It’s that time of year–my favorite list! As you know if you’ve been following here long, I take stocking stuffer selection very seriously. I have vivid memories of pulling little treasures out of my own stocking when I was a kid–from Bonne Bell Lip Smackers to 4-color pens. My kids are equally delighted to finding what’s in theirs, and I have so much fun putting together this list every year. With no further ado, here are 52 Stocking Stuffers for Kids & Teens:
1. Alligator Straw – The only way I’ll ever get close to an alligator. I love these random little delights in the kitchen because they’re the kind of things kids will remember years later, “Remember that alligator straw we used to have?”
2. Pop Tube Dogs – My kids love weird little gifts like this. They will twist these bendy dogs into funny positions that dogs don’t normally bend into, and they will giggle uncontrollably at how funny they look. They will text pictures of funny bendy dogs to their cousins, and the bendy dogs will win the best gift award.
3. Toy Train in a Tin – The perfect toy to throw in the “restaurant bag.” Yes, it actually works and chugs along the tiny tracks.
4. Magnetic Ball – One of the more fun toys in the fidget category, these magnetic balls are larger than the tiny ones that get sucked in the vacuum and way more affordable than the name brand ones.
5. Looper Hoop – Find the right rhythm to keep the marble spinning and try to make a basket with a flick of the wrist. This one’s going in Dash’s stocking.
6. Thumb Chucks – These are extra fun because they light up. There’s a whole YouTube channel dedicated to thumb chucks tricks which Dash will likely master by New Year’s.
7. Head Lamp – My sister is always great at finding the perfect quirky gifts for my kids. She sent this to Dash one year, and he loved it–great for playing outside at night or reading in bed.
8.Flash Back Light-up Rebound Ball – Another fun light-up toy, this one has yo-yo vibes but bounces on the ground before it rebounds.
9. Kids Bluelight Glasses – What kid who doesn’t wear glasses hasn’t wanted to try them for fun? These bluelight glasses protect kids’ eyes from computer/device eye fatigue while providing a cute studious look.
10. Philips One Battery Toothbrush – I love that this toothbrush takes regular batteries (We don’t need any more cords and chargers in our life!) and comes in fun bright colors for kids. The added case makes it great for travel.
11. Travel Blurt! Game – We love our card games and are so excited for Santa to bring this one this year because we’ve heard it’s so much fun.
12.Kids Chopsticks– A cute way to level up the fun on any meal.
13. Fashion Sticker Stylist– This is a fun one for all my kids. We’ve brought it on planes and road trips and thrown it in our restaurant bag.
14. 3-pack Carmex – Carmex is a staple in backpacks around here, and these 3-packs are great for multiple kid stockings.
15. Crystalina Doll with Amulet Necklace– Nella will be all over this. I mean, there’s a glowing amulet and a light-up dress!
16. Magnet Men– These little bendable guys are super fun to play with on the refrigerator.
17. Golf Pens – A tiny miniature golf setting that doubles as pens.
18. Bungee Bacon – Stretchy bacon that flings? Yes, please.
19. Glow Bugs – These have been a favorite this year. We used them in Michigan to play a late night Hide & Seek game outside.
20. Comfy Socks– A great Bombas knock-off for kids. So comfy!
21. Hair Clips– These cute confetti-filled barrettes are great for clipping flyaway hairs down (or, in our case, the chunk of short hair we had to cut out of the dreads Nella made from twisting her hair too much).
22. Triple Tongue Twisters Game – It’s Go Fish! but leveled up with funny tongue twisters that help you win the game when you say them 3x fast. This award-winning game is also great for practicing enunciation and pronunciation.
23.LEGO Dots Rainbow Bracelet & Charms – Kids can design their own bracelets with buildable tile charms that snap in place.
24. Things on a Hamburger – One of our top three card games the whole family can enjoy. We’ve taken this on vacation, played around restaurant tables, and it always brings on the laughs.
25. Dinosaur Pull Back Cars – Great for little kids, but bigger kids can enjoy the fun too. We love having pull-back car races down our hallway with high stakes prizes like “Whoever wins gets to pick the next takeout dinner restaurant”.
26. Hex Bug – Moves like a cockroach but thank goodness isn’t one.
27. Ooly Scented Glitter Pens– Ooly is one of my favorite kid stationery brands and ends up in every stocking and Easter basket. These scented glitter pens are the stuff my kid stocking stuffer dreams were made of.
FOR TEENS AND BIG KIDS
1. Do One Fun Thing Every Day Journal – The perfect good headspace journal for big kids with simple daily prompts that promote creativity and fun. This one’s going in my kids’ stockings.
2. Charcoal Makeup Brush Cleaner – An easy and quick way to clean makeup brushes to make them last longer and keep them fresh.
3. Stranger Things Slingshot Game – Here’s your chance to knock out a demogorgan. This slingshot game flings “rocks” at creatures from the Upside Down.
4. Touchscreen Gloves – So maybe my Florida kids won’t use these, but somewhere in the beloved land of seasons, there are kids who would get good use out of these touchscreen gloves, available in lots of colors so everyone can be responsible for keeping track of their own gloves and no one can blame a sibling for stealing theirs.
5. Kim Krans Pocket Tarot – We have the big version of this set, and they’ve created a lot of fun at gatherings this year. I sent one off to my niece in college who already reported that she’s used them with friends.
6. Alcohol Wipes – You’re thinking, “Why the heck would I put alcohol wipes in a stocking?” aren’t you? Because your kid’s phone is likely covered in germs, and they don’t think to sanitize it. Forget the expensive tech wipes. These alcohol wipes work just fine. Keep them stashed in backpacks, and they’ll remember to clean their phones.
7. Apple Air Tag – If there’s one thing big kids and teens are good at, it’s losing things. An Apple air tag allows them to track the important items that matter.
8. Portable Hand Warmers – Cold weather hikes, sledding, skiing and snow fort making days are made better with these little luxuries to slip inside pockets and mittens–and they’re rechargeable.
9. Corn Can Safe – We learned this year that corn is a beautiful thing, it has the juice and it’s more than just a big lump with knobs. It can be a safe to disguise and hide important teen treasures.
10. Sterling Silver Love Ring – The sweetest ring in simple script. Lainey’s middle name is Love, so Santa’s bringing this one for sure.
11. ban.do Sticker Set – No one ages out of stickers, especially when they’re from ban.do. These are great for journals, planners, water bottles, lap tops and notebook covers.
12. Ice Face Roller – We’re big fans of the morning ice roll routine over here. This little ice mold allows you to make your own morning concoction – add dried flowers, a little mint, essential oil – for an energizing wake-up ritual.
13. Cleaning Putty – I keep this in my glove compartment for cleaning dust and gunk out of my car cup holders and console. Also works great for keyboards.
14. Bliss Marshmallow Mask – The perfect stocking-sized beauty treatment with rave reviews.
15. Heart Earrings – Santa bought these for Lainey’s stocking; but once I saw them, I wanted a pair too. Available in lots of fun colors!
16. Portable Charge Backup – You can never go wrong with a backup charger when it comes to teens. I like this one because you don’t need a cord.
17.Gift Card Puzzle – A great way to add some fun when you’re relying on gift cards for certain age kids that are tough to buy for. They have to work for the gift card by solving the puzzle first–and, these are reusable.
18. Hellfire Club Pencil Case – Keep Eddie alive with this one.
19. Lighted Armband – Perfect for kids who rise early for runs or play outside past dark.
20.Black Post-its and Metallic Pen Set – Leaving notes has never been more fun. Lainey’s getting these.
21. Ooly Seeing Double Pens – Another Ooly fave, these double line pens elevate any handwriting to font-worthy.
22. Herschel Beanie – My favorite beanie that works for any age, boys & girls.
23. ban.do Airpod Case – If I had a nickel for every time Lainey asked, “Has anyone seen my Airpods?”, I’d buy this case so she could clip it to her backpack and never ask again.
24. Sticker & Chill Personal Spaces– We love the Sticker & Chill books and spent the entire plane ride to Michigan this October passing this back and forth so we could decorate rooms with all the fun reusable stickers and judge each other’s creations.
25. 97 Things to Do Before You Finish High School – the greatest little bucket list for teens with inspiration and ideas for making life great–from “start a collection” and “correspond with a pen pal in another country” to “record an oral history” and “design a t-shirt.”
