52 Thrifty Christmas Gifts for Kids

May 16, 2025

Grace Healy

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Christmas should be about spending time with family and friends, not spending a fortune on toys! With this list, you’ll be able to wow your kids, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren without spending your whole life savings on making sure they enjoy the Christmas season too.

Rainbow In My Room

Night time can be scary for young children because it gets so dark. Instead of plugging in a boring old nightlight, fill the room with a rainbow! This amazing projector can splash the walls and ceiling in a literal rainbow of colors, which will make it easier for your little one to settle into bed.

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Melissa & Doug Suspend

Love Jenga, but want to take your balancing skills to a whole new level? This cool game uses different shapes and sizes of wires that must be stacked on top of each other without toppling the whole structure. It’s fun to play with family, but it’s also fun to create structures alone.

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Moon In My Room

Whether your child has a fascination with the night sky, or you’re simply looking for a unique way to light up their room at night, this is the perfect Christmas gift. With a touch of a button, you can even go through all the phases of the moon!

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RC Helicopter

You’re never too old or too young to get excited about a flying toy! This RC helicopter is extremely easy to fly, making it perfect for beginners. But, it also offers stable flight characteristics, which makes this copter higher quality than its measly $15.88 price tag.

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Multi Voice Changer

Ever watch kids using the helium in a balloon to change their voices? Give them the same wacky pleasure without the lightheaded feeling when you gift this voice changer. Your child can literally create hundreds of different sounds, all with their own voice!

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Pull and Stretch Bounce Ball

Looking for a quick toy or two to place in a Christmas stocking? Buy these bounce balls for just $3.35! Instead of being made of hard plastic, like most bouncy balls you buy out of the coin machines at the store, these fun balls are stretchy!

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Tea Set

Little girls the world over have loved to stage tea parties with all of their friends, dolls, and stuffed animals. This tea set is a fun way to encourage your little girl’s imagination, but it’s also a great way to teach social niceties and manners.

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Glovosaurs

With the winter season comes gloves. Turn those colorful gloves into a fun Christmas gift by creating glovosaurs! With just a few basic sewing skills, a little stuffing, and gloves you have lying around the house, you can create one-of-a-kind gifts that they’ll love.

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Graphic Skinz Design Studio

Being creative is all about imagining things in new and different ways. This cool craft gift is perfect for any girl who looks at an object and thinks she can make it more beautiful. This kit allows you to apply custom, colorful skins to nearly any 3-dimensional item, including cell phone cases!

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250 Piece Deluxe Art Set

Whether it’s raining or snowing, there’s no better way to pass the time inside than by creating one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork. If you know a young boy or girl who loves to draw, color, and paint, they are sure to love this art set. It includes a whopping 250 colored pencils, markers, and more!

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Air Strike Catapult

What could be more fun than a catapult? This cool toy comes with everything you need to launch things across the room, including six soft, spiky balls. Not only is this gift a lot of fun, but children can also learn a lot about levers and pulleys by playing with this toy.

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Water Pipes Bath Toy

Bath time can seem like such a waste of time to a toddler. Make sure the little one in your life looks forward to bath time with these cool water pipes. They can be configured in a variety of ways, ensuring that splashing around in the bathtub never gets boring.

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Sumo Bumper Boppers

Finding ways to keep kids occupied indoors when the weather gets cold can be a real challenge, but that’s definitely not the case with these cool Sumo Bumper Boppers! After Christmas dinner is over, set up a ring on the basement floor and let your kids burn their extra energy!

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Gravity Maze

Marble runs are fun, but why not add a twist to this popular game? This gravity maze comes with 60 challenges that encourage you to find the perfect configuration of pieces to get a marble from start to finish. You may just find that your child is better at it than you are!

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Indoor Snowball Fight

Snowball fights are a lot of fun, but they require you to put on all your winter clothing, then take it all back off when you come inside. Skip all the work and start having fun right away instead with these messless indoor snowballs!

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Kids Grow ‘n Glow Terrarium

The growing season is traditionally reserved for the spring and summer, but who said you can’t bring a little green inside for the holidays? This cool terrarium includes design elements that make it fun for a child to decorate, including glow-in-the-dark stickers!

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Perplexus Original

Ever get one of those plastic maze toys as a party favor? This toy takes that simple concept to a whole new level. The Perplexus is a true labyrinth full of twists and turns. It contains an amazing 22 feet of track and 100 barriers, which will keep your kid occupied for hours.

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Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears!

The perfect toy does double duty. It’s a lot of fun, but it also provides your little one with a chance to learn something new. This cool toy includes 48 gears that can be configured in new and fun ways. Challenge your child to engage all of the gears at the same time!

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I Spy Bag

I spy games can be a lot of fun, especially if you know a young one who’s stuck sitting in the car, traveling between family celebrations. This fun I Spy bag is an affordable way to keep a child occupied. You’ll save so much money that you’ll be able to make more than one!

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Window Markers

Most kids get in trouble when they draw all over the walls and windows, but that won’t be the case if you gift these window markers. They are specially formulated for glass to create a crystallized effect. When you’re all done, a wet paper towel will take care of the mess.

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Rock Sugar Jewelry

Making rock candy can be a lot of fun, and it’s something that you can easily do at home. Take things one step further by turning those amazing crystal creations into a wearable piece of jewelry! When you’re ready for something new, just eat the candy and start over again!

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Glow in the Dark Moon Blaster Gun

Shooting your friends has never been more fun! The traditional burp gun was popularized in the 1950s, but it continues to be popular with children today. Not only can you shoot accurately up to 20 feet, each ball makes a fun burp sound when shot. It even glows in the dark!

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The LED Fireworks Grand Finale

Fireworks aren’t just for outside! Bring a little summertime fun indoors for the holidays with these cool LED fireworks. The kit comes with a special control box that allows you to control exactly when each cone fires off its rainbow show.

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Funny Face Magnets

Looking for a fun way for your child to create kooky faces without having to spend money on a Mr. Potato Head doll? Make your own funny face magnets! With a plain sheet of magnetic material, a little paper, and markers, you can create a set for every child in your family.

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K’NEX Amazin’ 8 Coaster Building Set

Both girls and boys love getting creative with K’NEX! There’s no need to spend a fortune on custom K’NEX sets when you can get the same excitement with this fun package. It allows you to build your very own roller-coaster, complete with motorized parts, for just $19.79.

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Ballerina Treasure Music Box

Every little girl needs a music box! This music box is a bit different than most because it includes fun drawers on the bottom and the sides of the box. Because it plays Swan Lake every time it opens, she’s sure open the box time and time again.

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Lab-in-a-Bag Test Tube Wonders

Staying indoors during the holiday season doesn’t mean your young ones have to spend time watching TV or playing video games. Get them involved in science instead! This cool kit includes everything you need to complete 15 cool science experiments in your very own home.

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Scissor Skills Activity Pad

Building motor skills can be a challenge, but that doesn’t mean it has to be hard. Instead of coloring or drawing, this activity pad is all about enhancing motor skills by using a pair of scissors. The kit includes 20 activity pages full of mazes, puzzles, animal art, and more.

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Live Butterfly Garden

Butterflies are fascinating creatures, but the way they grow and transform is especially interesting to young children. This fun butterfly garden brings these fluttery critters indoors where your child can watch the caterpillars grow, build cocoons, and transform into beautiful butterflies.

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Basic Fun Simon Game

Chances are, you grew up playing games like Simon Says when you were young. Bring a little nostalgia to your child’s gift by getting them involved in a game that already has many happy memories. This is the basic Simon game that started it all.

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Rockin’ Doc Sing-Along Boombox

There’s just something about listening to your own voice that gets kids all excited, especially if they can sing along to their favorite tunes! This fun and affordable boombox includes songs and sound effects from the show Doc McStuffins. It even includes a pretend reflex hammer and syringe!

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Playskool Mr. Potato Head Tater Tub Set

Few toys bring back more memories than Mr. Potato Head, which is why kids still love him today! This set includes everything you need to make your own wild and wacky Mr. Potato Head, including the head, 15 unique pieces, and a tub to keep it all organized.

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Blue Princess Castle Play House

Every little girl wants to live in her very own fairy tale! This fun play house is covered in ponies, castles, and rainbows, making it the perfect toy to enhance your child’s imagination. The best part is, it is completely collapsible, making it extremely easy to store.

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Bead Set Bundle

Most little girls love making beautiful jewelry for themselves, friends, and family members. Give the little girl in your life a reason to continue providing you with friendship bracelets with this set of wooden beads shaped like hearts, butterflies, and more.

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Remote Control Flying Clownfish

If you’re looking for a unique and unexpected present this holiday season, consider the Remote Control Flying Clownfish. He measures a whopping 57 by 36 inches and can be filled with helium again and again. Because the flying fish is soft, it is perfect for flying indoors.

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Answer Buzzers

Does everyone in your family look forward to game night? Give them more reasons to love sitting down with the family with these fun answer buzzers. Encourage young ones to hit the buzzer before answering a question for a little extra game time fun.

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Gazillion Bubble Solution

Bubbles are mesmerizing at any age, but creating the perfect bubble can be a real challenge. Instead of trying to get the right ratio of water and dish soap, gift this bottle of bubbles. Its super solution has been specially formulated to create the biggest, brightest, most colorful bubbles on earth.

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Art Clay and Dough Tools

There are few toys that harness creativity and imagination the same way playdough does. Although molding and sculpting playdough with your fingers can be a lot of fun, nothing compares to the one-of-a-kind creations your little one can make with these fun tools!

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Play-Doh Fun Tub

All-in-one gifts are always a great idea because your child can start playing as soon as the gift is opened. Not only does this kit contain a variety of molds, cutters, and shapes, but it also includes five colors of playdough. Plus, it all comes in a tub to keep it all organized.

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Pretend and Play Doctor Set

Does your child, niece, nephew, or grandchild have an interest in healing and medicine? Encourage their interests with this fun pretend doctor set. It includes everything they need in order to make sure everyone in the family is feeling their best, including a battery operated cell phone!

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Pink Dump Truck

Not all girls want to play with dolls! If your little one has an interest in toys that were once traditionally for little boys, she’ll be delighted when she opens her Christmas gift and finds this pink dump truck. It’s an especially great gift because it is made from 100% post-consumer recycled milk jugs.

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Play Food Set

Just because your little one is too young to use the oven, doesn’t mean you can’t encourage them to make you lunch! This fun play set includes everything a young boy or girl needs to make complete meals including pizza, vegetables, waffles, and more.

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Marvel Avengers Hulk Gamma Grip Fists

Anyone can be transformed into a superhero with these grip fists! Although they look strong and sturdy, they are actually extremely soft, so you don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt. The fists also have grab and grip action, which means they function almost like real hands!

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Playroom Tent

Every kid would love to have a tent in their room, but they can be quite expensive. Not to mention, they can be difficult to store. This fun playroom tent just needs a few bits of wood, some fabric, and a little elbow grease. It’s even easy to fold and hide away inside a closet.

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Jumbo Toy Hammock

Although most children’s Christmas gifts are a lot of fun, it’s worth gifting something useful too. If you know a little boy or girl who is drowning in stuffed animals and dolls, give them this toy hammock. It’s an easy way to keep all those toys up off the floor.

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Needlepoint Butterfly Kit

Some children’s crafts can be over so quickly. If you have a daughter, niece, or granddaughter who has the patience to see a more complex project through to its end, she’ll love this needlepoint kit. It includes all the bright yarn and instructions she needs to start a lifelong hobby.

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Tin Can Robot

Everyone’s got at least one empty tin can lying around, so why not turn that can into a robot? This fun kit includes everything your child needs to transform a plain old soda can into a robotic monster. Plus, this kit teaches recycling and harnesses creativity.

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Fart Game

Who knew farts could be so funny? If you have any little boys in your life, they definitely need to own this game. Not only does it incorporate a card game, but it also comes with a fart soundtrack that will keep them giggling the entire time they’re playing the game.

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The Ugglys Pet Shop Dirty Dog Wash Van

Even ugly pets need love too! If you have a son, nephew, or grandson who is tired of being surrounded by his sisters cute little plastic pets, gift this hilarious dirty dog wash van. Each kit comes with an Uggly dog and sickly sounds that every little boy is sure to love.

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100 Trick Magic Show

Turn Christmas evening into a magic show! This cool kit is perfect for both boys and girls who are interested in learning how to mystify an audience. It includes 100 amazing tricks that are so easy to learn that children as young as 7 can impress the whole family with their new skills.

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EZ BioResearch Bacteria Science Kit

Whether your kid has a science fair coming up, or you’re looking for an authentic way to teach your child about bacteria, this science kit is a great gift for the holiday season. It is the number one best-selling kit on Amazon, and it has helped countless children win science fair competitions.

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Running Magnet Toy

Magnets aren’t just for the refrigerator, they can be a lot of fun too! These toys use magnets to move a little bean guy around the board in order to find the treasure. This set comes with 12 unique boards so the fun never ends!

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