Stocking Stuffer Gifts For Kids

Every year a new toy comes out that all the kids have to have. This year is no exception, but what do you get to fill those stockings? I have been hard at work putting together a list of fun and wonderful stocking stuffer ideas that I plan on sending along straight to dear, old Santa in the North Pole. I hope it gets to him in time. If not, I posted it here. So, Santa, I know you are reading this, and since I have done all this work for you, I think I deserve something extra special in my stocking. I was thinking a diamond ring. Nothing too big or too flashy, just a simple diamond ring would be fine. White gold, of course. Anyway, here is my list of stocking stuffers for the kids.  I have a little bit of everything to take care of all the little ones on your list.

Just as a note, this page will be periodically updated with new ideas. So, please, check back from time to time.

This little device will entertain kids (and annoy parents) for hours on end. The voice scrambler records the child's voice, and can be played back at varied speeds for different tones and effects. They can sing The Chipmunk's Christmas song and play it back at a faster speed, to give their voices that characteristic high-pitched sound. Remember that song? They can slow it down and act out a slow motion football play or fight scene. This fun (for kids) and irritating (for parents) toy can be found at Pottery Barn Kids for $12 and is recommended for kids ages 6 and up. Not a bad price for a great stocking stuffer that sounds like a lot more fun than a lump of coal.

HexBugs are a lot of fun! These tiny little scurrying bugs are amazing. They are touch and sound activated. They scuttle around on the floor, avoiding obstacles through the use of their antenna, in the same way that real bugs do. They come in several different colors and run on your basic watch batteries. These things are the perfect stocking stuffer for the science-minded child on your list, or even a child who just loves bugs. Even little girls would get a kick out of these little creatures. My daughter got a few of these for Christmas. The ones she got were little seahorses that came with a tank, and everything. I found these are Hearthsong.com for $9.98, but I have also seen them several other places for similar prices. These cute little HexBugs are intended for children ages 8 and up.

Kids love to make things. The sense of accomplishment they get from completing a project on their own, and having something they can save and display for years to come is priceless. The Paint-A-Snowman Kit gives kids the opportunity to create their very own work of art that can be displayed for all to see for many Christmases to come. I painted a Santa figure when I was a kid, and gave it as a gift to a family member. Years later, that same Santa was given back to me. Seeing that little figure all those years later made me smile. Someone cared about that gift enough to keep it for many years, remembering that I made it, and gave it back to me. I relived the fun I had painting it. This craft kit can give kids that same joy in ways video games just can't. It's also a great gift for kids who live where it doesn't snow. This charming kit can be found at Magic Cabin for $17.98. The wooden snowman craft is intended for kids ages 5 and up.

These things are all the rage with kids these days. My daughter has been talking about them for weeks, and has added them to her Christmas wish list. They are similar to the Littlest Pet Shop sets, in that they come in sets ranging from a single small figure, to larger sets, and they feature cute little animals, and are a lot of fun for kids for not a lot of money. These sets are so adorable! The sets come in small, stocking stuffer sized sets for about $6-$10. I have found these everywhere, from Walmart and Toys 'R' Us to Amazon and Gifts.com. Prices do vary by site, so shop around. The recommended age range for the Zoobles playsets is 3-11, so they are a toy that kids will love to play with for more than just a week or two.

Or, just about any Peeps... Peeps used to be just for Easter. We all remember those delicious, little marshmallow chicks. I still love to eat them today. Of course, everyone knows they are best when they are just a little bit "stale", but kids will eat them all right out of the package if you turn your back for long enough. There have been several Christmas versions of the tasty, sugary peeps, but these are too cute to pass up. They are in the shape of cute little gingerbread men and women, complete with festive green and red accents. At just a few dollars pretty much anywhere, these marshmallow treats are perfect for any kid, or anyone who is still a kid at heart.

I found this little retro gem at retroplanet.com for only $4.99. Give you kids an idea of what toys were like when you were a kid, or when your parents were kids, with this water powered rocket. You pump it up to shoot, similar to a squirt gun, and it can shoot the rocket up to 35 feet! Kids will learn a little about science in the process of having fun. Of course, make sure they wait till the weather warms up a little before they take it outside and launch their rockets. Well, unless you live down here where it IS warm. I love retro toys because they seem to have an amazing charm that toys today just don't have. I guess I am a softy when it comes to nostalgic items, but so what??

Remember how much your kids would beg you to get their face painted when they go to the fair, or carnival? Well, now they can have that same fun at home, anytime they want. My daughter would love to get a set of face paints. This is a great gift for a wide range of ages, with adult supervision, of course. These can also serve double duty, and be used to decorate a child's face at Halloween, or be used as a feature of a child's birthday party. I am sure your kids would love to go to Grandma's for Christmas dinner with a snowman or Christmas tree painted on their face. I found these at Overstock.com for $15.49, but I am sure they can be found at a lot of different places, as well.

These watches come in several different styles based on different characters of the Star Wars movies, with a Lego theme, of course. The watch band is multi-colored and has the look of Lego bricks. The face of the watch features a different Lego Star Wars character, depending on which watch you get. Kids can connect and build their very own watch, and change it when they want to. It's a customizable watch, and with more watches, comes more options. Some come with a mini Star Wars figure, as well. This is a great gift for Star Wars fans, young and old. It also helps teach kids to tell time, as the watch is analog, not digital. I found these everywhere for around $12-$20.

What are Sing-a-Ma-Jigs, you ask? I asked the same thing. I heard about them, but had no idea what they were. I looked it up. They are sooo cute!!! They are small dolls that sing. They remind me of characters from Sesame Street. They have three different settings; chatter, sing and harmonize. Yes, they harmonize, so get at least two of these cute little guys. Their mouths move as they sing their little song or harmonize with their friends. There are many different Sing-A-Ma-Jigs that come in different colors and have their own featured song. They run on two AAA batteries, which they come with. I have found these everywhere! Prices range from $9-$20, depending on where you get them, and they even have a special Santa Sing-A-Ma-Jig for Christmas. These crooners are recommended for kids ages 3 and up.

Another toy with a strange name. How do we tell all them apart? Zoobles? Squinkies? Oh, well. Squinkies combine the fun of gumball machine toys with small playset style toys, similar to Zoobles and Littlest Pet Shop, but also feature toys aimed more at boys, as well. They come in little spheres, just like the gumball machine toys, and even feature larger sets that include different gumball machine style dispensers that hold all their sets. The bubble pack sets run about $10, and the "gumball machines" run about $12-$20. A bubble pack set comes with 12 characters and four spheres. They are small, so they are not intended for children under 3. You can find them anywhere, from Amazon to Target.

Yep. they are back again this year. Zhu Zhu Pets were the hot toy last year, and are still big this Christmas. They have become more customizable, with accessories and different styles for girls and boys. For those that don't know about Zhu Zhu Pets, they are little robotic, interactive hamster toys that kids are just crazy about. They have a variety of playsets, houses, and accessories to give kids hours and hours of fun. The hamsters themselves, range in price from about $3 for the babies to $6 for the full sized hamsters. The playsets range in price from about $8-$20 depending on the size. They even have games for the DS and the Wii. My niece has asked for one, and so has my daughter. They have sets for girls and boys. They are recommended for kids ages 4-7, and can be found anywhere!

These things have been all the rage for a while now, and while their popularity has waned a little, they are still a popular stocking stuffer gift for your kids. They are the colorful, shaped bands that kids love. Kids of most ages love these things. Though I really don't know why. You can't see the shape once you are wearing it, so they end up looking like a bunch of squiggly rubber bands. They come in so many different shapes, including princesses, sports and even Justin Bieber. Some schools have banned them, but others have not, and kids can still have a lot of fun collecting and sharing them. They are only a few dollars for a small pack of Silly Bandz, and they can be found everywhere.

Kids are rough on their toys, and with all the high tech gadgets that use headphones, they need a sturdy pair that they aren't likely to break. Ear buds tend to be too big for small ears, so what to do?? Fisher Price has come out with Kid Tough headphones that solve that problem. They have a whole line of Kid Tough products that are great for your destructive little ones; including music players, digital cameras, and others. The headphones come in blue for boys and pink for girls. They can be found directly from Fisher Price, and also Walmart and Amazon. They are recommended for kids ages 3 and up, and cost around $12-$15 depending on where you get them from. These are a great gift for kids, and are great for travel. Those airline headphones tend to be too big, and who knows who used them last.

Have your kids been begging your for a drum set, but you just have no place to put one? Drum sets take up a lot of space. These, however, do not. This tiny drum set fits on your desk or table. It is a tiny drum set that really works. You just tap the drums with your fingers. The drums even light up as you tap, so you get a mini light show to go along with your amazing drum playing. Kids can even record their best drum riffs and play them back for everyone to hear. I found these at ThinkGeek.com, but I have also seem them at Amazon. Give your kids the drum set they want without taking up all the space in your house, and without the migraine that is sure to follow. The little drum set costs $24.99 at ThinkGeek.com and at Amazon.

These pens feature mini versions of popular kids games, including a mini etch-a-sketch and Operation. These are a fun gift for kids on the go. They have a little game at their hands wherever they go. The Operation game includes the tweezers in the cap of the pen and the pieces remain attached to the pen, so there is nothing to lose. The pens are a great travel item for kids, and not only give them a pen for drawing, but also a game to keep them entertained on plane trips or long car rides. I found these at Pottery Barn Kids for $9.00. Kids will be delighted to see these sticking out of their stockings on Christmas morning.

I found these cute little crayons at Pottery Barn Kids for $9.00. These crayons are the perfect stocking stuffer for your really little ones. The dog shapes are easy for little hands to grab and hold onto. Spark your child's creativity early with the adorable little wiener dog-shaped crayons. Little hands will love to grab one of the four different colored dogs and start to draw. Parental supervision is recommended in order to avoid the inevitable attempt at eating the crayons.

Do you have a child interested in nature or science? This is a perfect gift for your budding naturalist. I think most of us have done something similar to this when we were kids. You take a leaf, flower or anything else you want to use, place it on the sun print paper (it was construction paper when I was a kid) and put it in the sun. The sun shines even in the winter, so maybe put it in a sunny window. Wait, and rinse the paper, and you have a beautiful sun print. Kids can create their own unique artwork for their rooms, by placing favorite toys on the paper, or make gifts for family. It can even be framed for some beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork. At only $4.95 at lawrencehallofscience.org, it is an amazingly affordable gift.

As I said, I love retro toys. I remember getting Silly Putty when I was a kid. I had a lot of fun playing with it, copying the comics, and stretching it out. I can even remember that distinctive smell Silly Putty had. It's strange the things we remember from our childhood. Now, you can share that with your children, but now it is so much cooler. This Silly Putty is temperature sensitive, and changes color as your warm hands play with it. It still does all the same things that Silly Putty does, and still comes in that recognizable egg-shaped container. At $1.99 at crayolastore.com, it can hardly be beat for the price.

Gift cards are always a great idea for stocking stuffers, because they are pretty small, you can often get a really cute Christmas holder or envelope, and they allow kids to pick out their own gift. My daughter loves gift cards! There are a wide variety of gift cards that kids would love. They have gift cards available for most stores, as well as iTunes gift cards, and online gaming credits (credits that can be used with the online systems of some gaming systems to buy new characters, maps, worlds, items, etc.) I usually buy gift cards for my nieces, because they are less expensive to ship than traditional gifts, and if you buy gifts online, they don't often ship already gift wrapped. I just have my sister tuck them into their stockings and I tell them that I had Santa drop them off for me since I live so far away. Gift cards can be found anywhere, and in a price range that suits you.

I live in Florida where we don't have snow. This would be a great little stocking stuffer gift to give to my daughter, so that she might experience snow, even if it is fake, and comes from a bag. It comes in various sized containers, from a small package to a big tub, to a 1-lb bag, prices ranging from a few dollars for the small package, to about $18 for the big bag. Just add water and stir, and it grows to 100 times its size. It says it lasts for weeks, so imagine the surprise of the kids when you have a white christmas in Florida! Maybe get a few of the big bags and do your whole lawn on Christmas Eve! Can you just imagine the looks on your kids faces when they wake up in the morning...priceless! You can find this at Amazon, or at Dunecraft.com, where they even give you a handy tool to calculate how much you would need for certain projects, and offer a variety of products, including snowman kits.

My daughter keeps asking me to get her this, and maybe I should take the hint. It's a great stocking stuffer gift for the older girls on your Christmas list. You know, the ones who are no longer amused by little toys or candy. Hair chalk is exactly what it sounds like. It's chalk to color your hair. It washes out. It comes in a variety of colors, and it's relatively inexpensive. It's a fun way for girls to express themselves and display a little color without doing something crazy, like permanently dying their hair. Hair chalk can be found just about anywhere, from Walgreens to Target to Amazon, and prices vary greatly depending on the product. I have seen prices ranging from about $5 to about $35.