Gifts for kids {$20 and under}

Confession: I love gifts. Buying gifts, even more. Buying gifts for kids, win win win. It’s one of the many things I love this time of year, as Christmas approaches and secrets accumulate.

Some years I have a ton of ideas, other years I come up dry. This year, I went digging in my own Amazon history for suggestions to share with you of great gifts for kids, for twenty dollars or less. Amazon prices are subject to change without notice; some now cost more or less than what I paid. But these current ballpark costs should get you started.

There are gifts on my list for boys and girls, from toddler to teen. Only you know what the child on your list would like, but it has been fun brainstorming here for you. Our family loves gifts that last for months and years: durable, usable, interactive, bright, funny, educational, or joyous. Each of these items comes with our own experience and recommendation.

• $8 Drawing pen set
• $20 Fairy garden pot
• $13 Sports watch for boys and girls
• $8 Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars, random set of 9 (My little kids like Matchbox for the quirky styles and colors; my bigger kids like Hot Wheels because they are real cars – Lamborghinis and Maseratis and Teslas.)
• $20 Binoculars (Quite a nice little tool for the price.)
• $9-11 Melissa & Doug floor puzzles
• $8 Melissa & Doug magnetic fishing game
• $13 Big boys sarcastic comment shirt 
• $16 Wooden doll set (Just don’t let your dog get ahold of them.)
• $5 Melissa & Doug reusable sticker pads – Princess here, My Town here
• $10 Melissa & Doug wooden 4-puzzle set
• $8 Melissa & Doug scratch art box of notes (Too cool. Yes, we love Melissa & Doug.)
• $12 Kitty face purses, set of 2 (One charcoal, one pink. So fun for two little girls to have matchies.)

• $17 Melissa & Doug wooden train set
• $13 Wooden puzzle trick box (Great to hide cash or a gift card in, for older kids.)
• $16-20 Walkie talkie set (My son and I use these in shopping to touch base across the department store and save valuable time and have fun. “No son, not the double pack, just the original. I’m in aisle 18. Don’t forget the shampoo.”)
• $10 Melissa & Doug Wooden alphabet puzzle
• $20 MP3 music player
• $15 Thread organizer (This makes the best Matchbox car organizer ever. You can add a Hot Wheels decal for $5.)

• $17 Miniature library (Tiny books you can make yourself. My daughter has crafted them off and on all year. We discarded the zodiac one since it’s not our style.)
• $13 Codenames (One of our favorite family games. Good for at least four people, or as many as a group party.)
• $20 Durable T-ball set for toddlers
• $5 Clean joke book
• $18 Alex tin tea set (The best: useable, leakproof, non-plastic, unbreakable.)

• $10 Multitool card (Fits in a wallet.)
• $12 Most adorable stuffed tiger (We just got one for my youngest daughter, who promptly named her Sara.)
• $19 Nerf gun
• $17 Bop-It game
• $18 LifeStraw water filter (Truly awesome for an older kid who’s into survival gear. Makes any water source potable.)

• $20 Screwdriver/ Electronics repair kit (Also for my oldest. Great all-purpose set if you’re into tech repair.)
• $11 Insect lollipops (Gag gift, literally. This is exactly my second son’s style of humor. Edible ants, scorpions, and other goodies encased in sugar. What could be better? And yes, he partook. Yummy.)
• $13 Reading light for bedtime

Do you have questions I could answer about anything on this list?

I see your hand, sister. Yes, we allow Nerf guns. There are a few moral boundaries, such as, “Not on the same floor of the house as your mother.”

What would you add to the list? What do you love to give?

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase after clicking on a link from my blog, Amazon will hat tip me a small portion of their proceeds, at no additional cost to you, in thanks for my advert. All opinions expressed are, as always, entirely my own.