Does anyone have ideas for kids' gifts?

**Cricket1** · 08-01-2006, 09:30 PM

My son has been invited to FIVE birthday parties this month. YIKES!! Does anyone have some nice, thrifty gift ideas? All of the parties are for boys that are turning five and six.

**MOMMYDEAREST** · 08-01-2006, 09:32 PM

my boys when they were that age they loved remote control cars. i always bought them at walmart for around $13-$15. also, family dollar sells them too.

**LastDragonfly** · 08-01-2006, 09:35 PM

Matchbox cars are always a hit. Big Lots has a good selection of neat toys here. Most of them are under $5.

**kabin63** · 08-01-2006, 10:33 PM

Walmart has Hotwheels for less than a dollar a piece. Boys usually like those too.

**Lorelei** · 08-01-2006, 10:51 PM

Legos - even if the kids have tons they can always use more.

**sunshine** · 08-01-2006, 10:52 PM

Make a face on poster board- out of coins. . . . Quarters for the eyes, dimes for the mouth-- nickels or pennies for the outline. . .

Stuff for pretend play-- puppets, dress up clothes (guns/holsters with cowboy hat and bandana, crown and cape for a King, metallic cape and top hat for magician. . . . )

Draw it yourself books--- cartoons, etc. . . my boys loved those at that age.

**ewokgirl** · 08-01-2006, 11:03 PM

I'd look at summer clearance toys to see if they have things like super soakers on sale.

I also like the idea of the coin face. I have nieces in that age range, and they think they're rich if they have lots of coins or a few dollars. For a 5-year-old, you could also do something like 5 crisp $1 bills, 5 quarters, 5 dimes, 5 nickels, 5 pennies. That wouldn't cost much.

I know my nieces have always enjoyed age appropriate puzzles. I don't know if boys like them or not, but I would imagine they do. You can probably find puzzles pretty cheap.

**bumplett** · 08-02-2006, 01:12 AM

and don't forget the Handmade Card!!

**Daisygirl** · 08-02-2006, 07:21 AM

My little girl is 5 and her birthday gifts to all her friends this year were character t-shirts. Things like Spiderman, Barbie, and Disney Princess (obviously those last two were for the little girls, hehe) I think it is Superman that is the big thing right now. Ask the boys' moms what character they are into. This usually ends up being under $10, and is a very popular gift, something they will actually get some use out of too.

**celina** · 08-02-2006, 09:47 AM

when my dd went to a boys 5th bday i called and asked and she told me craft supplies..she said no one ever thought of getting her son that..so i went to the buck store and bought stuff..right now esp in the states, glue is 20c, crayons markers etc....... you could make something really neat...or a pirate jar...fill with bird seeds..like millet really fine...and add coins, small treasures....screws..and list all the items...in a mason jar...HUGE hit....

**ironmaiden** · 08-02-2006, 10:17 AM

I saw Batman poster that's velvet that you color in for $1 at AC Moore yesterday. Oh, don't forget gliders - those wooden ones or the styrofoam ones. Add some hotwheels cars and whatever else you find and you can make a goody type bag for the present.

Superhero capes! If you can sew, you could make these. Make a cape and decide whether you want to put a logo on it - could be the kid's initials.

There was this discount store that had these really cool Lego games for $7 and I bought 5 of them. Whenever I find stuff for birthday presents, I buy a bunch and keep them in the cellar.

For my daughter who will be 4, the goody bags will consist of craft supplies, stickers - buy a book of them for $1 and tear out sheets, homemade play-doh, and hair scrunchies that I'll make.

Plain T-shirt with washable markers - for a gift that keeps giving - you draw on it wear it that day, wash it and do it again and again!

**sunshine** · 08-02-2006, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by celina

when my dd went to a boys 5th bday i called and asked and she told me craft supplies..she said no one ever thought of getting her son that..so i went to the buck store and bought stuff..right now esp in the states, glue is 20c, crayons markers etc....... you could make something really neat...or a pirate jar...fill with bird seeds..like millet really fine...and add coins, small treasures....screws..and list all the items...in a mason jar...HUGE hit....

Oh, now that's a great idea! My kids were always wanting to paint, color, cut and paste at that age.

**Cricket1** · 08-02-2006, 02:10 PM

You are awesome!! This was my first post and you came up with soooo many wonderful ideas. I (and my wallet) thank you all very much.

**sunshine** · 08-02-2006, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by ironmaiden

Superhero capes! If you can sew, you could make these. Make a cape and decide whether you want to put a logo on it - could be the kid's initials.

I do these too! I buy old bridemaids dresses, etc. at yard sales or get on freecycle-- cut up and make capes. . .just make a casing at the top, run elastic trough it to gather the upper edge-- secure with velcro squares at the neck.

I was lucky enough to get a couple of red velvet dresses- so these are going to get trimmed with white fauz fur and become royalty robes-- along with plastic canvas tiaras.

**tinkerbell71** · 08-02-2006, 04:17 PM

Hi, I'm a lurker but thought I could contribute.

For a friend of mine's son I wrote down a bunch of things like an airplane, a dinosaur, your favorite food, what you want to be when you grow up, etc. on little pieces of paper and put them in a decorated canning jar and then also paired it with a drawing pad. He loved it!

Kari