Thursday, November 26, 2020

25 Great Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Boys

Are you stuck trying to come up with awesome stocking stuffer gifts for the little - or big boy in your life? No worries, I've put together a helpful list of 20 super cool toddler to teen BOY stocking stuffer gift ideas they will love. 




This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my Disclaimer page. Thanks!

Stocking stuffers are those smaller-sized gifts that can be just as exciting as the gifts placed under the Christmas tree. 

From toddler to teen all boys enjoy stocking stuffer gifts! In fact, my two boys' favorite Christmas tradition is opening their stockings first thing Christmas morning - even before we eat breakfast!

When my boys go to bed on Christmas Eve they always notice their empty stocking hanging limply from the garland-covered stairway railing knowing the next morning that the small ribbon it hangs from will be taught and straining from the overflowing gifts packed inside. 

I love hearing their squeals of excitement as they take down their stocking and wait for the rest of the family to get up and join them in the living room. 




If you are in need of some stocking stuffer suggestions my list of 20 Awesome Stocking Stuffers for Boys --toddler to teen will give you plenty of good ideas your boy(s) will love.


25 Awesome Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Boys


Stocking Stuffers for Infant Boys:


Your little bundle of joy is sure to enjoy these ideas that encourage your baby to explore this new world around him.

1 - Soft Cloth Activity Books - washable, safe and colorful cloth activity book encourages your little guy to explore his new world. Read the stories to him and then let baby look, chew and explore the pages. 


2 - Non-Skid Anti Slip Crew Socks - stockings aren't complete without a new pair of socks! These little socks are anti-slip, perfect for early walkers or little ones who are pulling up to a standing position. Keep their tootsies warm this winter with these cute crew socks. 



3 - Silicone Cookie Teether Toy - BPA free silicone teething toy perfect for your little guy to gnaw on! Relieve the pain of teething and provide a little entertainment for baby boy. 


4 - Solly Baby Knotted Hat - keep that little head warm with this cute little knotted hat. Super soft and cozy this hat will fit size newborn to 6 months. 



5 - Baby Bandana Drool Bib Set of 3 - 100% cotton super absorbent and made with fun prints this bib is perfect for a drooling baby. Comes with an attached teething toy to bring comfort and entertainment to your little guy. 


Stocking Stuffer for Toddler Boy


Active and on the go probably describes your growing toddler. Keeping that in mind, these stocking stuffer ideas are highly durable and encourage fine motor skills.

6 -  Bath Tub Crayons - perfect for the little boy who is always active even during bath time. Keep him occupied while mom tries to wash him up! Let your boy draw his masterpiece on the bath tub walls while he soaks in soapy warm water. 




7 - Play Doh - a classic toy that helps build those fine motor skills while he mashes, molds and sculpts. Perfect stocking stuffer idea for your little guy!





8 - Kinetic Sand - feels like summer all year long when your little boy plays with this kinetic sand. Let him build castles and other fun creations with this sand. Store it in a sealable container for more fun play all year long. 





9 - Little People Animal Friends - stuff his stocking with his favorite farm animals with these Little Peoples animal friends. Great toy to promote play and learning at the same time. 





10 - Wood Lacing Toy - a solid lasting toy perfect to help your little guy improve his fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. Let him lace up and untie this fun toy. Classic and fun this toy is sure to be a hit with your boy!






Stocking Stuffers for Elementary Boys


Learning about the world through creating, building and active play your young elementary age boy is growing quickly. 


11 - Crayola Twistables Crayons Coloring Set - 50 bright and inspiring colors your young guy will love! Let their imagination go wild coloring or drawing with this fun set of crayons. 


12 - Creativity For Kids Paper Airplane Squadron Kit - let your curious boy build his own set of 20 paper airplanes using easy to follow instructions with cool airplane pattern paper and then launch them all over the place!




13 - Super Silly Jokes For Kids - your fella will be laughing his head off - and so will you, from these funny and clean jokes! Over 200 jokes for kids this book will keep him entertained for hours. 




14 - UNO Minecraft Card Game - what can be better than UNO Minecraft cards? I'm sure your son is going to love this game and the cool pictures on each card. 



 
15 - Flashing LED Light Up Gloves - these gloves are just too fun! LED light up gloves have five colors and six light effects. He is going to have a blast wearing these cool gloves this winter!





Stocking Stuffers for Tween Boys


16 - Kanoodle Puzzle Game - 2-D & 3-D brain teasing puzzle with 200 puzzle challenges. Comes in a small carrying case to hold all 12 game pieces. 


17 - Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty - colorful, squishy and always fun, this putty will be a favorite stocking stuffer this year! Grab a 3 pack bundle of Super Sky Mini Tins including the Nightfall (hypercolor), Aurora Sky (glow) and Super Star (illusion) to put in his stocking. Fun for the whole family.



18 - Secret Spy Invisible Ink Pen Set - craft a secret message and share with a friend or sibling. Messages can only be decoded with the pen's UV light. Colorful, fun and easy to use! 




19 -  Special Message Socks - is your tween boy a gamer? Let him prop up his feet to show off this funny video gaming message! He is sure to get a kick out of these socks this year.





Stocking Stuffers for Teen Boys


He is almost all grown up but he still loves to play games, listen to music, hang with friends and enjoy other hobbies in his free time. These great stocking stuffer ideas will blow him away this year!

20 - R.Y.Toys Rubix Cube Rotate & Slide Puzzle - a logic toy and puzzle all in one! 




21 - Roller Ball Drawing Pen Set - Does your teen boy love to doodle or draw? These needle point, easy gliding pens are exactly what he needs to make his masterpiece with. Arteza brand fine tip, roller ball and even flowing ink all make these pens the best quality you can find. 




22 - Leather Bifold Wallet  - your young man will need a grown-up style wallet now that he is a teen! RFDI blocking bifold wallet keeps his money and electronic debit or credit cards safe and secure.
 
 


 
23 - New Driver Metal Keychain - an encouraging message for the special boy in your life stamped onto this metal key chain makes for a great stocking stuffer idea! 

 

24 - Apple Airpods Pro - small in size but powerful in sound these airpods are exactly what your teen wants this year! He will never believe that this amazing gift is a stocking stuffer. 

25 - Fitbit Versa Smart Watch - whether your teen boy is an athlete or not this Fitbit watch will help him track his activity each day as well as many other useful features. Slip this into his stocking this year and watch his face light up!
 

It is a lot of fun shopping for boys! Hopefully, these great stocking stuffer ideas will help you save time when you are shopping. 

Happy Shopping - and Merry Christmas! 


Wednesday, November 25, 2020

10 Best Subscription Boxes For Kids

Subscription boxes have become super popular, especially when so many kids are at home doing school - which makes it easy to find just about any kind of craft, recipe or project kit to fit your child's interests. 



My kids literally run to the mailbox when they see the mailman delivering one of their monthly subscription boxes! They just can't wait to get started on their new monthly kit. 


Monthly subscription boxes are the perfect gift for kids because each month they get a new surprise project ready and waiting for them to open the box and get started! 

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my Disclaimer page. 


It is a great way to introduce your child to something new too that doesn't require you to spend a ton on supplies only to have their interest peter out in a month or two. If they don't like one type of kit you can always find a different kind to try!


All four of my kids get different kinds of monthly subscription boxes that we use as a class in our homeschool. My oldest two kids are actually earning a full high school credit for art with their subscription boxes. 


When I was researching monthly subscription boxes for my kids, I was looking for specific kinds of kits to fit the interests of each child. It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end. To save you a little time I thought I'd share with you what I learned and what my top 10 Favorite Monthly Subscription Boxes for kids are! 


The prices for kits vary and so do the levels of difficulty which is perfect for a family like mine whose ages range from elementary school age to teenager. Most kit companies offer a variety of purchasing options like 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or 12 month options. I am comparing, the best I can, the price of a 3 month subscription box.


Don't forget to PIN for later!! Follow me on Pinterest too!




10 Best Monthly Subscription Boxes By Age


Pre-School Age (3-5)


HELLO BIBLE - by CrateJoy Ages (3-5)




A fun art and Bible monthly subscription box full of supplies for a keepsake craft project, Bible story book and other fun activities for your child to do with you (Parent guide included)

The monthly cost for the HelloBible kit is $24.90 with a 3 month subscription.



Elementary Age (6-10)


KIWI CRATE (ages 5-8) by KiwiCo. 



This monthly crate has STEAM focused monthly projects that include all the supplies, link to the video tutorial, written instructions with pictures and a fun explore!Magazine that includes additional science content and project ideas. 

My youngest son has gotten this crate each month and just LOVES the projects! He needs help from me with this since he is still learning how to read but most of the time he can figure out how to assemble the pieces from the great kid-friendly illustrations. So far his favorite Kiwi Crate project was the disc launcher! 

Kiwi Co is running a Black Friday 30% off deal right now if you use code MERRY and if you spend $50 you qualify for free shipping! Currently a 3 month subscription is $19.95/month.


GREEN KIDS CRAFTS  (ages 2-10+) by Cratejoy  

This cool kit, founded by a Scientist-Mom, includes 4-6 STEAM projects per kit plus a 12 page magazine! The kits are designed to explore the environment and nature as well as many other science related areas. Each kit includes eco-friendly materials that allow your child to practice science, engineering and hone their creative skills. 

The most popular plan is the 3 month subscription option which runs about $23/month. 


Make Learning Fun!

Green Kid Crafts
Discover a toy subscription box your kids will love!


WE CRAFT BOX  (ages 3-9) by wecraftbox.com 


Prepared kids crafts delivered to your door
from: We Craft Box

New art materials like markers, pastels, Magic Nuddles and Wiki Sticks are the focus of this monthly subscription box. The box has enough materials for 2-3 crafts too so one box can easily be shared between two kids allowing them to try something new and build up their own craft supplies. Each craft is make, then assembled in a scene when they are done. This is a great way to spend some time crafting and creating with your child!

We Craft Box has some great deals right now for the holidays so don't miss out! Free shipping for single box orders is currently available. A three month (pre-pay) subscription costs $85. 


MIDDLE SCHOOL (ages 11-13)


DOODLE CRATE by KiwiCo (Ages 9-16) 



Your budding crafter will love this monthly subscription box! The projects each month include all the crafting tools and materials needed to complete the specific project. Extra supplies are always included too! Our favorite feature of this specific box is the introduction to new and unique craft projects my child and I had never even thought to try like soap making, faux leather portfolio, sumi drawing and much more! 

Your middle schooler will have no problem working independently to create the monthly project by using the detailed instructions (with pictures) or following along with video instructions.

A three month subscription for the Doodle Crate is $19.95 per month and includes free shipping. 


MEL SCIENCE by Mel Science (ages 9-14)



This educational box will be sure to please the science lover in your family! The box features 2-3 experiments and DIY's per kit. All the needed ingredients and instructions are included so that your child can complete the safe-for-kids chemistry experiments. 

The starter kit is free ($50 value) with a subscription and includes 8 tools your child will need to conduct the monthly experiments a VR Headset and VR lessons. MEL Science kit is $36.99 per month 

 

GROOVY LAB IN A BOX - STEMist Series (ages 8+)



This cool box focuses on the 4 STEM areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Kids will investigate, brainstorm, plan, built, test and design their own creations all while documenting their findings in a Lab Notebook. The monthly Lab Notebook also includes all the information kids can read about that month's topic. 

Challenge your child with the Engineering Design Challenge where they will have to use their critical thinking skills they gained from the main kit project.


TEENS / HIGH SCHOOL


Creation Crate - (ages 12+)

Let your teen make their own tech with this fun electronics kit. Beginner friendly, the kits start with 3 main components - UNO RC microcontroller (pocket-sized computer), various electronic components and access to online courses. This kit provides hands on learning experiences building microcontrollers, breadboards, piezo buzzers, LED, microphone modules and much more! 


Creation Crate costs $29.99 per month but they offer a Black Friday deal (50% off 1st project) using code BF2020. 


WATERCOLOR BOX - by Let's Make Art (ages 13+)

Follow along with the free video tutorial, released weekly to complete the monthly projects included in the watercolor kit. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the supplies in this box alone will motivate and encourage you resulting in a FUN experience! 




My homeschool high school freshman LOVES this kit and will receive a full credit in art after she completes a kit each month during the school year. 

A single box is $45 or subscribe and save (22% off) $35 per month with a subscription.

 

EUREKA CRATE - by KiwiCo. (ages 14+)

The perfect kit for teen boys and girls that will inspire them to be innovative and creative with hands-on projects and lessons. Engineer something cool and useful, like an articulated desk lamp, as you learn a new way to apply various engineering and science concepts.



The 3 month subscription rate is $28.95 plus free shipping!  





Sunday, November 15, 2020

Easy DIY Gnome Christmas Ornament

Making Christmas crafts for fun or for giving as gifts is one of my favorite ways to celebrate during the holiday season. Today I'm going to show you how to make a Gnome Christmas ornament that is super simple, perfect for teens and tweens, and takes only about thirty minutes to make. 

I love these little guys! Don't they look like grumpy old men? Or maybe ZZ Top dressed for Christmas?  So adorable, right? 




This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my Disclaimer page. Thanks!


The supplies you need for this craft are mostly found around your home but if you don't have them on hand a quick trip to the craft store (or one day shipping from Amazon) will provide you with all that is needed. 


Let's get started making this craft shall we?




Easy DIY Gnome Christmas Ornament


Supply List:

You will need to gather the following supplies to make a gnome ornament:


(Here is the faux fur I love using to make these gnomes)

Step One:
Cut the cardboard into a triangle that is roughly 2" per size and about 3" along the bottom. Don't worry if you aren't exact these are super forgiving! 





Step Two:
Lay the cardboard triangle on top of the piece of felt or fabric. Cut the fabric about 1/2" wider than the triangle all around. Fold the fabric over the cardboard and hot glue it down, tucking the corners in as you go. 



Step Three:
Flip the fabric-covered triangle over and hot glue any trim you want to in order to make the little gnome's hat decorative. I chose ric-rac and lace trim for mine! Add a pom-pom to the top of his little hat too if you choose. Make sure to wrap the edge of the trim to the backside of the had and glue it down. 


Step Four:
Turn the gnome hat so the back is facing up. Cut the faux fir piece to fit the length of the hat's brim (bottom edge). I liked to shape the beard before gluing it down but you could trim the shape after gluing - it is up to you. Place a thick line of hot glue along the bottom back edge of the hat then press the faux fir, right side facing down, onto the glue. 





Step Five:
Cut a small piece of fabric just smaller than the gnome's hat and glue it down over the back of the hat to hide the folded fabric and back of the gnome's beard. This step is optional however it does give the gnome a more finished look. 


Step Six:
Next cut a piece of yarn or thin twine about 5-6" long. Fold it in half and tie a knot where the two ends meet. Glue it to the top backside of the gnome's hat. This little loop can be used to hang the ornament.


Step Seven:
Flip the gnome over and put a bead of blue on the faux fir at the center of the hat's brim and press the pink pom-pom into the glue to make his nose. 





You are all done! See, wasn't that easy? Now go make a whole little family of gnomes! 


Easy DIY Christmas Crafts To Make This Year


If you loved making the little gnome crafts I think you are going to love these other Christmas-themed craft projects too. Click on the link to find the full tutorial.











Whew, that's a lot of Christmas crafting projects, isn't it? Share with me your Christmas craft projects in the comments! 

Make sure to PIN this tutorial and follow me on Pinterest to see more great holiday crafts. I post all of my craft tutorials on Pinterest.