Kids Stocking Stuffers
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Kids stocking stuffers are SO fun to pick out! Stockings have been my favorite part of Christmas since I was a kid, and I love filling my kids’ stockings with all sorts of fun, magical things!
We maintain a budget, so all of these kids stocking stuffers are $10 or less, and if you’re shopping at the last minute (yeah, me too!), Amazon has most of these available as Prime items at the time of publishing.
Keep in mind that this time of year Prime shipping doesn’t mean 2-day or same day, so take it from a mom who once shopped for stocking stuffers at 11pm on Christmas Eve night – don’t put off your orders!
 Choosing The Best Kids Stocking Stuffers
My main criteria for filling stockings is FUN, but not junk. Is this possible with stocking stuffers? Especially while keeping each item under $10?!
YES!
I realize “junk” is kind of arbitrary, so let me elaborate for a moment on what I like to fill stocking with.
Stocking stuffers that are consumables are a win for me! Things like sticker books, temporary tattoos, art supplies, etc. These items usually provide opportunities for creative expression and/or play, but they aren’t intended to stick around forever cluttering up our house!Â
Family games are another must-have kids stocking stuffer! Each kid usually finds one smaller game in their stocking.
Practical items absolutely go in our stockings! Even everyday items (chapstick, toothpaste, flossers, socks, etc.) feel magical when they’re wrapped in wrapping paper and being pulled out of a Christmas stocking!
We don’t wrap every single stocking stuffer, but we do use the scraps of our main gift wrapping to wrap some of the stocking stuffers. New toothpaste is way more fun when it’s wrapped up!Â
Fun Stocking Stuffers for Kids
It is extra magical to include unexpected little surprise and things that are fun in stockings!Â
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ZipString is new on my list for 2025 – not just for my kids, but for my husband and dad and a brother-in-law too! It’s the yo-yo of the future! This video shows some of the fun things you can do with it.
Bean Boozled jelly beans are one of my favorite kids stocking stuffers because it’s candy which is a rare treat in our house, but it’s candy you slow down and eat with extreme caution because you aren’t sure if you’re about to eat a delicious flavor jelly bean or a straight up disgusting one!
Dover Little Christmas Activity Books are cute, have a TON of options for themes, and are short. They are usually a one page spread with some stickers that coordinate to the activity. This means it’s fun and simple, but not one of those half-finished sticker workbooks that sits unfinished hogging up precious space on our bookshelves!
“The Stink Factory” has a wide variety of smelly stickers – from great smells to very gross ones that my boys especially seem to enjoy! I usually buy the BIG variety packs of stickers, put a couple packs in each child’s stocking, and then hold onto the rest for using as gift ideas or incentives for lessons the rest of the year!
Spot It! has been my 6 year old’s favorite quick game since she was 4 and BONUS – everyone else likes it too! College students who hang out around here like it, grandparents join in the game easily, big brothers play it with their sister happily, without complaint! We can’t recommend this game enough!
Wiki Stix are great for keeping little hands busy without screens, creative play, or entertaining kids in the car! Even as an adult, I find myself playing with Wiki Stix along with my kids – shaping flowers, letters, etc. It’s mesmerizing!
Monopoly Deal is a great family game! My preschooler plays on a team with either her brothers or one of us parents, and I like that there is some skill, some luck, and my oldest child doesn’t dominate the other kids!
Modeling clay is a fun activity any time of year. This pack is nice because you can put in several pieces of a variety of colors into multiple kids’ stockings!
What kid doesn’t feel so big receiving their own pack of gum? This brand is a favorite of ours! I love the way each child is different.. my youngest chews her whole bag in a week while my middle child still has gum left from last Christmas, ha!
LEGO sets are always fun! Sometimes the big sets are overwhelming, but small LEGO sets are so fun and doable for kids of all ages and abilities. Even my husband enjoys a mini LEGO set for Christmas!
Schleich animals are so sweet and fun! The kids enjoy playing with these in so many ways, in every season, and it’s fun to get each kid the figurine of whatever their favorite animal has been that year!
Practical (but still fun!) Kids Stocking Stuffers
The following items are on the practical side, but in a more-fun-than-normal kind of way!
Bandages are way cooler when they’re actually shaped like tacos or ice cream cones! And these pencils are perfect for preschoolers or kindergarteners who are learning to write – the bright colors make them even more fun!
For older kids or grown-ups who are pencil snobs (guilty as charged) you can splurge on the brand of pencils that were favored by author John Steinbeck and Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones – Blackwing pencils are as luxurious as their price commands. I look forward to receiving a set from my husband every couple of years!
I choked back some tears when I realized that my older kids are both tweens because apparently tweens start around age 8. I also decided they should start healthy habits ASAP but they hate washing their faces. These wipes have been a staple gift the last two years and make a big difference!
On that same thread.. Dr Squatch deodorant (my husband calls deodorant “smellerant” because it’s giving you a new smell not really taking away the bad ones, ha!) is the only brand that keeps them from getting too ripe.. the boys are 10 and 12 now and it smells like it if they don’t apply!
And since we all have to wear socks… they might as well be FUN SOCKS! My kids love finding these in their stocking!
Little kids feel big when they get their own chapstick, and big kids appreciate that they don’t have to have chapped lips all winter long!
Scented pencils are perfect for anyone who writes anything.. homework, notes, drawing. Everything is cooler when a scented pencil is involved! Less splurgy than the Blackwing pencils, but still a fun experience!
Anyone with kids who like books will appreciate this entire set of magnetic bookmarks! My kids keep stealing my postcards, receipts, actual bookmarks, and other scraps of paper. Those things fall out because we bring books EVERYWHERE so these magnetic bookmarks are going to be our hero this Christmas!
Kids with long hair will appreciate the thoughtfulness of this nice smelling detangling spray. I even use it on my own tangles!
Have fun stuffing those stockings and have a very Merry Christmas!
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