Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids and Teens

Every year when Christmas rolls around my daughter drags out her Christmas stocking that I bought her years ago from an Avon catalog. Somehow, and mabe it's the magic of the season, the batteries that assist it in playing jingle bells at pitch heard only once a year still work after ten years. For some reason, kids love their Christmas stockings. We fill them with last minute junk most of the time, but still they happily dump that over sized sock each Christmas morning delighted at what they find. It can be difficult to come up with new and exciting ideas to fill your child's Christmas stocking, after all how many items does one dollar store carry. None the less, the following are suggestions on what to put in your kids Christmas stocking this year.

Younger Children
Younger kids love to create and make things, so filling their Christmas stocking is fairly easy. Play Doh makes small containers about a quarter of the size of a regular container that are perfect for stocking stuffers. Small activity books, markers and crayons also work well in a younger child's Christmas stocking. Younger boys usually love cars, which makes matchbox cars ideal for their stuffing their Christmas stocking. Boys also like plastic dinosaurs and other plastic figures. Young girls like to pretend, so putting dress up items like clip on earings and other costume jewelry is a great idea. Girls also like doll items like doll bottles, bibs and other doll accessories. Slinky's make great stocking stuffers for both younger boys and girls. Bubbles are also another fun stock stuffer. Finger puppets, bath crayons, backpack clip ons, crazy straws, old maid, go fish, memory, candy, a Yo-yo, silly putty or Pez are all great stocking stuffers for this age group as well.

Older Children and Teens
Stuffing a stocking for this age group can actually be really fun. Often the items that make the best stocking stuffers are actually useful or fun. Older girls like make-up and bath and body products, so body sprays, bubble bath, lotion, lip gloss and other cosmetic items are great stocking stuffers for them. Novelty socks, hair accessories, jewelry and stationary are all great stocking stuffers for older girls too. Older boys are a bit harder, but not impossible. Hacky sacks, novelty playing cards, Rubik's cubes and small hand held games are great for stuffing an older boys stocking. Some other stocking stuffers for older boys would include a watch, a money clip or wallet, fast food gift cards, Ax body sprays and comic books. All older kids would enjoy gift cards even if they are in small denominations, books, outwear like mittens and gloves, candy or disposable cameras. Surprise stocking stuffers like tickets to a concert or sporting event are also great.

Stuffing your child's Christmas stocking can be a lot of fun. Keep your child's unique personality in mind and browse through their favorite section of your local Walmart or department store. Finding trial or travel sized versions of their favorite things is another perfect way to stuff their stocking. Thinking outside of the box and being creative can often lead to the stocking stuffers being just as exciting as the gifts under the Christmas tree.