spirits.

The idea behind a “Box of Sunshine” is to fill a box (or basket, tub, bag, etc.) with fun, bright, and yellow goodies to help “brighten” someone’s day– get it?

Once you start looking, there are so many fun goodies out there that are yellow in color or that go along with a sunny, glowy theme. If you want to put together a Box of Sunshine, I’ve put together a HUGE list of fun and inexpensive ideas. It doesn’t have to break the budget to show someone you care. At the end, I’ve included a free printable if you want it!

Sunshine Box Ideas:

Don’t feel like everything has to be yellow. If you can’t find anything yellow, anything bright and cheery will do! I would suggest going to the Dollar Tree or Bullseye’s Playground at Target to find different items. Amazon can also be a great place to shop from home. There are always fun things you can get there that are very budget-friendly.

Yellow Candy Ideas

• Juicy Fruit Gum
• Yellow Gumballs
• Dots
• Lemonheads
• Salt Water Taffy
• Peeps
• M&MS (Peanut if you want to stick with yellow)
• Butterfingers
• Sugar Daddy
• Taffy
• Starbursts
• Fruit sours
• Candy coated popcorn
• Banana runts
• Lemon drops
• Lollipops
• Werther’s caramels
• Rock candy
• Nerds rope

Yellow Food and Drink Ideas

• Vanilla wafers
• Lemon Oreos
• Honey Graham Crackers
• Golden Oreos
• Twinkies
• Lemon cookies (lots of varieties out there)
• Lemon and Keylime Cookies
• Simply Lemonade Drink Mix
• Lemon-Lime Electrolyte Mix
• Yellow Gatorade
• Popcorn
  • You could get a bag of pre-popped popcorn or some microwave popcorn
• Funyans
• Lays Potato Chips
• Tic Tacs
• Chocolate covered fruit
  • I LOVE the chocolate-covered pomegranates from Brookside that Costco usually has in stock
• Clementines (not technically orange but still bright and cheery)
• Herbal Tea

Self-Care Items

• Face mask
• Sleep mask
• Candles (with a candle warmer if you want)
• Lotion
• Lip Balm
• Stress ball
• Blanket
  • You could make a no-sew fleece blanket (our favorite!) or buy a comfy and cozy one
• Hand soap
• Body wash
• Fuzzy socks
• Bath bombs
• Nail Polish
• Nail File

Other Fun Non-Food Ideas

• Dish Towels
• Art Supplies
  • Fluff Balls
  • Crayons
  • Markers
  • Paint
  • Pencils
  • Stickers
  • Paintbrushes
  • Pens
• Flowers
• Play-doh
• Fidget toys
• Sticky Notes
• Cute note cards
• Journal
• Nice pen
• Smiley face ball
• Fridge Magnets
• Gloves
• Knit Hat
• Sunglasses
• A new mug (you could even make a personalized mug yourself)

Container Ideas

Once you have compiled all your bright and fun gifts put them in a yellow gift bag or a box of some sort.

The Dollar Tree has also sorts of bags in every shape and size, so that might be a good place to start. They may have other types of containers that would be fun as well.

Other things you could put them in:

• Laundry basket
• Wooden Box
• Wicker Basket
• Plastic Container
• You could wrap up each item individually and then put it in a container – this would make it really fun to open!

Add tissue paper, a sunny card and you are set. As someone who has received many boxes of sunshine, I can tell you how much they mean to the person receiving it.

Free Box of Sunshine Printable

While not necessary, it’s fun to include a little sign on the box saying what it is! We have created a free printable that you can print off. Click the button below:

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• The Best Thinking of You Gift Ideas
• The Best Things to Buy at the Dollar Tree
• 101 Lunch Box Notes