10 Frugal Gift Ideas for Kids

Giving them something they can use to stimulate their imagination or creativity unleashes the gift inside.

Buying gifts for kids during the holiday season is always fun but can also be expensive. Even though stores have great sales, sometimes toys, electronics, and video games can still be pricey. This is when you need to look for frugal gifts that they will still really enjoy. If you’re looking for some affordable gift ideas for your kids, I hope these suggestions make your Christmas merry and bright.

1. Books

I don’t care how old they are, a book is always a magnificent gift. For little ones, you can buy classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Or more modern titles like Llama, Llama Misses Mama. At this age, board books are best because they will probably chew on them and pages can’t get ripped.

For all your other readers, ask if they have a favorite book series and get them one or two physical copies of books in the series. You could even get them a gift card so they can buy e-books for their e-reader or tablet.

Also, when you’re looking for new books for the kids in your lives, don’t overlook titles by indie authors or authors you don’t know. I have seen some very cool children’s books by indie authors like The Giraffe Who Said Goodnight by Adisan Books or Noah Zark by Susan Polk Van Dusen.

2. Art Supplies

Kids love to do art in various mediums, so art supplies make exceptional gifts. You can buy all kinds of things like markers and crayons, fingerpaints, construction paper with scissors (if age-appropriate), washable kids' paint, water wow coloring books (kids color with water to make a picture appear), bathtub crayons, paint by sticker books, etc. Clay and play dough are also great ideas too. You can also buy art kits with lots of fun, original supplies.

3. Craft/Activity/Science Kits

These are substantial gifts for kids because they have everything you need in them. There are all kinds of kits to choose from, like glow-in-the-dark slime, volcano eruptors, jewelry designers, kits to make dolls, weaving kits, stickers, stained glass dinosaurs, etc.

4. Toy Cars and Trucks

Kids love playing with car toys and trucks at any age. I’ve seen little ones pushing large cars and trucks across the floor and bigger kids racing Hot Wheels across the room as fast as they will go. These inexpensive toys give hours and hours of entertainment.

The best part is that you can get them in multiples for a very reasonable price. Also, Hot Wheels don’t just come in cars; they also have trucks, monster trucks, and HW rescue vehicles. They also have cars that change colors in water and mystery surprise vehicles as well. Some of the higher-priced vehicles have themes like The Muppets, Batman, and Mario Kart.

5. Board/Card Games

Games are always a great affordable gift. Classics like Candy Land, Connect 4, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, and Cootie are always fun for younger kids. Scrabble, Sorry, Twister, and Operation are good choices for older kids. Games like UNO (any style, ex: UNO Flip, Teams, etc), Jenga, and Charades are good for all ages.

6. Blocks/Lincoln Logs/Legos

Building things is an hours-long pastime for kids. They love blocks and Lincoln logs at any age. The best thing about these toys is that they are made for specific ages. You can buy bags of mega blocks for your babies and toddlers so they can’t put them in their mouths and are easy for them to manipulate. As they grow older, you can move up to mini Legos, regular-size Legos, and Lincoln Logs.

7. Kitchen Toys

This was always a favorite when I was a kid. I had a metal kitchen set with a stove, sink, refrigerator, and a gigantic box of play food, and I would play for hours. (I’m sure the fact that I grew up in a restaurant had something to do with it too.) Back then, our play food was more realistic, mimicking brands like Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King.

Anyway, this still rings true with kids today. When I worked in daycare, the kitchen center was a favorite place to be. You can buy sets of play food, play kitchen appliances, and specialty sets like ice cream parlor or pizza parlor at reasonable prices.

8. Puzzles

Another hot commodity from my daycare days is puzzles. My four- and five-year-old class loved putting together puzzles. A great thing about these is they come in different sizes and numbers of pieces, so you can buy them for almost any age.

You can get chunky ones for babies and toddlers so they can practice their fine motor skills. Floor puzzles are also a great option because their large pieces allow little hands to grasp them easily. Plus, since kids play with them on the floor, older babies who crawl can play with them more easily.

For older kids, 25-75 pieces are about right. You can get them in all different themes, from Disney princesses to animals to superheroes. Puzzles are a great affordable gift that has lots of variety.

9. Baby Doll/Barbie Dolls

Little girls love playing with dolls. Imitating adults, little girls can take care of their "own baby" by playing with baby dolls. Baby dolls are also great for little ones like toddlers because they are soft and squishy so if they fall with them, they can’t hurt themselves. Barbie dolls open a whole new world of possibilities. They can create different scenarios with Barbie and Ken and their different sisters, brothers, and friends. I loved Barbie dolls as a kid and would play with them for hours.

The world of Barbie can be expensive, but I’ve seen dolls and sets of clothing, sets of clothing and accessories, and other accessories (ex: beach towels and chairs) at reasonable prices on Walmart.com.

10. Superheroes Figurines

Oh, the world of superheroes! Our superheroes bucket was a source of joy and frustration in my classroom because everyone had their favorites. However, these little figurines would keep kids entertained for an entire block of playtime. Boys love, love, love superheroes, and some girls too.

Like Barbie dolls, these treasured toys can be very expensive, depending on what you are looking for. However, when I look on Walmart.com, some single figures and a set of four are priced reasonably.

Gifts for kids don’t have to be the latest, greatest, and most expensive thing. The great thing about kids is they are full of imagination and creativity. The sad part is that most of them don’t use it because they are stuck in their video games, tablets, and phones.

This is where “frugal and old school” gifts come into play. By giving them something they can use to stimulate their imagination or creativity, you are unleashing the gift inside. Gifting a board or card game will help draw them back to their families via a fun activity. They can use craft/activity/science kits to learn something new. Exercising their imagination, creativity, and ability to learn something new are the best gifts of all.