Photo by rickszczechowski/iStockphoto.com
These stocking stuffers aren’t handmade, so they didn’t make the cut for my list of 137 inexpensive, handmade holiday gift ideas, but no Christmas gift list would be complete without stocking stuffer ideas. Besides, I’m a sucker for classic toys and practical gifts. Parents sometimes fall back on candy and the latest cheap plastic junk (that kids discard as fast as they eat the candy). Instead, give your kids stocking stuffers that are useful and engaging. The best part? None of these require batteries!
Stocking stuffers for kids
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harmonica | amazon.com
harmonica
Woodstock Blues Band Harmonica
- bag of marbles
- polished rocks
- sea shells
- foreign coins
- magnifying glass
- rubber bouncy ball
- magnets
Rare-earth magnets
- stamp and stamp pad
- four-color pen
- drawing pad and pencils
- box of crayons or colored pencils
- toothbrush
- deck of card games (Uno, Crazy Eights, Old Maid, or Go-Fish)
- bubbles
- kaleidoscope
-

cookie cutters | amazon.com
cookie cutters
Animal Pals 50-Piece Cookie Cutter Set
- yo-yo
- Slinky
- paddle ball
- whistle
- long piece of rope
- Rubik’s Cube
- Silly Putty
- compass
- Hacky Sack
- pocket knife
- mood ring
- mittens
- sidewalk chalk
-

Handcrank flashlights | amazon.com
hand-crank flashlight
Hand-crank LED Flashlights
- puzzle
- solar calculator
- glow sticks
- silly straws
12 Crazy Loop Straws
- fake tattoos
- Play-Doh
- nail polish
- hair brush or comb
- barrettes
- jump rope
- finger paints
- water gun
-

finger puppets | amazon.com
finger puppets
12pc Animal Finger Puppets
- key chain
- jacks
- ball of string
- sunglasses
- Chapstick or lip gloss
- gum
- stickers
- watch
- an orange
- tops
- slingshot
December 1, 2010 at 12:44 pm
These are marvelous ideas. I had already gotten some of them for my grandchildren but now have additional ideas. I just found you today but also appreciate your lists of ideas for everyone which precede this post! Thank you and a Merry Christmas to you and your family!
December 1, 2010 at 1:09 pm
some of these would be very nice, but i think this has to be the saddest prospective stocking gift ever: “long piece of rope or chain”. :( all i can picture is tiny tim just swinging his rope around or a young bright dexter planning upon hanging his neighbor’s dog.
December 1, 2010 at 1:33 pm
nichole – Point taken. I deleted the word “chain.” Sounds a bit scary, I agree. Of course, all of these gifts would have to be given age-appropriately. Just imagine what an older child could do with a rope: make a swing, tie it to a bucket to deliver messages up to a tree fort, tie a bag to the back of their bike, etc.
December 2, 2010 at 7:34 am
thanks for putting this together. it’s possible i’ve thought of many of these before, but when you need to get on it, i draw a blank. love the magnets!! of course age appropriate. i wish i didn’t have to follow up with that, but i guess these days you do.
December 2, 2010 at 12:10 pm
These are fantastic. Please tell me you’re going to do one for men! I’m desperate for ideas for my SO.
December 2, 2010 at 1:25 pm
trés jolie déco de noël!!!
excellentes fêtes de fin d’année !!!!
bises laurence
December 2, 2010 at 5:04 pm
shared, thx
December 3, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Aww cute ideas! Very simple and understated! in a good way!
My husband is a giant kid so every year I stuff his stocking with candy and legos. He lights up every time =) I love it
December 4, 2010 at 2:34 pm
My family always had a tradition of giving special fruits or vegetables that each person particularly liked. I still remember my first pomegranate. Then in high school I remember how excited I was to get an artichoke when it wasn’t artichoke season.
February 15, 2011 at 4:52 am
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your site. Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility problems? A few of my blog readers have complained about my site not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any ideas to help fix this issue?
February 19, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Marylouise Phaneuf – Thank you. Yes, browser compatibility problems are one of the hazards of web design, and Internet Explorer (a.k.a. Internet Exploder) is notorious for its many issues. Testing your site on all browsers and on a Mac and PC plus searching the internet for recommended solutions helps you troubleshoot. Checking for browser compatibility problems in Dreamweaver also helps. Best of luck to you.
November 10, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Secret decoder ring! It doesn’t get much better than that for a stocking stuffer. .
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