I’ve put together a list of the best stocking filler ideas for kids. The list is full of toys, games, treats, gadgets and other stuff that kids will actually LOVE, rather than things that will end up discarded in the blink of an eye.
Stocking filler ideas for kids
In our Christmas family tradition, the Christmas stocking is for giving kids some small gifts that they can open the second they wake up.
This gives all the adults in the household slightly longer to wake up before Christmas day really kicks in.
But is there anything more tricky than creating perfect Christmas stockings for the kids?
Especially given that Christmas is expensive and filling stockings is usually done on a budget of what’s left after bigger gifts have been bought.
Which means we can often end up feeling out of money and out of clever ideas.
I’m always keen to avoid the kind of cheap plastic stocking fillers that kids have lost interest in within seconds.
So I’ve put together a list of great stocking filler ideas for kids that they can craft, create, or stimulate their minds with.
I used my post on alternative party bag ideas for kids for inspiration, as it’s one of the most popular posts on Mums Make Lists.
There are making kits, brain teaser style games, fun games all the family can play and art materials for budding artists.
Oh and I’ve made sure that the stocking filler ideas are all well priced, so they won’t break the Christmas bank.
Children’s stocking filler ideas list
Art and craft stocking fillers
Craft gifts make great stocking fillers, they can provide instant entertainment for the lulls in the Christmas day festivities.
Lulls such as when the Christmas meal is being prepared or after everyone has eaten and all the adults want to flop in a comfortable chair for an hour or two.
Sloth keyring making kit
Sloths are having a bit of a moment which means this sew-it-yourself sloth keyring making kit is sure to be a big hit.
Make your own super-hero mask
This super-hero mask kit is perfect for kids aged three years and upwards. Children can use the mask base, cut outs, felt embellishments and gems to create their favourite superhero mask.
Origami making kit
Djeco is one of my favourite kids’ brands, they create beautifully coloured, beautifully crafted games, kits and toys for kids.
This Djeco paper planes origami kit is an absolute classic.
Perfect for making and playing with the grandparents on Christmas morning!
Personalised ‘Save Our Oceans’ craft kit
I adore this gift with a message! The current generation of kids is hugely environmentally aware, so this ‘Save our oceans’ craft kit should go down a treat.
Personalised coloured pencils
What better than a set of 12 coloured pencils for art loving kids? A set of 12 PERSONALISED coloured pencils. That’s what.
Sock unicorn craft kit
This crafty sewing kit has everything you need to make an adorable Sock Unicorn. Children under 12 may need supervision.
Munchkin bath crayons
Now these bath crayons are just brilliant. What better way to make a Christmas day bath both desirable for over-excited kids and fun?!
Sidewalk chalk
Sidewalk chalk gives kids the chance to get creative outside.
It’s amazing that even in winter my daughter and her friends love to get drawing on the paving stones with her giant chalk sticks.
Of course it’s super useful when the rain comes to wash it all away.
Play-doh party pack
Play-doh is always a sensory winner with kids of all ages.
I love this Play-Doh Party Pack, it’s a tube filled with 10 small cans of Play-Doh.
Games stocking fillers
I know that it’s all about the tech for kids these days.
But give them some fun analogue games and you might be surprised by just how much fun they have with them, without even noticing they aren’t staring at a screen.
Qwerkle travel set
We bought the full-size version of Qwerkle four years ago and we still love it.
In fact it’s an extended family favourite, with adults and kids alike.
So I can whole-heartedly recommend the Qwerkle travel set as a stocking filler.
Qwerkle is all about building lines of tiles that match in either shape or colour.
It’s a LOT harder than it looks and there is a lot of strategy to work through.
Dobble
Dobble is fast becoming a modern classic of the games world.
It’s a game of speed, observation and reflexes in a race to find the matching cards ahead of your competitors.
The images can be different in size and are placed on any part of the card, plus every card is different and has only one picture in common with every other card in the deck.
There are five mini games within the pack, so you can literally never get bored of Dobble.
Uno
Uno is another modern classic, it’s a card game of matching colours and numbers.
We love Uno for long lazy family lunches at our local gastropub.
There are special action cards and also wild cards for extra elements of fun and challenge.
STEM stocking stuffers
4M Lemon clock
Set the kids up creating energy with this 4M Lemon Clock.
It’s a great way to learn about electricity and chemical reactions.
Please note, the lemon is NOT included!!!
Rubik’s Twist
Back in the day we called this the Rubik’s ‘snake’, but apparently it is now the Rubik’s Twist.
Unlike the original Rubik’s Cube, there are no wrong answers with the Twist!
There are also unlimited possibilities. Great for getting those synapses sparking!
Outdoor adventures microscope
See the great outdoor world in a different way with the Outdoor Adventure Microscope.
It’s great for looking for wildlife as it has 20x to 40x magnification with built in LEDs which will illuminate small objects so you can see them clearly. There’s a detachable lanyard, so it is easy to carry around outside.
Tangram puzzle set
Tangrams are Chinese geometrical puzzles that consist of a square cut into seven pieces which can be arranged to make various other shapes.
Tangram puzzles promote imagination and improve eye-hand coordination. Plus they promote colour and shape recognition for younger children.
IQ Puzzler Pro
This IQ Puzzler Pro game is suitable for kids from 6+ and has 101 progressive challenges that develop logical ability.
We’ve had this game for a couple of months and it comes with us on all our travels, it is such a mind twister for kids of all ages!
Don’t worry though, there is a booklet with all the solutions – so you can cheat if you’re finding your child is way ahead of you!!
Random other ideas
Story-time dice
These handmade engraved wood story-time dice come in a lovely personalised bag. They are a super fun way to make story-time flow more easily, giving added inspiration and fun.
There are three dice: one with six different places or settings on it; one with six different characters; one with six different objects or items.
I really hope you find this stocking filler ideas list useful and that your kids love the ideas you choose for their Christmas stockings this year.
I’ve got a whole bunch of other useful Christmas posts in the Christmas section of Mums Make Lists.
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33 thoughts on “The best stocking filler ideas for kids”
I love the crafts portion! So sweet and easy to make. I will definitely incorporate some of these into my Christmasing!
So glad you like them Kelly – am really looking forward to making a whole bunch of them myself, Alice x
Alice…I am in search of new stockings this year so I will definitely have to pick one of these for us to create out own. thanks again for linking up. I wish I had some christmas already to link up here. Soon. I cannot believe you are already working towards. Very impressed. 🙂
Some really great ideas there *bookmarks for later* thanks so much! #magicmoments x
Great ideas, thank you 🙂
some of those stocking stuffers were fantastic ideas 🙂
Thanks for linking up with #MagicMoments
Thanks for the ideas! These will be especially helpful!
these are great ideas alice! i posted it onto my blog…please comment, my readers would love to hear from you!
http://craftypeep.blogspot.com/2013/10/100-cheap-stocking-stuffers.html
Love Love Love these suggestions. Sharing and saving as I really do appreciate this list and think others will too!.
Ricki http://thequestionablehomesteader.com/
So glad you like them – Alice 🙂
And there was me thinking I was the only person who put underpants, socks and a new flannel in their children’s sockings! (They did get other, fun things too)
When I was little I always had a new pack of felt pens, I LOVED them and kept them in their packet in rainbow order till at least February!
Aliens love underpants, kids love underpants 😉 We used to get felt pens as well but can’t claim to have been quite so organised x
Another great list! Stocking stuffers are always hard for me – pinning and following your Christmas board!
Thanks for the pin and following the Christmas board – hopefully a whole load of more fun Christmas posts coming up in the next few weeks, Alice
So many great ideas! I love how you categorize all these stocking stuffers so I can find what I want to give. Thanks so much!
So glad you like them – hopefully something for everyone on the list 🙂
Great list! Thanks for the ideas!
Stopping by from the Gingersnap Crafts link party!
Pinned for later! Stopped by from the Whatever Goes Craft party!
These are wonderful gift ideas, but how does a terrarium, floor cushion, or pair of boots fit into a stocking????? Do you use very large stockings for Christmas?
—‘Becca
What a wonderful and thorough list. There are a lot of creative ideas there that are both inexpensive and easy! thanks!
Great ideas!! Pinned it all for future use. Thank you! Visiting from Tuesday Trivia.
What a fantastic list of ideas! I definitely will be needing them. Thanks for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things where I’m co-host this week. Have a wonderful day!
Such a great list! Thanks so much for sharing at this week’s All My Bloggy Friends! Have a great weekend!
Great list Alice. Have pinned. Thanks so much for linking up to Thriving on Thursdays.
Anne @ Domesblissity xx
Don’t you just love stocking stuffers? I’d love for you to add this to my link up party “Friday Follow Along Party” http://thecraftiestallie.blogspot.com/
What an awesome list! I never would have thought to put some of these things in as stocking stuffers, but they’re such good ideas. Thanks for linking up at Whatever Goes Wednesday. This was the most viewed link at last week’s party, so we’ll be highlighting it at tomorrow’s party. Thanks for always coming over and linking up. Your links are consistently in the top 10 most viewed. We hope you’ll keep coming back to party with us!!
This is so perfect! Exactly what I’ve been searching for! We do a $10 christmas that we adore but we do stockings for the kids in addition.
So glad it helped Rosemarie 🙂
Great list, Alice! Pinned and tweeted so that I can refer back to this when shopping season rolls around!
So glad you like Blair … I keep coming back to it year after year. Big big thanks for tweet and pin x
THIS is a great list!!!!! Thanks for all the ideas! Found you on the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! Kyla @ http://houseofhipsters.com/
So glad you like it Kyla. I just hopped over to House of Hipsters and love it 🙂
What amazing ideas!! Thank you!