35 of the Most Delightful Stocking Stuffers That Will Make Your Kids Smile

It’s gift guide season again, friends!! And you know I love a good gift list–especially the guides that include unique stocking stuffers for kids.

Last year’s stocking stuffer list was a SUPER fun one to put together, so let’s do it again, shall we?

I have some rules about what goes in the kids’ stockings though. NO fad-type stuff. NO junk. And gifts HAVE to be interesting or useful or both.

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It’s important for me to let you know that everything in my gift guides are either things we already own and LOVE…OR they’re on the current “TO BUY” list because we’ve either tried them at friends or love the brand and know we’ll love this new thing too.

A little tip before we start: if you have a local toy shop near you, go check them out! They probably have some of the items on this list and I love to support my local toy shops. Check them out!

Let’s get started! Here’s 35 (more!!) unique stocking stuffers for your kiddos.

 

Unique Stocking Stuffers for your Preschooler

1. Melissa + Doug Steep and Serve Tea Set // We have a really fun library that does rotating play areas that change every other week or so. This week, there’s a play coffee shop and Vera LOST HER MIND over this tea set! There’s little wooden tea bags, you guys!

2. Eeboo’s Magnetic Playboard // Perfect for the car, waiting for a meal at a restaurant, or the waiting room. Quiet, non-messy, creative. Love it.

3. Keva Brain Builders // We found these in a local toy shop and Vera found them to be really easy to build with. Timeless and creative!

4. Night Light // Vera’s been asking for a night light. But not just any night light. It has to have a moon and stars. I agree with her. A little flair to the ordinary is always a good idea.

5.  Eeboo’s Life on Earth Dominoes // I love everything Eeboo does, especially their games. This is a gorgeous dominoes set, perfect for preschool kiddos.

6. Tell Me a Story Cards // A beautiful set of illustrated cards is all a preschooler needs to come up with an amazing story. Vera loves these. They’re really durable, too.

7. Erasable Crayons // We’ve had great luck with Faber-Castell, so I know these crayons will be great. Love the shape for little hands, too.

8. Eeboo’s Pretend Play Sets // Again with the Eeboo, I know, I know. But they’re SO good! I would have diiiiiied to have these sets when I was little. They are packs that include all the paper pieces you need to create your own travel agency, diner, or school. Pretend play at it’s finest. (These would also work great for older kids!)

9. Magnetic Poetry Really Big Words // A spin-off the classic Magnetic Words activity for little kids.

Stocking Stuffers for your Elementary Kids

10. Jellycat Dancing Elephant // Look, I’m not a big fan of stuffed animals. They’re big, dusty, and my kids don’t play with them that much. BUT I find Jellycat’s designs to be so hard to resist. Also, there’s something picturesque about a stuffy peeking out of a stocking on Christmas morning.

11. DK’s Star Finder Guide // Personally, I find guides like this hard to navigate, but this is the best one I’ve seen. A great index for easy referencing, step-by-step instructions to finding stars and constellations, and info on them as well. So great!

12. World’s Smallest Toys // I know these might not useful but they are certainly creative. Kids love to stick these on backpacks and they are too dang cute in a Christmas morning stocking!

13. Nano Blocks // Sophia is obsessed with these right now. They’re like Legos, but different and just enough challenge to put together.

14. Dig-It Kits (Sorry, no link for this one right now. But it’s in the toy section at Target.) // A new favorite in our house. Each kit comes with a REAL gem encased in hardened sand-stuff. A little hammer and chisel reveals the gem in a few minutes. Jack actually had a REAL diamond (chip 😉 ) in his latest kit!

15. Mini Architecture Series // Another “just challenging” enough set for kids who love to build. I love these because there’s no gluing involved in these 3-D puzzles. They’re also structures of famous buildings which always evokes further study and conversation. Bonus!

Stocking Stuffer Games

16. Kanoodle or Kanoodle Jr. // Great logic games for big kids and young kids too. My kids love this one.

17. Read My List // A new one to us, but loads of potential here. Great game for categorizing items. Reminds me a little bit of Scattergories.

18. Q-Bitz Jr. // A smaller, simpler version of the regular game that we already loved. You kids will do lots of math with this game. Bonus!

19. Think Fun Dice // Another tiny game that all fits into a little pouch. Loads of math with this one too.

20. Sleeping Queens // We’ve been playing this one a TON lately! I love everything Gamewright does, but this one is our favorite.

21. Go Nuts // Another Gamewright card game coming to a stocking near us this year. This one includes just dice instead of cards.

22. Wig Out! // One more Gamewright game that we LOVE. This one is great for hand-eye coordination and is really fast-moving.

23. Dice Stack // Another fast-moving game and it’s all in it’s own little pouch too. Fits nicely in a bag to play in a waiting room. Roll the dice and add up your points as you stack them up.

24. Robot Rummy // An adorable game by Eeboo for kids six and up.

25. Link It // My kids really like this one too. Kind of like Tetris from my childhood.

26. Hit the Trail // I’ll be honest. The packaging got me on this one. A mini backpack, loads of math, and fast-paced. Pretty much the best!

27. Bananagrams // A classic game that should be in everyone’s arsenal. Loads of spelling practice with this one in a sweet little banana bag.

A few more Stocking Stuffers for Kids

28. Magic Puffy Pens // These make me think of my childhood. 🙂

29. Hervè Tullet Stencil Kit // This is just the most fun kit. Tullet, author and artist of the popular book Press Here, gives kids the opportunity to create their own unique art.

30. Chat Pack for Kids // A pack of cards to leave on your table for dinnertime conversation starters. We have the adult version of this and it’s so fun for dinner parties.

31. Betty Crocker Cookbook for Kids // This looks just like the original 1950’s version. Yes, please! My kids love having their own cookbooks to mark up and cook from.

32. Atari Plug and Play Classic Games // You guys know I’m not a big video game person, but I do love that they’re bringing back the classics.

33. Pac-Man Connect and Play Game // Another plug in and play game with more classics. Small in size and perfect for a stocking…also super affordable!

34. Melissa + Doug Scratch Mini Notes // Sophia LOVES these rainbow scratch art books! A little pad of scratch art to stick inside her stocking–perfection!

35. Acrylic Paint Set with Wooden Box // Shhhhh! Don’t tell, but this is going into a certain 9-year-old’s stocking this year. SUPER handy to take art on the go with the wooden box with a handle for carrying. We LOVE this brand of paints. They go on super smooth and thick.

Make this your best stocking stuffer year yet!

Ok, I’m going to stop now. Have SO MUCH FUN stuffing those precious stockings! If you need help with those teen guys, I’ve got a great post for those stinkers too.

In conclusion, let’s end with a quote from my friend Lisa after shopping the Stocking Stuffer Guide of 2016: 

“We had the BEST stockings we ever had this year…thank you!”

-Lisa D.

I hope these are your best stockings ever too! Happy shopping, friends!!

** Images of products courtesy of Amazon.com and Target.com. **