16 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids They Will Actually Use
If you are hunting for stocking stuffer ideas for kids that won't end up in the trash by December 26, this list is for you. I have four kids, and every year I watch the same thing happen: the plastic knick knacks get played with for ten minutes and then disappear under the couch. So this year I made one rule for our stockings. Everything had to be something they would actually do.
Every single item below is from Oriental Trading, every one is inexpensive, and every one is activity based. Crafts they build, puzzles they finish, books they read and things they create with their own hands. For a few of them I'm showing you exactly how it comes in the package and then the finished craft, so you know what you're getting before you order.
Why Activity Based Stocking Stuffers Win
Winter break is long. Activity stocking stuffers give kids something to work on after the presents are open, on snow days, in the car and during that quiet hour you desperately need in the afternoon. They also feel like more to a kid, because a kit is a whole project, not just a thing. And since they get used up or turned into something they made, you aren't left with a pile of clutter in January.
Building and Hands On Stocking Stuffers
1. Magnetic Drawing Board
This is the one I would put at the top of every list. A magnetic drawing board has hundreds of tiny beads that pop up when the stylus passes over them, so kids can draw, write letters and practice shapes over and over with zero mess. No markers, no paper, no batteries. It's perfect for the car, restaurants and church.
2. Mini Brick Animal Kits
These little brick building kits come with everything needed to build an animal, like the crab and sea turtle shown here, and the finished build sits right on top of the box. They're small enough to fit in any stocking, and they hit that sweet spot of being a real project without taking all day.
3. Mini Brick Vehicle Sets
Same idea, different flavor. The bulldozer and small plane sets each build a vehicle with its own little worker or pilot. I love that the box shows the finished build, so kids know exactly what they're making. Grab a mix so siblings can trade.
4. Mini Christmas Puzzles in a Tube
Each tube holds a 54 piece Christmas puzzle, and they are seriously the cutest packaging. A mini Christmas puzzle is big enough to be a challenge for little ones but quick enough to finish in one sitting. Pour it out on the kitchen table Christmas afternoon and watch everyone gather around.
5. Dinosaur and Gemstone Dig Kit
If you only grab one thing from this list, make it this. A dig kit comes with a chisel and a block packed with hidden treasure, and kids chip and brush away until they uncover a real looking gemstone or a dinosaur. My kids dove right in at the kitchen counter, and the moment something appears in the dust never gets old. It's science, fine motor work and pure excitement all in one little box. Lay down some newspaper or do it outside, because it gets dusty in the best way.
Craft Kit Stocking Stuffers
6. Foam Snowman Bookmark Craft Kit
This foam snowman bookmark craft kit comes flat in the package with every piece included: the hat, scarf, buttons, nose and stick arms. Kids peel and stick to build it, so there is no glue and no mess. The finished snowman is sweet enough to hang on the tree.
7. Foam Gingerbread House Bookmark Craft Kit
All the fun of decorating a gingerbread house with none of the frosting on the ceiling. The foam gingerbread house bookmark has candy cane, gumdrop and peppermint stickers, and kids get to decide where every piece goes.
8. Air Dry Clay Snowman Kit
This is one of my favorite before and after finds. It comes as a bag of white clay with a little hat, scarf, eyes, nose and stick arms, and kids shape and build their own clay snowman on a base. Once it dries, it's a keepsake they made themselves, and it's the kind of thing I'd pull out to decorate with every December.
9. Color Your Own Mug
The color your own mug comes with a blank winter design inside a clear plastic mug. Kids color the paper insert and slide it back in, and then they have their very own hot cocoa mug. You can see the plain one and a finished one side by side in the photo, and the colored version is so cute.
10. Christmas Scratch Art Cards
Scratch art might be the most satisfying craft ever. The black cards say Let It Snow and Snow Much Fun, and when kids scratch the lines, rainbow color appears underneath. I'm showing both the blank cards and the scratched versions so you can see the reveal. These are a great quiet time activity for older kids too.
11. Holiday Bracelet Kit
This holiday bracelet making kit comes with letter beads and silver beads so they can spell out their own name or make one for a friend. It's a great little fine motor activity, and they'll actually wear what they make.
Creative and Quiet Time Stocking Stuffers
12. Snowflake Spiral Notebooks
Every kid needs a notebook that feels like theirs. These snowflake spiral notebooks come with a pen, and they're perfect for drawing, journaling, writing lists or practicing spelling. In a homeschool house, a fresh notebook is never wasted.
13. Hot Cocoa Confetti Putty
This one is pure fun. The confetti putty comes in a little cup that looks like hot cocoa with a dome lid, and kids can stretch, squish and play with it while they wind down. It's a great sensory stocking stuffer for the fidgety kid in your house.
14. Mini Snowman Bubbles
Bubbles in winter? Yes. These mini snowman bubble bottles are perfect for a sunny day after the snow, or honestly for the bathtub. They're small, cheap and always a hit with the little ones.
Faith Based Stocking Stuffers
15. The Nativity Story Board Books
I love tucking something into each stocking that points back to what Christmas is really about. The Nativity Story board book is sturdy enough for toddlers and simple enough to read together on Christmas Eve.
16. Nativity Story Coloring Book
A King Is Born is a nativity coloring book that tells the Christmas story with a sentence on every page and a scene to color. It's a sweet way to keep kids busy during Christmas morning church or while you cook dinner.
How to Fill Stockings Without the Clutter
Here is the simple formula I use. Pick one building activity, one craft kit, one quiet time item and one faith based or reading item for each kid, then fill in with a small extra like putty or bubbles. That gives every stocking a little bit of everything, and it means each kid has something to do on Christmas Day, something for winter break and something to keep.
If you're shopping for stocking stuffers for multiple kids, ordering from one place saves so much time. I love that Oriental Trading sells a lot of these in packs, which makes it easy to fill several stockings, grab classroom gifts or set up a craft table at a holiday party.
The best stocking stuffers aren't the flashiest ones. They're the ones your kids are still reaching for on New Year's Day: the puzzle they finished together, the snowman they built with their own hands, the notebook full of their drawings. Every idea on this list is inexpensive, every one keeps little hands busy, and not one of them is destined for the junk drawer. Save this post for when you sit down to shop, and if you need a Christmas morning look to go with it, grab my cute Christmas hairstyles for little girls too. Happy stuffing, friend.
