I wrote this post right before Thanksgiving for those who wanted some ideas for Good Friday. While some may have finished their holiday shopping, if you are like me, you are probably still finishing up and wondering what to include in that stocking stuffer or just that last-minute present. I’m updating this list below with some ideas based on what we shopped this year or own from past years.
Click on the title of the item for a direct link to the product.
STOCKING STUFFERS
LCD Writing Tablet – My 7-year-old is a planner, note keeper, doodler, etc and this pad is perfect for all of it. I bought it for her as a reward for doing well in school and she takes it along with her everywhere. It is a paper saver too.
LED Neck Lights – If you have a reader at home, these neck LED lights are perfect. I just picked these up for my 7-year-old. They are rechargeable and the lights are bendable so you don’t even need to put it on your neck to use it while reading.
Kids’ Calendar – You have to check this one out for your elementary-age kids. I bought the 2021 calendar for my older kid this year and she had so much fun with it. They can personalize it using stickers and write their own plans for the month.
Pop-it’s – These make great stocking stuffers. I use these in my homeschool for sounding out words, syllables. My older kid loves to use them as a stress-buster and comes up with games of her own.
Dinosaur Stuffed Dolls – My boys love dinosaurs and stuffed dolls so this is a great gift if you have multiple kids because it comes with 4 stuffed animals and I plan to stuff these into their stocking stuffers.
Paint By Color – If you have an art loving kid, you can get these from Faber Castle for their stocking stuffer. Its less than $10 and comes in many designs.
Tape Activity Book – Here is another great stocking stuffer that I picked up for my 4-year-old. There are so many sensory activities from Melissa and Doug. I also picked up this scissor skill book for my 2-year-old.
Crayola Color Pencils – It is so hard to find these individual packs on Amazon. They usually sell them in bulk. But these are 36 count and are just $5 each. I picked these up for stocking stuffers and it makes a good refill for all those color pencils they have sharpened out to their end.
GAMES FOR KIDS
5 Second Rule – This is a quick and fun game for kids to play. The player needs to read a card with a description such as ‘heroes’, ‘spicy foods’, and in 5 seconds they need to come up with a word that describes just that. This game will help them learn to think quickly, expand their vocabulary, and add in some fun competition.
Hasbro’s Risk Junior – Risk is a very popular game and it comes in a kid version. It is for kids 5 and above and can be played by 2-4 players. It is only $11 and makes a great gift for that kid who is getting introduced to board games. If you are looking for other board games Hasbro has a ton of junior-level ones – Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, and Life.
6 Card Games in 1 – There are 6 card games in this pack such as memory, go fish, crazy eights. It is for 3 years and above. I bought this as a stocking stuffer for my 4-year-old and is only $4.99 on Amazon.
Skip Bo – If you haven’t heard of it, give it a buy. It makes a good stocking stuffer and teaches kids to build sequences. A great way to step up to regular cards. This is also only $5.72 on Amazon.
TOYS FOR BOYS
Transformer Cars – Playskool has these transformer cars that I was excited to find for my boys. Here are a few I picked up – Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee, Police Bot, and Fire Bot. These are all below $15 each.
Dyson Vacuum – This is perfect for your toddler. I picked this up for my almost 3 year old who saw it in his cousin’s house and asked for it for Christmas. Even though it is Dyson, it is actually cheaper than any other toy vacuum out there.
Binoculors – My 2.5-year-old is always playing with our binoculars so this year I decided to buy him his own. These are a perfect size and it fits their eye space and has a clear view for the little ones.
Electric Drill Toy – This is a great multi-sensory toy for your toddler or even preschooler. I bought it for my 2.5-year-old. It comes in a handy container so that all the screws go right inside and you do not need separate storage for it.
BABY TOYS
After three kids, I can tell you the toys you do not want to buy and the ones that are worth the buy. I always pick multi-sensory toys for baby gifts WITHOUT SOUNDS. Sometimes, you just have to think of the parents too ;-).
Poppin Pals– There are multiple ways your baby needs to twist, push, turn, to pop those sweet pals in this toy. Great way to build those fine motor skills
Pounding Toys – This toy also comes with stacking cups which are a must in your baby’s toy box. Anything your kid can pound will strengthen their muscles, and teach good eye-hand coordination
Spike the Hedgehog – This is a fine motor and sensory toy for the slightly older baby -around 12 to 18 months.
Mirror Toy – Any mirror toy will make tummy time entertaining for the little ones. If you visit a Montessori infant class, you will find mirrors where the babies can lie in front of you. They have no idea they are watching themselves. Or maybe they do. Either way, it is entertaining.
STEM TOYS FOR YOUR ELEMENTARY AGE KID
Botley 2.0 – Botley is a coding robot. Don’t be overwhelmed yet. The coding is pretty straightforward but it does give your child the opportunity to apply logic and sequence when programming Botley by providing a series of directions for Botley to follow. This is such a great way to introduce your STEM lover to coding.
OSMO Coding – If you have a compatible device for the OSMO games, I highly recommend this Coding Game. Again, if coding is not up your ally, your kid will be teaching this to you in no time. It also requires your kid to use logic and sequencing.
Artie the Drawing Robot – I am excited for this one. We have not used this one yet, but I did purchase this for my 7-year-old for Christmas. You basically give the robot some instructions to draw and watch it draw away on paper.
Mastermind Game – I remember playing this as a child. This is also a Christmas gift I bought for my 7year old. It does require 2 players. One player creates a code using 4 colors, and the other has to break the code. For every guess they make, the code maker provides clues on what is right and wrong.
Gravity Maze – We do own this and it may take your kid a bit to get interested (at least in our case). But once they get the hang of it, their job is to build puzzles with these blocks that have openings that make a path for a ball to roll through. The game comes with puzzles and hints to build these out.
The one thing that I have not included here is a list of books that I have bought and I buy plenty of these at Christmas. If you ever need recommendations, reach out to me.
Hope you find this list useful as you shop for your loved ones. Have a safe and wonderful month of December.
