From commercials to store catalogs, holiday ads are full of gift ideas for the kids in your life. You'll find lists of the hottest toys, the newest video games, and the best tech-related presents. It can be a little harder to come up with ideas for fun and unique stocking stuffer ideas each year. That's why we're bringing you a list of stocking stuffer ideas for kids of all ages.
Aspiring Artists Stocking Stuffer Ideas
Encourage their artistic side by filling their stockings with art supplies. Think beyond traditional crayons and markers though, and find unique materials to expand their stash of supplies. Colors of the World skin tone colored pencils are a great choice for the kid who loves to draw portraits. Kwik Stix tempera paint sticks offer mess-free painting, while watercolor crayons allow a different approach to watercolor techniques.
Card Games for Everyone
Spice up family game night by adding card games to the kids' stockings. Card games are always a great choice for kids during the holidays. Indeed, they are portable and can be played at family gatherings or as a quick activity. You can go classic with games like Go Fish for the younger crowd, while games like Uno or Phase 10 will appeal to a wider age range. Monopoly Deal is a twist on a classic board game, and much faster to play. If you're looking for some silly fun, you might consider popular games like Taco vs. Burrito or Exploding Kittens.
Body Art
For kids that love experimenting with their personal style, temporary changes to their skin and hair are always fun. You can find temporary tattoos in all kinds of designs, from cartoon-styles, to more realistic temporary tattoo styles for tweens and teens. If your child is always drawing on themselves with pens and markers, fill their stocking with a tattoo pen and stencil kit. For the kid who still loves dressing up, a non-toxic face paint set lets them become their favorite animal or superhero for the day. Or you can let them change their hair to a new color quickly by using hair chalk.
Clothing and Accessories
Fun clothes and accessories are excellent stocking stuffers. Not only do they usually fill a need, but they are also another way to express their unique style. A graphic tee representing favorite characters, television shows or video games can be rolled up and put in a stocking. Infinity scarves come in lots of colors or patterns. You can find a gamer beanie for your video gaming enthusiast, or a beard beanie for the kid who likes to dress up in disguise.
Pop-top gloves or texting gloves will let them play their devices without taking their gloves all the way off, while you can get them earmuffs and ski gloves for playing outdoors in cold weather for longer periods of time.
Socks are also great, because there are so many options. From novelty knee-high socks to no-show socks, to thermal socks, you can find them in their favorite colors, with characters, or even their favorite foods. Help them learn to tell time with a digital watch that features their favorite character, or a kid's smart watch with a few extra features. For an older, mature teen, you can wow them with their own Apple Watch.
Bookworm Accessories
Whether you're buying for an emerging reader or a self-proclaimed bookworm, there are a lot of stocking stuffer ideas to continue encouraging a love of books. You can find sets of color-your-own bookmarks, fun-shaped 3D animal bookmarks, or even cross-stitch bookmark kits. For the avid reader who needs to read just one more chapter before bed or the kid who can read in the car on long trips, a clip-on book light is a great idea. A reading log is a good way to help your child track the books they read, especially for the child who also loves to share their thoughts and opinions about every single book.
Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Writer
If you have a child who expresses creativity through writing, a story starter book is a great way to get their imagination flowing. Your youngest writer may appreciate a Draw and Write notebook that has dotted lines for beginning handwriting practice and plenty of white space for illustrating their story. You can also look for journals of all kinds, including travel journals if you have upcoming trips or travel frequently, gratitude journals, nature journals for the outdoor enthusiast, or comic book journals for comic book fans.
Babies & Toddlers
The youngest kids in the family may not realize what all the excitement is about, but items in their stockings can still delight them. Bath toys are almost always a treat for little ones, because they love experimenting with dumping water and buoyancy. You can find everything from bath letters and numbers that will help them play with early literacy skills, to stack and pour buckets to simple boats. A new trainer cup is also great for helping them transition from nursing or a bottle. For all the upcoming meals where your toddler might be apprehensive about trying all the new dishes, you can encourage them to try new food with fun spoons and plates.
Yummy Treats
Fruit and candy are classic stocking stuffers. Oranges have a rich history as holiday treats, so if this is part of your own family tradition, be sure to keep it alive. Candy canes also have a history of being used as decoration and in stockings. You can find peppermint candy canes in a variety of sizes, but you might also want to try candy cane spoons for hot chocolate. Fruity or sour flavored candy canes are another fun option. Chocolates are another classic. Of course, you can find your kids' favorite sweet or sour candies or salty snacks to make them more personal.
Find Amazing Stocking Stuffer Ideas
Stocking stuffer ideas do not have to be difficult. Consider your child's hobbies and interests, their favorite colors, and what they need, and you can quickly come up with a variety of unique ideas!
