50 fun, cheap gifts for kids that are $10 or less! Perfect for Christmas, birthdays or just because. There’s something for everyone!
There are affiliate links in this post – please read my full disclosure policy. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I was trying to find cheap gifts for the kids on my Christmas list and as I started collecting ideas I realized that this could be super helpful to other moms and dads too! Because aren’t we all trying to save money while at the same time wanting to find good gifts for the kids we love that will be meaningful and enjoyed a lot?
Here are the 50 cheap gifts for kids under $10 that I came up with. All of them are toys that my kids would love and are perfect for small Christmas gifts, birthday gifts or just because gifts. I hope you enjoy them!
Updated 12/2016: I just published a post with another 50 cheap kid’s gifts that are $10 or less. Check it out for more kid’s gift ideas!
50 Cheap Gifts for Kids that are $10 or Less
Disclaimer: Amazon prices are subject to change at any time and I obviously have no control over that. But all of these items were $10 or less when I published this post and should hopefully stay close to that amount, allowing you to still get fun gifts without paying a lot. 🙂
1. Caterpillar Spillers Stacking Cups Bath Toy
Our kids have had different bath toys, but stacking cups have been the favorite hands down. And this little caterpillar version is just too cute!
2. Washable Kid’s Paint
This washable paint is a great way for creative kids to have a blast with minimal mess. If you want to add more fun, get this Crayola Paint Pattern Roller too!
3. Water Wow Coloring Book (lots of styles available!)
We love these coloring books! They are perfect for little kids because you “color” the page with water to make the pictures appear. They can be used over and over and are perfect to take with you traveling too. If you don’t care for the animal version, there are lots of other Water Wow books available too.
4. Bathtub Crayons
Another fun bath time toy! Your kid will love being able to draw on the wall…the bathtub wall that is.
5. No-Spill Bubble Tumbler
Our kids love this amazing little invention that lets them enjoy bubbles without worrying about spilling them. I love it too! It has saved us a lot of money as well as a lot of tears.
More affordable small gifts for kids
6. Critter Barn Habitat Kit with Light
Perfect for your little bug or critter collector! They’ll be able to observe their catch with this clear, lighted habitat kit.
7. Umbrella for Kids (lots of other designs)
This has been a popular toy with our kids. They love splashing around in the rain with their umbrella! But they don’t just play with it outside, it gets opened up and played with insides sometimes too.
8. Children’s Raincoat (lots of other designs)
This raincoat goes perfectly with the kid’s umbrella, but it can also obviously be worn by itself too. They love using it for dress-up as well! Fits ages 5-12.
9. Binoculars
The perfect toy for any little explorer!
10. Garden Tool Set with Tote
Is this not the cutest thing? Your kids can work alongside you in the garden with their very own tools!
More cheap gifts for kids
11. Burt’s Bees Lip Balm
Every little girl loves having her own lip balm! And you can feel good about her slathering on way too much with this natural Burt’s Bees balm.
12. Kid’s Sunglasses
Get the kids their very own pair of cool looking shades!
13. Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Happy Giddy Hat
This hat is a fun way to protect your little one’s sweet head during the summer. Of course, it also would be a fun hat to play with too!
14. Stephen Joseph Coin Purse (other styles available)
Practical and cute, this little coin purse will be a hit with your little sweetheart! If you are looking to spend a bit more, there are also some adorable regular purses
15. Stephen Joseph Wallet
A super fun way for kids to stash their cash! It even has a little zippered pocket for coins. There are lots of other wallet designs to choose from, including some for girls.
More cheap kid gift items
16. Little People Wheelies Jet and Helicopter
Perfect for little hands, this cute jet and helicopter will get your little one’s imagination soaring!
17. Hot Wheels 5 Car Gift Pack
A classic gift for any Hot Wheels fan! Want to spend a little bit more? This Hot Wheels Track Builder Loop Launcher Playset
18. Construction Toy Hard Hat
Our kids have lots of fun wearing our toy construction hat. Their imaginations go wild and it becomes all sorts of things including a helmet and police officer’s hat.
19. Sand & Water Dump Truck
These cute little trucks are perfect for playing in the sand and dirt. Your kids will have so much fun loading them up and then dumping them!
20. CAT Mini Machine 5 Pack
Perfect for playing with alone or create a mini construction site using beans and let your child enjoy using their machines to dig and haul the “stones”.
More small gift ideas for kids
21. Oball Original
This flexible little ball is perfect for little hands to throw, bounce or catch!
22. Wild Republic Endangered in Nature Tube
A fun addition to your plastic animal collection!
23. Hog Wild Pig Popper
A fun air-powered shooting toy that that even big kids will enjoy! I have to confess that I actually kind of want one of these. 🙂 They look so fun!
24. Slinky
Another timeless kid’s toy that your kid will have fun using on the stairs or on their hands.
25. LED Flashlight
Our kids are obsessed with flashlights right now. They love playing with them inside, they love using them to read in bed, they love shining them outside in the dark- they’re just a favorite!
More gifts for kids under 10 dollars
26. Iwako Japanese Puzzle Take Apart Erasers Zoo Animals (lots of designs available)
I’m so intrigued with these erasers! They can be taken apart like a puzzle and then reassembled. How cool is that? Super cute and so fun! Check out all the Iwako Japanese eraser designs available here.
27. Play-Doh
Having lots of colors, is half the fun of Play-Doh, right? This 10 pack is perfect!
28. Little People All Around Car
This cute little car is great for imaginative toddler play. Your child will love pushing down on the driver’s seat to hear a fun tune and driving sounds! (Worried about noisy toys? Use this trick to make them quieter!)
29. Mini Dolls
These little mini dolls are perfect for taking along traveling.
30. Doll Feeding Time Set
Your little doll lover will be thrilled with this feeding set! The disappearing milk and juice are always so intriguing!
More cheap kid gift ideas
31. Farm Magnetic Tin
This little tin has over 50 magnet animals and farm accessories, plus 2 extra play cards with new scenes. It’s a great quiet time activity and works well for traveling too! If you aren’t into the farm design, check out these other options: cars, planes and trains, silly faces, playhouse, Curious George, Disney Cars, rescue 911.
32. Crayola Create and Carry
This case is packed with over 75 pieces that will help your child have a blast creating artwork and crafts. How cool is it that it can become a lap desk for drawing on the go?
33. Lacing & Tracing Dinosaurs
I had a set similar to this as a child and I loved it! It made me feel so grown up to “sew” the cards. These little dinosaurs also can be used as tracing cards as well! Check out the full assortment of Lacing and Tracing cards for lots of other fun designs.
34. Melissa & Doug Curious Kitten Cardboard Jigsaw Puzzle, 30-Piece
Puzzles are such a great way for kids to use their problem solving skills. And I think they help teach the character of perseverance and the reward of sticking with a task, too! See the full collection of 30-Piece jigsaw puzzles here.
35. Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad
This big sticker pad includes over 200 reusable stickers and will encourage your child’s imagination. Our daughter loves playing with the one she has and has fun rearranging the different scenes. Check out the many other Reusable Sticker Book designs that are available too!
More small gift ideas for kids
36. LEGO Creator Blue Racer Set
These little Lego sets are relatively easy to put together, but according to my son, they are a lot of fun! He loves that you can make 3 different things out of most of them. If you are interested, you can see the other Lego Creator 3-in-1 sets
37. Kid’s Broom Set
These are the perfect size for kids! They’ll have fun playing with them and they actually work well for sweeping and cleaning up messes too.
38. Djeco Animal Stickers (160 pc)
I don’t think I’ve met a kid yet that doesn’t love stickers! A collection this big should provide lots of good times.
39. Thomas & Friends Coloring Book
Thomas fans will love this cute coloring book!
40. NALGENE Grip-N-Gulp BPA-Free Water Bottle
Our kids think it’s the greatest thing to have their own little water bottles! These Nalgene ones are sturdy and should work well!
More cheap gift ideas for children
41. Kinetic Sand
This moldable sand sounds like it would provide hours of fun!
42. Pocketdoodles for Kids
Have a kid that loves to doodle? This little pocket sized book is the perfect thing for them!
43. Crayola Color Wonder Drawing Paper
Have a little one that wants to color with markers like the bigger kids? This drawing paper used along with Crayola Color Wonder 10 Mini Markers
44. Hidden Pictures Discovery Activity Zone (Ages 5-Up)
Hidden picture books are a big hit at our house with both our 7 year old and our 3 year old. They provide lots of quiet time entertainment and work great for traveling too!
45. Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids
Every kid needs a joke book, right? This looks like a great one to have. But be warned: you’ll be hearing lots of lame jokes in the near future! 🙂
More inexpensive gifts for kids
46. Uno Card Game
A favorite with our kiddos!
47. Jenga Classic Game
Kids of all ages will enjoy this classic block stacking game!
48. Spot It Game
A simple game the whole family will enjoy! Looks like fun!
49. Thomas and Friends Memory Match Card Game
One of those games that both little and bigger kids have fun playing!
50. Monopoly Board Game
I have great memories of spending hours as a kid playing Monopoly with my brothers.
Looking for other cheap gift ideas? Check these out.
- 40 Frugal Non-Toy Gifts for Kids that Cost $35 or Less
- 40 Frugal Gifts for Women that Cost $30 or Less
- 40 Frugal Gifts for Men that Cost $30 or Less
- 50 MORE Awesome Cheap Kid’s Gifts that Cost $10 or Less
- 15 Fun Inexpensive Teacher Gifts
- 20 Inexpensive Homemade Gift Ideas
- 20 Inexpensive Homemade Gifts for Kids
Stephanie says
Awesome list! Totally stole some ideas and will be ending up under the tree this year 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
So glad it was helpful, Stephanie! I hope the gifts are all a big hit with the kiddos. 🙂
Anndra says
I’ve never clicked through on an affiliate link OR purchased based upon a list like this… I have at least 15 items in my Amazon cart from your list & I’m under $35! Thank-you for sharing this list. I stink at the little fill in gifts… my kids will be happy too!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
Anndra, I think your comment was my favorite comment from the whole week! 🙂 I love hearing that my posts are helping my readers save money! I had a lot of fun putting this list together and tried hard to be really choosy and only include quality items that my kids already have and love or that I knew they would love if they had them. So I’m thrilled to know that it’s helped you out and hope that it helped make your Christmas prep a little less stressful too. 🙂
Amber says
I just found your blog from the Shine Blog Hop and wanted to say hello! My kids like me to put jokes in their lunch bags, so that joke book might serve me well! Great ideas, thanks!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
What a great idea, Amber! You sound like a fun mom. 🙂 Our 7 yr. old son just got a joke book for Christmas from his grandparents (we did Christmas with my husband’s family over Thanksgiving due to schedule conflicts at Christmas time) and he is having so much fun with it. And thankfully, some of the jokes are actually kind of funny, so we haven’t gone crazy yet from the lame humor.
Lauren says
So many awesome ideas here.. I love that little ball shooter thing.. so funny!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
Thanks, Lauren! And that little ball shooter….I already have the kids gifts bought for this year, but I’m definitely going to keep it in mind for a future gift, cause I know they would absolutely love it!
Ryan says
These are all cute ideas. I really like the games listed that allow children to use their mind. Another idea for the younger children would be similar to sites like tinkaroo.com and others where children receive actual letters in the mail from certain characters like Santa. In all, great list and I picked up a few ideas for my children.
Thanks!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
Thanks for the suggestion, Ryan!
Mandy says
These are NOT all under $10
ThriftyFrugalMom says
I’m sorry about that, Mandy. I published this post 2 years ago and at that time everything was $10 or less. Amazon prices change and sometimes even a day later the price can jump or drop by a couple of dollars. I kind of assume people will realize that and hopefully still be able to find some great fun inexpensive gifts for their kids through this list.
Ps. I’m going to add a small disclaimer at the top of the post now. Your comment made me realize that would be helpful! 🙂