Whether you’re shopping for her, for him, or for the kids, these DIY Valentine’s Day basket ideas can help! I have lots of fun ideas to put in the Valentine’s gift baskets plus free printable Valentine’s Day gift tags to finish them off!
I’m a big fan of gift baskets, especially when those gifts baskets are personalized to the people you’re gifting them to. It’s just a fun way to give people a lot of little things in one cute way. And it’s a fun way to give someone a thoughtful gift without spending a lot of money!
I’ve already shared gift baskets for out of the blue gift ideas, orange gifts, college care packages, and even just because gifts . So it’s about time that I share some fun Valentine’s gift basket ideas – complete with a free printable gift tag of course!
This post has gift basket ideas for her, for him, and for the kids – both for one individual kid and also ideas for if you’re gifting to multiple kids (say for example at the end of this Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt).
Valentines Day Basket Supplies
One of the most fun parts of these gift basket ideas is picking out what goes in them. We’ll get to that in a minute but other than that, you’ll also need:
- A basket of some sort – get one that will fit your items but fit them packed in snugly together so it looks full and exciting. If you don’t want to use an actual basket, you could totally use something else (like a heart shaped box, a red bucket, etc.) as your Valentine’s basket instead! Also, it can be a simple basket that you pick up at dollar tree – no need to break the bank on the container!
- Gift tag – I have printable “I Heart You” gift tags at the end of this post to download that are perfect for these gift baskets. Otherwise, you could use any of these other Valentine’s cards as well – just pick one ot match your theme. And it never hurts to add a little personalized note on the back – minimal effort that goes a long way!
- Items to fill your gift basket – keep reading for tons of ideas and ways to make it super simple to fill your gift basket!
If you’re going to have extra space in your gift basket, you can always add some of these items as well to fill up the extra space (but they’re not essential):
- Tissue paper – get colors that match your basket or theme
- Bouquet of flowers – no need to make it big, it’s just a good way to add color and fill up some more space!
What to Put in Your Gift Basket
So the reason I love gift baskets so much is because they’re a great opportunity to show someone you’re thinking about them and know them well. They’re SO easy to personalize by adding inside jokes, favorite things, favorite colors, favorite snacks, and more!
I typically don’t actually know what I’m going to put in a gift basket, like at all. Instead, I like to pick a theme and then just go shopping and grab things that fit my theme and my person.
Or if I do have an idea of what’s going to go in my Valentine’s Day gift box, it’s typically just one or two big things, and I just add other Valentine’s gifts as I find them!
For these Valentine’s Day gift baskets, I went with the theme “I heart you,” to go with my gift tags. So for the baskets, I wanted to fill them with things that had hearts, were heart shaped, or had something to do with hearts.
I just went to my local grocery store and picked up all sorts of gourmet snacks (my recipient has a sweet tooth) like milk chocolate hearts, dark chocolate heart cakes, heart shaped bath bombs, and more! They had a ton of options that I knew would make for a fun gift basket.
Look at all of the fun things I found for my I Heart You theme!
Gift Basket Fillers
If you want more specifics, here are some things that work well in Valentine’s Day baskets! I didn’t break it out by recipient but rather category – use these tips and translate them to your person!
Sweet Treats – decadent chocolates, candy, cookies, or anything sweet. It’s Valentine’s Day so delicious treats are always a win! You could also homemade items like these chocolate truffles, these brownie balls, or these peanut butter brownies! You could even do something kitchen related like a charcuterie gift set!
Fun snacks – if sweets aren’t their thing, try Valentine’s Day snacks like heart-shaped crackers and cheese, olive oil, or anything else you know they like. The goal isn’t to fill the basket with their favorite sweet treats but rather with things they’ll actually love!
Pamper Items – bath bombs, bubble bath, spa items, fuzzy socks, face masks, shaving items (for men), or anything else that they can use for a little me time.
Cute & Cuddly Items – stuffed animals, blankets, soft socks, cozy pajamas, etc. are all a great option!
Love Themed Items – date night cards, romantic books, movies, romantic clothing, other things meant for love.
Favorites – anything that would be considered a favorite or inspired by a favorite works well. For instance, my husband and I binge watched Friends this year, so he got me a lobster (because I’m his lobster – a quote from Friends), in a gift basket. You’d never think of it being Valentine’s Day, but it was perfect. Anything personal is always a great gift idea!
Inside Jokes – anything that will make your recipient laugh is a good addition to any gift basket. I love putting things inspired by inside jokes, like the Perfect Man I put into my husband’s gift basket because I always call him the perfect man. A simple idea can be one of the most sentimental!
Date Themed Basket – Want to make a gift basket for your significant other? Make it a date by adding in these printable date night cards, a sweet card inviting them on a date, and a thoughtful note about how excited you are to spend time with them. I know I’d love that!
How to Make a Valentines Day Basket
I’ve already written a post about how to create the perfect gift basket, so I recommend you read that, but here’s my basic template for creating a gift basket. And I’ve made a lot of gift baskets!
Or you can watch the video below to see how I made mine!
- Start with the big and tall items first and put those in the back.
- Add medium size items in front of those, fanning them out slightly.
- Fill in the gaps with smaller items like individual wrapped candies, small stuffed animals, trinkets, and more. Tissue paper can also be great for adding some color and filling space!
- Add decorative elements like balloons, signs, and ribbons. You can even put into a cellophane bag if you really want!
- Finish it with a printable gift tag that ties everything together.
DIY Valentine’s Day Basket Video
Watch how easy it is to make in the video below – I went through making all of the gift baskets you see in this post on video!
Kids Valentines Day Basket Ideas
You wouldn’t normally think of giving a kid a gift basket, or at least I wouldn’t, but my kids love them. They don’t really call them gift baskets – they more call them treasure chests, or Easter baskets, or whatever – but they’re gift baskets all the same.
And the best part is that these are actually really easy to make AND no wrapping!
Just a few tips from my experience on making these for kids:
- Stuff Over Sweets – my kids go crazy when they have a ton of sweets so I like to include like one or two sweet treats and then fill the rest of the basket with other fun items like Valentine’s day favors, stuffed animals, games we can play together, etc.
- Make multiples – either make an individual basket for each of your kids OR make one basket with large bags of treats to share and individual smaller gifts for each of the kids. Like in mine, I did a dinosaur for my older son and an elephant for my younger one, so they didn’t fight over them.
- Games are great – games and activities are one of my favorite things to put in gift baskets for kids! Because then not only are you giving them something, you’re also giving them your time (when you play together). If you need game ideas, these are our favorite board games for kids!
- Keep it simple – pick a small basket, fill it with a couple of things, add a gift tag, and call it a day. Unless your kids are used to extravagant gifts, they’ll be ecstatic with a small surprise that’s just for them.
FAQs
What can I put in a Valentines gift basket for him?
Anything he will like! Snacks like jerky, nuts, and chips are all great additions. Sports items, outdoor items, cooking items (if they like to cook), fancy socks, wallet, etc. Any of the smaller items in this 30th birthday gifts for him post could also be great! Plus the classic chocolate and candy.
How do you make a Valentine’s Day gift basket?
Pick a basket, pick items that show you love whoever you are gifting it to, fill it up starting with the largest items to the smallest ones, and decorate with extras and a printable tag!
What can I use instead of a basket for a gift basket?
Any container that can hold things is great for a gift basket. A mug, a bowl, a box, a storage container. Anything that is sturdy enough to hold items is great!
What can I use a gift filler for a basket?
I like to use small items like candy bars, lotions, small stuffed animals, and other small items to fill in the gaps. You can also add wrapping paper, blankets, socks, or other items that will fill in the space around gifts well.
More Valentine’s Day Ideas
- Chocolate lava cake – this decadent chocolate dessert is perfect for Valentine’s Day with an ooey gooey chocolate center!
- Candy gram ideas – tons of great candy gram ideas great for any age and any recipient! These would even be fun to add on top of these gift baskets!
- Valentine party games – fun Valentine’s Day games for the entire family!
- Baby Yoda Valentines – the most adorable free printable valentines in the entire galaxy!
- Brownie balls – another delicious treat you can make in a hurry! These would be a great addition to these gift baskets!
Download the Printable
Want the I Heart You gift tags shown in the photos above in this post? Simply click the button below to download them to your computer! The casual saying is perfect for any recipient!
I’ve included both the white version shown in these photos as well as a version with a colored background (seen below).
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