Lego kit. Lego kit. Lego kit. Lego kit. $10 cash. Lego kit. My children have been both the recipients of and contributors to the endless amounts of Lego kits and cash at birthday parties, which is great because what kid doesn’t like Legos and money to buy Legos? However, I do like thinking outside of the box when giving gifts to my kids and their friends and I have especially enjoyed when others do the same. And any friend of my child who brings a gift that doesn’t have a million tiny pieces, take batteries or make obnoxious sounds is a friend of mine. Come back anytime, kid.
Here are 10 creative gift ideas for under $20:
1. Magnetic Wall
Supplies: 24″x36″ drip pan from an auto parts store ($11), magnets, screws
My boys have used their magnet wall for magnetic letters (found at the dollar store), tiles, marble runs and to display artwork. You can either purchase a magnetic marble run from the store or create your own using paper towel and toilet paper rolls and hot gluing magnets to them.
(If your kids have bunk beds, you can put one under the top bunk, and attach one to the ceiling for added fun!)
2. Build with PVC
Supplies: PVC pipe of your desired width (I recommend 1″- 1 1/2″) cut into 12″ pieces, different PVC connectors matching the width of the pipe, mesh drawstring laundry bag for storage
My kids love building with PVC pipe! You can either purchase your own PVC pipe cutter or saw, or sometimes the nice employee at the hardware store will cut it into pieces for you. For added fun, drill some holes into one side of the pipe about 6 inches apart and grab a hose connector for one end and a stop for the other to make a sprinkler!
3. Gutter Track
Supplies: gutter, cinder blocks or PVC pipe
My kids have spent hours upon hours upon days rolling cars, balls and water down a house gutter! My mother-in-law gets credit for this one! She made a 3 ft. tall stand out of PVC pipe, but you can also use cinder blocks to put the gutter at an angle. For added fun, buy a second gutter to race cars! Bonus: this toy is weatherproof and can stay outside! MIL for the win!
4. Dollar Store Build / Craft Kit
Supplies: aluminum foil, tape, pipe cleaners, straws, paper clips etc.
I love keeping random supplies in the kids craft drawer (so they don’t steal mine that I actually use). One summer, the kids took aluminum foil and the hose out into the driveway and built shallow canals and boats. They spent hours sending the boats down the aluminum foil canals. They also love to build straw towers with straws and pipe cleaners. The creativity is endless and the supplies are disposable and inexpensive! Sure, the parents might look at you a little funny if you give their kid aluminum foil, but the kid is already dreaming up the endless possibilities of fun!
5. Spy Kit
Supplies: bag or box, magnifying glass, combination lock, bungee chords, flash light, notepad, pencil, unused keys, stop watch, rope, clothes pins, sun glasses, measuring tape, glow sticks, ear buds, disguise mustaches, sling shot, etc.
One Christmas we were on a tight budget and put together these spy kits for $20 from the Dollar Tree! We personalized the bags for Agent J and Agent L and loaded them up with items from the hardware, school and office sections. These gifts were their favorite toys for YEARS and have made many of great birthday gifts for friends!
6. PVC Telephone
Supplies: 1 – 1 1/2″ PVC pipe cut to your preferred length, 1 – 1 1/2″ elbow connectors
If your kids have bunk beds this is one of our favorite things that we have added to their bed. At night the kids can whisper to each other from the top bunk to the bottom. You can also make smaller hand-held ones for kids to use to read aloud to themselves.
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7. Lawn Dice
Supplies: 4″x4″ or 6″x6″ wood cut into 6 cubes, stain or paint, sand paper, bucket
If you do not own a miter saw, this might be one to ask an employee at the local hardware store to help out with. Typically the first few cuts are free and any other cut after that is $0.50. Be sure to sand the sides and corners well to avoid splinters. You can use stain or paint to make the dots for the dice. Use 5 dice for Yahtzee, 6 dice for Farkle, or browse the Internet for other dice games.
8. Battery Changing Kit
Supplies: small plastic container, flat head and phillips head screwdrivers of different sizes, batteries
Gone are the days when Mom and Dad get called to change the batteries in games because now our kids have their own battery changing kits! The batteries are the most expensive part of this gift.
9. Scrap Wood Building Blocks
Supplies: scrap wood
If you go to the hardware store they typically have a bin with scraps for cheap. I’ve collected a lot of scraps over the years. Sometimes I ask them to cut it down for me or sometimes it’s already cut to a manageable size. My kids prefer playing with wood scraps to actual building blocks that cost a lot of money. Also, these stay outside so they don’t clutter my home.
10. Recipe & Cooking Kit
Supplies: a recipe card, dry ingredients to make the recipe, mixing bowl, spatula, oven mitt, apron, etc.
My kids love to cook and would love to make a meal “all on their own” (with mom’s help, of course). This one would need supervision, but it’s no different than slime, IMO – and we have all received slime as a gift at some point.
