How are you going with your Christmas shopping? Well underway, planning to hit the shops soon, or have no ideas and dreading the very thought? One of the most important steps in the whole present-buying process is having a plan of attack before you start, especially when you're buying gifts for kids.
Listing ideas and setting a budget is super-important before you even step foot in a shop, as all those little bits and pieces that you 'throw' into the shopping trolley can really add up!
I've compiled a list of 100 stocking-filler ideas for your kids under the categories of books, useful, fun, sporty, creative, learning and little helper. I've included links to some, but most you'll be able to easily find at the toy/book/clothes store. Grab your FREE download of the stocking-stuffer ideas, highlight the things you're planning on getting for your children, then tick them off the list as you go. You'll be high-fiving yourself in no time!
101 STOCKING-FILLER IDEAS
BOOKS
1. Classic - go for any of these all-time classics, or your childrens' favourite authors
2. Series - here's an awesome list for kids aged 6-12
3. Board books - these are perfect for babies and toddlers because they can easily turn the pages (or chew on the edges) and they'll hold up much better than regular book pages. My kids loved the 'That's not my....' series. 'Hairy Maclary' is always a hit too
4. Pop-up / lift-the-flap / pull-the-tab books are lots of fun (little kids should be supervised so they don't destroy these!). Here are some fun ideas
5. Instructional - kids' baking or cooking books, how-to draw, kids' origami, how to make something
6. Audio books - perfect for those long car trips or when children need some down-time
USEFUL
7. Money-box
8. Fun lunchbox for kinder/school
9. Water bottle
10. Pencil case
11. Jewellery box
12. Treasures/keepsakes box (perfect for collecting shells, leaves, special bits and pieces)
13. Toothbrush and toothpaste
14. Toiletry bag for sleepovers
15. Hairbrush
16. Hair-ties, clips or headbands
17. Beach towel - hooded beach towels are so fantastic for littlies - they can walk off the beach or from the pool without you having to juggle holding a towel around them to keep them dry and warm
19. Kids' crockery and cutlery
20. Cute egg-cups
CLOTHES
21. Pyjamas (we love to give our kids a new pair of PJs on Christmas Eve - a fun tradition!)
22. Bathers
23. Sun-hat or beanie
24. Socks
25. Underwear
26. T-shirts
27. Leggings
28. Shorts
29. Pants
30. Shoes
FUN
31. 'Experience' presents - movie tickets, homemade vouchers for excursions to the Zoo, football, aquarium, Luna Park etc
32. Dress-ups
33. Bubbles - heaps of varieties to choose from - bubble guns, bouncy bubbles, mega wands, bubble swords
34. Yo-yo
35. Bath toys
36. Stacking/building blocks
37. Soft toys
38. Magic tricks set
39. Spring toy/slinky
40. Magnetic games i.e. tile game, a magnetic puzzle or a drawing board
41. Balloons or water balloons
42. Temporary tattoos
43. Wind-up toy
44. Travel games (Connect 4 and Yahtzee are classic childhood favourites)
45. Lip gloss/balm
46. Card games (Uno, Skip-bo, Go Fish, Crazy 8s, Rummy)
SPORTY
47. Any kind of ball that is age appropriate
48. Frisbee
49. Skipping rope
50. Elastics
51. Pool toys - dive rings or sticks, hoops, pool balls, mini-basketball net
52. Goggles
53. Floaties
54. Helmet
55. Beach or sandpit toys - bucket, spade, sand-sifter, mini watering-can, diggers
56. Mini bowling set
57. Water gun
CREATIVE
58. Art utensils - crayons, pencils, textas - choose ones that do something 'fun' like fabric markers, metallic pencils, pastel gel pens or glitter glue
59. Craft punch - my son loves using our heart-shaped craft punch as a border around cards
60. Stamps (speaking from experience - don't leave a toddler alone with the stamp pad!)
61. 'Find and colour' colouring books
62. Stencils
63. Scissors - ones that make shapes and patterns on the paper are extra fun
64. Blank drawing or writing pads
65. Sticker books
66. Spirograph
67. Mini-easel
68. Kinetic sand
69. Play-dough
70. Clay
71. Chalk
72. Slime
73. Paint
74. Paint equipment - pots, brushes, art smock, splat mat
75. Musical instrument - mini-guitar, xylophone, harmonica, bells, rattle
76. Jewellery-making kit
77. Easy sewing kit
78. Loom bands
LEARNING
79. Bedside clock (wooden block ones are great for learning too)
80. Puzzles
81. Board games for the family (I just purchased 'Guess Who?' - totally love this classic although some of the faces look a little different!)
82. Dominoes
83. Tic-tac-toe
84. Magnetic letters/numbers
85. Mini whiteboard and textas
86. Magnifying glass
87. Grow your own... crystals, plants, crystal garden, dinosaur egg
88. 'Hama' melting bead kits
89. Paper plane kit
FAMILY HELPER
90. Apron & chef's hat for cooking/baking sessions
91. Kids' cooking utensils
92. Fun cookie cutters
93. Mini tool box
94. Seeds to plant in the garden
FOR THE BEDROOM
95. Personalised wall prints
96. Pom-pom garland
97. Sticker decals
98. Glow-in-the-dark stickers
99. Fun night-light
100. Tooth fairy box
101. Photo frames
