An awesome Christmas doesn’t have to break the bank! We want to provide our girls a memorable experience, but I refuse to rack up a huge credit card bill. Some of their favorite toys, books, and games have been surprisingly affordable, so I wanted to share a list of 20 awesome kids gifts under 20 dollars.
One of my former employers hosts a large Toys for Tots event every December, where hundreds of toys are collected for this incredible charitable organization. I thought this post would provide an excellent opportunity to help out, so it is also the First Annual Soccer Mom Blog Toy Drive. All toys marked with an asterisk were provided by our generous sponsors and I’ll be taking them to the event in a couple weeks. I’m so excited to be able to use my blog for such a good cause!
Check out our favorite kids gifts under 20 dollars:
Kwik Stix Super-Quick Drying Solid Tempura Paint Sticks *
Painting with no mess?! Score!! Kwik Stix promise to dry in 90 seconds, and they really do! These vibrant tempera paints apply smoothly and are the perfect size for little hands. The best way I can describe Kwik Stix: awesome!! Fun to use (for grown-ups too…seriously, you’ll want to play with them!) and mess-free– it’s a true win-win! Read our full review here and see our video demo that show just how fast they dry.
We were invited to try out Magformers a few months ago and the girls were hooked! They spent HOURS upon hours playing with them. This is one of the best construction sets I’ve seen (I’ll admit to playing with them for a while too!) This 14 piece set is the perfect starter set and the rainbow colors are beautiful!
VTech Flipsies Carina’s Mini Golf and Check-Up Table Playset *
Flipsies are a new line of dolls made to encourage girls to follow their dreams. These fun-sized figurines have two looks: an everyday look and their “dream career” and even talk with the push of a button. They come with a 2 in 1 playset: Carina’s flips from a doctor’s office to reveal a golf course. Each doll also has two sets of clothes, hair, etc. to match each playset. These have been a HUGE hit with both girls. They’re priced so you can collect them all!
Polar Express 30th Anniversary Edition *
The Polar Express was one of my favorite books as a child, so I was thrilled to be able to introduce my girls to this classic. This special 30th anniversary hardcover edition is made to last for generations and comes with a beautiful keepsake ornament that we will definitely be adding to our tree this year.
Christmas 4000 Stickers Book *
Four. Thousand. Stickers. I collected stickers when I was growing up, and this book would have been a dream come true! You should have seen my oldest daughter’s eyes when I told her how many stickers were inside! There are also lots of activities designed to use the stickers IN the book, so they are less likely to end up around the house. This would be perfect for traveling!
Professor Murphy’s Metal Puzzles: Over 30 Brain-Busting Teasers! *
These metal puzzles are perfect for older kids and to challenge creative thinking and problem solving. Once you get started, it’s hard to stop until you’ve figured out the solution! This puzzle set brings back a lot of memories, as my Granny always had brain teasers like this out at her house!
Christmas in America (Ellis the Elephant) *
Follow along as Ellis the Elephant learns all about Christmas traditions throughout our nation’s history. This charming poem takes kids on an exciting (and informative!) journey to see how the holiday was celebrated in different time periods in the United States. You might recognize the author, Callista Gingrich’s famous last name, but she is an accomplished writer in her own right. Christmas in America is the 5th book in the New York Times Bestselling Ellis the Elephant series.
Nerf Zombie Strike Biosquad Zombie Eraser ZR-100 Blaster *
I actually have seen a few adult friends excitedly showing photos of their new Nerf Zombie Blasters on their social media pages, so it is a toy that not only would be great for older kids, but some of the men in your life. This is great for practicing hand-eye coordination with outdoor target practice. Plus, it’s just plain fun!
Indestructibles: Humpty Dumpty *
I will admit to being a bit skeptical of the claims that these so-called Indestructibles baby books were actually indestructible. But they are! They’re rip-proof (I tried!), chew-proof (AB tried!), and they are washable — you can even take them in the bathtub. I wish I had known about these when AB was younger because she was brutal on her cardboard books! Beautiful illustrations from Jonas Sickler capture little one’s attention, and the words to the nursery rhyme are on the back so you can sing along. The books in this set would be an excellent gift for a baby’s first Christmas!
Play-Doh Perfect Twist Ice Cream Playset
This set is awesome! I still can’t believe that it was under twenty bucks! We’ve had ours for a couple years and the girls love to create fancy “desserts” for us to sample. It’s one of our favorite rainy day activities.
Melissa & Doug Sushi Slicing Playset
My sister has this set at her house (it might be the only kid-friendly thing there!) and the girls love to make “sushi” when they visit their Aunt Kathleen. It’s such a neat play kit which allows kids to build realistic looking sushi that’s held together with velcro. Kids can even use chopsticks because they have velcro too, making it easy to pick up their sushi pieces. This set is made out of wood, so it’s built to last — it’s an awesome value!
Cooking Chef 50 Piece Pretend Play Food Assortment
The girls have rediscovered my oldest daughter’s box of plastic food. Every day over Thanksgiving break they have woken up and headed straight to the living room to play what is now dubbed “Messy Tea Party.” (Messy because it involves dumping the entire box out on the living room floor!) This 50 piece set has a wide variety of recognizable foods which can be used to teach little ones new words or for older kids to “cook.” Either way it’s hours of entertainment for a wide age range!
Great Pretenders Princess Cape
We were sent this princess cape to review by Great Pretenders (you can read the review here) and AB loved it so much that I had to include it in this list too. When she first tried on her cape, AB would not take it off until bedtime!
Tapple – Fast Word Fun For Everyone
This was a recent addition to our family game night collection and it’s perfect for when you’ve got both kids and adults playing together. It’s a fast-paced, quick-thinking party game that is a blast for grown-up only game nights too!
Looking for an educational game that’s actually fun? My oldest LOVES her Brain Quest game and loves it even more when she can collect all of her letters first! There are different grade levels so you can adjust for the age of your kids. You might even find yourself occasionally stumped!
GeoCentral Excavation Dig Kit – Treasures Of The Earth
This was a birthday gift to my oldest from her Aunt Kathleen and I have to say it was a genius idea! My daughter spent days chiseling away at the block to reveal different rocks hidden inside. There’s also an identification guide and display case included. The excavation process can get a little messy, but we were able to keep the dust well-contained by placing the block inside of a short cardboard box.
Melissa & Doug Deluxe 27-Piece Nina Ballerina Magnetic Dress-Up
We’ve had a few of these magnetic dress-up sets for years. The magnets make it easy to change outfits and they are much more durable than paper dolls.
Wake Up, Magic Duck! (Magic Bath Books)
The girls love bath books, and “Magic” Bath Books are even more fun because they change colors when submerged in water!
AB loves to play a game called “Godzilla” with these blocks. In case you didn’t guess, it involves Mom, Dad, or Grandparents stacking the blocks and AB gleefully knocking them down.
Disney Frozen KIDdesigns Chill ‘n’ Chat FRS 2-Way Radios
Walkie-talkies have always been a kid favorite and Frozen walkie talkies are that much cooler!
*A BIG thank you to our generous sponsors who donated the items marked with an asterisk for our First Annual Soccer Mom Blog Toy Drive! All toys and books collected will be given to Toys for Tots, a wonderful organization that provides Christmas gifts to children in need.
Sponsors: The Pencil Grip Inc., Magformers, VTech Kids, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Parragon Books, Hasbro, Jonas Sickler Illustration
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