Gift Ideas for Grandchildren

One year my sister requested that I limit my spending for each of her five children (because she didn't want me to outshine what her in-laws could afford to give). I bought dollar-store mini-stockings, filled them with a few packs each of sugary bubble gum and a handful of Hershey's kisses (treats my sister usually didn't allow), and then one special ornament for the tree each (I bought a single package of ornaments, then wrapped them separately for the kids). The kids are grown now and they still talk about how happy they were to get that bubble gum!

Go to a craft store like Michaels and pick out a wooden ornament for each kid, then grab a pack of cheap brushes and several colors of inexpensive paint. Spread out some newspaper and let the kids go to town. Just write the name and age on each ornament and you can see how the kids skills develop over the years. You should be able to get all of this easily for under $20 and you will have paint leftover for next year =)

As an added bonus once your kids are grown take all of there individual ornaments and frame them together you can hang them at chrismas time and remember all your fun times of years past =)

We do a family movie kit. We buy a microwave popcorn, 2 liter of pop and a few bags of m&m's and then add a family movie DVD and call it good for a family gift. For individual gifts under $10 I'd go for the dollar store, they have some inexpensive but good things....steer away from the cheepo stuff though. I also go to Wal Mart and look in the clearance toys and games. Books are always a hit, bubbles are a hit, and crayon soaps, and bath fun is a great thing. Also sometimes they have clearance makeup for kids and my kids love to get those fuzzy socks to wear around in the winter.

Perhaps getting a board game that everyone could play and also those gingerbread houses are always a lot of fun for all kids to participate or a cookie making kit so everyone can make, decorate and eat their own christmas cookies is fun or a movie for all to see like KungFu Panda (if they havent already seen it) is funny for all kids even my teen daughter likes it, then you could have cookies and a movie? Hope this helps.

I would veer towards things they can do, like Crayola Color Wonder, workbooks, coloring books, stickers, craft projects (craft stores have this kind of stuff all the time). I know kids like to have electronics and tend to like stuffed animals, but things that allow them to be creative is a lot of fun.

Good luck with this and have a wonderful Christmas!

Games and puzzles always make nice inexpensive gifts. Some we used to buy for cousins were etch a sketch, monopoly, and spirograph (more a drawing thing than a puzzle).

My nieces love Polly Pockets and Barbie clothes and my nephews love legos and cars, you can get each for under $10.

Hi, S.-

A couple of weeks ago I bought some board games on sale at Target. They were Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. They were on sale for only $4 each and I was told by a sales person that the sale would continue through the holidays while supplies last. I am not sure if that was true or not, but thought I would mention it. The games I chose were geared for ages 3 and up. Maybe the grandchildren in your case would enjoy some board games like these. I well remember playing these as a child and they seem timeless (hey, no batteries needed and fun for several ages!).

Best of luck to you!

IKEA has a lot of really unique gifts for kids that are in the $10 or less range. I like their stuff because it is different than the generic toy store toys that everyone has. In fact my main gifts this year are $20 gift bags of stuff (kitchen gadgets, small storage things, etc.) from IKEA and it's a pretty big bag of odd, unique and usefull stuff for the $20 I spent! For families with kids I put some of the kids stuff in there too.

You could always let them spend their money at a dollar store. My kids love to go there and pick out things with their allowance money.

You could make up some really festive goodie bags for each of the children with an assortment of small items. I've gotten a lot of great ideas from:
http://www.CelloinaBox.com/725

Look over the whole website including the "Shop Online" part. You can look at all of the pictures for some great ideas without buying anything!

V.

My grandma use to get all the grandkids an engraved ornament, kinda like you see at things remembered, each year. She would have them engraved with our name and the year. My mom gave me all mine when I got married, and I love them. You can get them starting at about $14 each after engraving, so I guess they are a little over your $10 limit. She also used to get each one of us a book of lifesavers, which I thought was pretty neat at that age. You can find them at Fred Meyer this time of year. My great grandma used to get all the grandkids a book of McDonalds $1 gift certificates.

actually I do... Magic Color sheets.
These are make your own shirts. They have premade templates of cars, trucks, horses etc and blank sheets. The kiddos color them or design them and make their own shirt.
http://www.printonit.com/?Click=8856

They are 4.99 each, but when you buy 3 you get 5.00 off so, you could get 3 for 10.00.

These would work for pretty much any age that can color.

Sarah - I just got these beautiful books at Costco. They are old poems, stories (Peter and the wolf, Goldilocks, Little Mis Muffit....) that we hardly ever tell anymore! I am going to a party this Friday and the children are all exchanging books. They were $9.99 at Costco and I hope someone got one for my boys!!
L.

My daughter is 2.5 and she's really into the Wonder Pets, Dora *learning a lot of spanish*, Backyardagains.She also loves to color and read.I have NEVER seen a 2 yr old with so many books before and she truly looks at them all.