Gifts For Children For $15 - $20

 

GIFTS for kids $10 to $25 dollars

Finding gifts for the children on your list doesn’t have to put you in the poor house. Here are some ideas to help you make the kids on your list happy and not break your bank.

Babies and Toddlers

If you sew, you can save a lot and create an heirloom. I made a Paddington Bear for my nephew who now has kids of his own, and still treasures his bear. Embroider the child’s name on the stuffed animal’s tummy before you sew and stuff him to make an extra personal gift.

A hand made quilt or blanket with a satin binding sometimes becomes the favored blanket.

It’s never too early to start a child’s book collection with classics such as ’The Cat In The Hat’ or ’Goodnight Moon’. I’ve also found treasures like an antique, illustrated Children’s Bible or other collectible books in antique shops or eBay for less than twenty dollars, and that included shipping.

Kodak.com offers a photo book option and I’ve made picture books from photos of our pets, wildlife or family that are a big hit with the kids and the parents.

DVD’s are plentiful with family and children’s themes. Amazon offers many titles and often some are offered ‘gently used’ that are cheaper. Some of the used movies are like new and come in shrink wrap.

 

Crayola has a large of assortment of creative gift sets. A favorite of the very young children in our family are the markers that has special paper and markers that only work on this paper, which saves a lot of walls and carpets.

An art set for older children made up of quality watercolor paints, a good brush and watercolor tablet make a great gift. I’m a firm believer of giving the best art supplies I can afford to children, as nothing discourages a budding artist faster than cheap paints and brushes. A good, beginners set can be put together for twenty dollars or less.

Board games are still popular. We all had great fun playing the “Pretty Princess” with our niece. It contains a box of jewelry and a crown and the goal was to win all your color of jewels and the crown. Even Grandpa was a good sport and we got a lot of laughs when he won, wearing his necklace, earrings, ring and crown! I think those memories are one of the best gifts of all.

“Hot Potato” was a huge hit with our autistic grandson. He took it to school and his teacher ended up buying one for the class. It’s a plush ‘hot potato’ that the kids just toss back and forth until they hear “HOT POTATO!” from the fuzzy spud.

Present them with movie tickets and take them to the theater. A special day with Grandma or a favorite Aunt is a huge treat for most kids. A trip to a local science museum, zoo or kid’s restaurant is always popular.

Be sure to check with the parents about what the kids already have or don’t want. Our nine-year-old granddaughter suddenly hated pink or purple one day. Who new? Nobody wants to be that Aunt that made the fuzzy pink bunny pajama’s for the little boy in the Christmas movie. A Winnie the Pooh bear may thrill one kid and make another throw it over their shoulder in disappointment.

 

More Ideas:

A good flashlight.

A disposable Camera

DVD’s or CD’s (ask for a list of what they want and what the parents will allow).

A Nice Journal or Diary with matching pen.

Jigsaw puzzle.

Alarm clock/radio (this really encourages kids to get up on time on their own).

A hair dryer of their very own.

If they are hikers or campers - I found aluminum lock/clips to hang water bottles - it attaches to a back pack or a belt.

Find out what they are interested in (dinosaurs, astronomy, dolphins, frogs, etc.) and get something in that theme or a really nice book about the subject.

A magazine subscription for very young children such as Highlights all the way to older kids for Popular Science or computer game magazines is often welcome. The will definitely enjoy these all year long.

Gift cards or cash may seem like a copout, but they’re always welcome. Popular gift cards with the kids in our family are from

Block Buster (because they can rent video games as well as movies), movie theaters, Baskin Robbins or fast food places the parents don’t normally take them.

Some of the girls on our list are crazy about Mary Kate & Ashley or Hannah Montana, so we find items in that theme. Last year I gave a Hannah Montana clock to a niece and she was thrilled. It cost about $20.

I’ve also taken one of our ‘kids’ to a toy store or discount store and let them pick out one (or two) things. My Dad used to do that with our kids and my son still has the fishing tackle box he picked out on one such trip, twenty years ago.

Often the amount of money you spend isn’t nearly as important to a child as the time you spend with them.