Cheap, Healthy Stocking Stuffers This Christmas

Balls, Frisbees, skipping ropes: An oldie but a goodie. For just a few dollars, these family favourites are a great Christmas gift for anyone. What’s more having a brand new ball or Frisbee to try out encourages kids both big and small to get outdoors for a fun filled afternoon that will help work off all that Christmas pudding.

Water guns, water bombs, sprinklers: It just wouldn’t be an Aussie Christmas if there wasn’t a sweltering heat so what better way to cool down, have fun and be active then a good old fashioned water fight or run in the sprinkler (as long as you don’t live in NSW and Queensland which has severe drought).

SPF 30+ lip balms and zincs: Of course if you are going to enjoy the beautiful outdoors this Christmas it is extremely important that you are sun smart. SPF lip balms and zincs make a great stocking stuffer that will remind and encourage kids (and adults) to protect their skin before heading outdoors for fun. You can get a range of fun coloured zincs and flavoured lip balms (be sure they are SPF 30+) to complement the rest of your sun smart regiment.

Glow Sticks and bands: The fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down during the silly season so top off the Christmas stocking with a few glow sticks or bands to keep the party going after dark. Glow sticks and bands are another way to keep the kids out of trouble and active. Try using them in an after dark version of hide and seek or in a treasure hunt.

Packet cakes: Ok, so probably not a healthy stocking stuffer in the traditional sense but packet cakes are simple, quick and tasty which is ideal for encouraging children to get in the kitchen and get cooking. Developing cooking skills, and better still a joy for cooking, will carry with children throughout life and underpins a healthy diet.

Seeds, pots and garden tool: Not only will some seeds, pots and gardening tools set the kids up for a gardening project to keep them busy over the Christmas holidays, but getting kids to grow their own fruits, vegetables and herbs encourages them to eat the healthy produce they have grown. Op for things that are easy and fast growing like tomatoes and radishes, herbs like mint which makes a delicious addition to a festive fruit salad or punch, or sprouts which take only a few days and can be grown in a jar on the windowsill.

iTunes vouchers: Last but not least, music makes a great addition to the Christmas stocking and of course music means dancing, which is good for the heart, health and soul.

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248 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 19 Jul 2023
    10:33 am
My kids loved things like play doh, paints, chalk for drawing on the driveway, bubble mixture, crayons and colouring books and for girls lovely hair ties.

- - nadine_hill said
  - 13 Feb 2020
    6:56 pm
I used a lot of these ideas this year and they were all gratefully received!

- - mom81879 said
  - 02 Feb 2020
    9:51 am
My kids always got outside toys to play with. I preferred the doing gifts more then the sitting gifts. I encouraged my kids to be active and creative, discouraged game consoles and tv viewing.

- - linaianna said
  - 10 Jan 2020
    3:58 pm
Always looking for Christmas stocking stuffers thanks for sharing

- - mom322089 said
  - 09 Jan 2020
    12:21 pm
Wow, these are some great ideas and will keep them in mind for next year. Art and craft packs and travel board games are also great as they then provide an activity if the kids get bored.

- - Blossom said
  - 01 Jan 2020
    8:41 pm
Depending on the age of your child washable markers or paint……coloured pencils. hb pencils they can use for drawing or writing. Blank paper that they can use all these those things on. I would contact a place that supplies packing boxes for people moving house and see if they will tell you where they buy the paper from. With the markers I suggest you give the child a few layers of paper as the colour of the marker will go though onto your floor if you don’t. If your floor is vinyl or tiles it will wipe or wash off with a cloth quite easily if you see it soon enough. Not sure about it if it is on there for too long. We also used to get underwear and socks in the “toe” part of our stockings when we were little.

- - mom101628 said
  - 27 Dec 2019
    11:02 pm
Thanks for the ideas. Hope everyone loves your post.

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 19 Dec 2019
    3:08 pm
all great ideas

- - ashna9 said
  - 17 Dec 2019
    3:53 pm
Cute ideas and will get the kids moving too.

- - Jbuttxx said
  - 17 Dec 2019
    7:43 am
such fantastic ideas and i think ill use 99% of them for my grandma this year. Seeds and garden tools, what a brilliant idea!

- - mom129591 said
  - 16 Dec 2019
    8:12 pm
Great ideas for the stocking filler’s! A super Merry Christmas and Happiest New Year Mouths of Mum’s your an amazing team of stars!!!!!!!

- - DaffyD said
  - 16 Dec 2019
    5:31 pm
Great ideas ny daughter would go nuts for the iTunes card

- - Fluffys57 said
  - 16 Dec 2019
    11:13 am
I love the Packet Cake idea I would of never thought of something like that thanks for the help

- - MisChip said
  - 14 Dec 2019
    11:12 pm
These seem like some good ideas

- - mom390666 said
  - 14 Dec 2019
    8:29 pm
Need all these helpful hints this year!

- - mom447437 said
  - 14 Dec 2019
    11:32 am
Some really wonderful suggestions here! I love that they’re about encouraging kids to try new activities and be active – I love anything which helps my little boy to explore, learn and create.

- - Ellen said
  - 14 Dec 2019
    8:42 am
Great ideas. I think rubus cubes and sensory toys make also a great stocking stuffer

- - Frankiielot said
  - 13 Dec 2019
    8:56 pm
Such good ideas but I really love the first two as it will help the kids to get outdoors more rather than sitting in front of the Tele watching tv or playing video games!

- - mom90758 said
  - 13 Dec 2019
    2:54 pm
Nice. I would add special pencils and erarers, small notebooks…

- - ashna9 said
  - 13 Dec 2019
    12:05 pm
These are great ideas that even the most techy kid would enjoy.