Make a Purim Basket for an Animal Friend

“When I started noodling around with an idea of writing Purim Baskets for toddlers, the first thought that came to mind was that we need to give gift baskets of shalach manot (or mishloach manot) to ALL our friends and family members, and that includes our animals.” – Author Nancy Churning

Learn more about why Nancy Churning wrote Purim Baskets in a special essay from the HGF newsroom.

Inspired by Purim Baskets here are a few simple, fun, and easy toys you can create with household materials to share with animals and/or shelters in your community. Young children who can tie a knot can do most of these with supervision. Children older than eight can make most of these independently:

• Build a bird feeder or two
• Create a cushion out of recycled materials
• Make fleece cuddle mats for shelter animals
• Tie together some sew toys for dogs
• Turn old clothes into cat toys

More

11 Books About the Jewish Value of Caring For Animals
A Get Together Idea for Animal Lovers
What Are Mishloach Manot?

March 2, 2026