favorite stocking stuffers for kids

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this time of year means something a little bit different for us than most other people we know. rather than christmas or kwanza or hanukah, the big winter holiday for us is lunar new year. so we usually spend christmas preparing for the chinese new year by decorating. we make our own lanterns and adorn our chinese palm with ornaments representing animals of the chinese zodiac. since we save large gifts for the new year celebration, we use christmas as an opportunity to exchange books and do a stocking for the kiddo.

here’s a list of children’s stocking stuffers that i’m tucking into my kid’s stocking this year.

chapter books: kiddo recently started reading chapter books. we just finished the where the mountain meets the moon series (book two here and book three here) from grace lin and loved it. this holiday we’re adding the year of the dog series from the same author to our bookshelves (book two here and book three here). for other book ideas see this list of children’s books for nature lovers and this list of children’s books by indigenous authors.

wooden animals: we’ve slowly been building our collection of wooden animals. every year we gift one for the upcoming chinese new year (this year will be the year of the rabbit) and another just for fun. they’re such beautiful and simple toys that leave lots of room for imaginative play.

puzzle toys: kiddo absolutely loves puzzle toys and recently has gotten very into rubik’s cubes. we’re adding this pyramid to the collection this year. there’s also this set and this set. we’re also adding this magnetic cube as a different spin on the the rubik’s cube. these double as great activities to keep kids entertained during road trips.

slime: slime is a forever favorite. we regularly buy these slime sets and add one to every gift. they’re small enough to pack into a to-go bag and also get “used up” quickly enough that I don’t find it in the carpet. :)

washi tape: washi tape is another item we buy in sets and add to every gift. we’ve been tucking a few from this set into birthday gifts and Christmas stockings for a few years now. in addition to being used in other and other various projects, we love to use it to temporarily display the most recent art works that come home.

mad libs: this classic has been around for decades for a reason. who doesn’t love mad libs? this is another great car activity for kids that’s easy to pack into a backpack or small bag. we’ve taken them on many a road trip for family fun. we like the classics but this pokemon one and this star wars one look fun.

glow in the dark stickers: we’ve been hanging on to this set for awhile. now that kiddo has gotten interested in constellations (via this book), it’s the perfect time to add these fun stickers as a stocking stuffer. could be a fun to gift both the book and the stickers as a set!

wind-up butterfly flyers: kiddo loves any kind of flying toy. he’s been gifted this paper airplane set and this flying orb in the past. these flying butterflies looked like a fun toy to bring a thrill to the holidays this year.

nail polish: always a fun little treat, nail polish has been on kiddo’s list for awhile. he’ll be thrilled with this set of piggy paints.

clothing: so perhaps socks are not always at the top of a kid’s gift list, but I try to add in a few staple wearable gifts for kids. we have this rainbow sock set, and these crew sets are also fun.

i hope this list of stocking stuffers for kids has given you some great gift ideas for kids in your life! wishing you a beautiful rest of your year and may any celebrations you hold bring joy.

save this pin for gift ideas for kids.