10 Cheap Stocking Fillers For Kids That Aren't Just Plastic Rubbish

Stockings are where the Christmas budget quietly disappears. Eight bits at £4 each is £32 spent on things that break before the school term starts.

The test is simple: will they still be using it in February? Here are ten that pass, and what to avoid.

Ten cheap stocking fillers that actually get used

• A children's joke book. Screen-free, endlessly re-readable, and it turns a six year old into the entertainment for the whole of Christmas morning.
• A pack of playing cards. Snap, Go Fish and Cheat cover the entire afternoon and cost under £3.
• An enamel pin badge for a school bag or coat - worn for years, costs less than a coffee.
• A small A5 print for their bedroom wall, of something they actually love.
• A proper pencil or a decent felt-tip set. The cheap ones dry out by January; one good pen doesn't.
• A torch. Nothing under a fiver gets more use, especially under a duvet.
• A packet of seeds and a little pot, for a spring project that starts on Christmas Day.
• A skipping rope or a bouncy ball, for the day they need to be outside.
• A book of puzzles, wordsearches or dot-to-dots for the car home.
• One good chocolate thing rather than four cheap ones. The same money, better morning.

What to leave in the shop

• Multipacks of tiny plastic figures. Fun for nine minutes, then hoovered up.
• Anything needing three button batteries you don't own.
• Novelty gadgets sold at the till. They're at the till for a reason.
• Slime, unless you have a very clear view of your carpet's future.
• Bubble wands in December. Wonderful in June, pointless in the rain.

Filling a stocking on a budget

• Four good things beat eight cheap ones - the stocking looks just as full.
• One 'big' filler at around £8, three at £3, and a satsuma. That's the formula.
• Buy over the Black Friday weekend and you'll spend roughly a third less.
• Flat things post cheaply if you're sending a stocking to grandchildren.
• Keep the receipt for anything with batteries.

Shop party bag fillers

How to write it so it lands

• Write the list before you shop, or the till display wins.
• One thing to read, one thing to play, one thing to wear, one thing to eat.
• Buy in one order so it all arrives together.

Where to shop next

• All our Christmas guides
• Keeping kids entertained at Christmas dinner
• Games to play in the car with kids
• Sleepover activities for kids
• Get well soon gifts for kids
• Talent show ideas for kids
• Rainy day activities for kids
• Best travel toys for kids
• Random joke generator
• Riddle of the day
• Printables and activity sheets
• Shop kids' birthday cards
• Shop party bag fillers
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are good cheap stocking fillers for kids?

A joke book, a pack of playing cards, a pin badge, a small print, a decent pen, a torch and a puzzle book. All under £10, all still in use in February.

How much should you spend on stocking fillers?

Most UK parents spend £15 to £25 per child on the whole stocking. Four items - one around £8 and three around £3 - fills it well without creeping upwards.

What are good screen-free stocking fillers?

Joke and puzzle books, card games, torches, craft bits and anything they can take outside. A joke book is the one that keeps working on a wet afternoon in March.

How many stocking fillers should you buy?

Three or four good ones. Children remember the thing they used, not the number of parcels.

Do you sell books or toys?

No. We design and print cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations, all posted from the UK. Any book or toy mentioned here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.