8 Inexpensive Holiday Gifts For the Kids You Babysit

By Brittany Hawes on December 15, 2017

Attention, babysitters: the holiday season is here! Is there a better way than buying them gifts to show the kids you babysit that you’re the greatest sitter ever?

Of course, you can’t go crazy when shopping for the kids you babysit. You most likely have many other people to shop for this year. Not to worry, though—gifts don’t have to be expensive to be tons of fun and considered really cool by your kids. As long as a gift is engaging, thoughtful, and guaranteed to give them a good time, a gift can be any price, even free if you’re willing to do some DIY work.

Image via Pixabay.com

For those babysitters looking to get great gifts without emptying your bank account, I’ve compiled a list of eight inexpensive holiday gifts you can give to the kids you babysit that are all under $10.

1. Coloring and Activity Books with Crayons, Magic Markers, or Colored Pencils

You can easily find coloring and activity books in your local dollar store or supermarket for a low price. Find some cool stickers to pair with the coloring and activity book that you know your kids will like and some bright colored pencils, markers, or crayons and you will have yourself a nice gift that your kids will love. You can always ask the kids to color in them during your babysitting times and put on some fun competitions with prizes.

2. Cat-Ear Headphones

These cute cat-ear headphones are sure to make any tech-loving preteen smile. They have LED light-up ears that will twinkle and glow as your kids listen to their favorite songs. The headphones feature two light-up modes: solid and flashing. The LED light button does take a 3V battery to work, but luckily these headphones come with the battery included so your kids will be ready to listen and light up as soon as they take them out of the box.

3. Board or Card Game

Are the kids you babysit tired of playing the same old board games every time you come over? You could always mix up things a bit by getting them a new board or card game as a gift this holiday season. A favorite game of a family I know is Pie Face. To play, you load the game’s arm mechanism with whipped cream or the included sponge and take turns spinning the spinner while their face is in the “pie hole.” The game gets very messy and is tons of fun. Kids will love it! Other inexpensive games under $10 include Candyland, Connect 4, Clue, Jenga, Uno, Let’s Go Fishin’, and Trouble.

4. Play-Doh Pack

Remember the days of twisting, pulling, and molding Play-Doh into hot-dogs, human-beings, and other fun things? Share the fun of Play-Doh with a new generation by buying the kids you babysit packs of Play-Doh. Since Play-Doh is relatively cheap (you can get six cans of glitter Play-Doh for just $6 on Amazon), you could even pair it with one of the Play-Doh factory kits.

Image via Pixabay.com

 5. Critter Case

Deep in the dark and treacherous jungle (also known as the backyard), all sorts of mysterious bugs and creatures are waiting to be discovered and studied. A critter case will provide your kids with a carrier to house any strange insects they might come across in the backyard. It has a easy-to-open hatch so your kids will be able to fill their bugs’ home with sticks and plants, and a mesh outer casing, so that it’s not difficult to look in and see what their catch is up to.

6. 3D Storybook

Technology is starting to play a bigger role in our lives than ever before. If your kids aren’t very excited about reading but love technology, you could solve that problem by combining the two. Pai Technology’s 3D Fairy Tale Storybook offers an immersive story that will put children right into the story by pairing their physical book with their free online app. The app can read the story to the child while certain pages require them (or you) to scan the page with your camera. Your device’s screen will then show a 3D environment from the books fairy tale world that your kids will be able to explore.

7. Scoop Ball

Scoop ball would make a wonderful holiday gift for the kids you babysit. I’ve played it with kids I worked with before and they all enjoyed it. We set up a competition league and crowned a champion after hours of playing. The game is fun to play and kids will have a great time trying to master it.

8. Sidewalk Chalk

Another fun holiday gift to give to the kids you babysit is a set of sidewalk chalk. Sidewalk chalk will encourage outside play and help to grow their creativity. If you do decide to buy this gift, it’s a good idea to get non-toxic, washable chalk that will disappear after you spray it with the hose or if it rains. The sidewalk chalk that I provided the link for is non-toxic and washable, plus it has 64 pieces and includes glitter, neon, and tie-dye chalks.

I hope that these 8 holiday gift ideas will help you in choosing the perfect gift to give to the kids you babysit this holiday season!

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