Cutting back on your budget doesn’t mean your kids have to be disappointed at any special seasons or on birthdays. There are loads of great toys and gifts for kids that don’t cost the earth but will put a big smile on a face. Here are 12 great budget toy ideas:
Nice Coloring Pencils: Is your child a budding artist? Paint can be expensive, but it’s possible to buy decent quality coloring pencils much more cheaply. Why not shop around your local art supply store and see what’s available? Staedtler are known for quality, but if these are too pricey, you can check out Prismacolor or Crayola.
Syma S107 Remote Control Helicopter: This is a guaranteed winner. One of the most impressive budget toys to be released in recent years, this remote control helicopter is designed for indoor use and only costs about $20. It has full up, down, left, right, forward and backward controls making it great fun to fly around the house.
Board Games: Some board games aren’t all that cheap, but plenty are. And if you can stretch just that little bit further, a good board game is a toy that your kids, and often the whole family, can come back to again and again.
Top Trumps: Cheap, but great fun, there are all kinds of Top Trumps sets available. Two or more players compete with these decks of cards, and they are portable, which makes them great on journeys. A classic.
Dolls And Action Figures: Both dolls and action figures make great presents and can be bought at good prices.
Fancy Dress: This one can be really cheap. Gather up some old clothes from family, friends or charity shops. (the quirkier the better). You can put these together in a clothes basket and give them to your kids as a “fancy dress” hamper. They’ll have a great time dressing up, and can put together their own plays for both their, and your, entertainment!
Stationery: This one can be a bit boring, but it makes a great stocking filler. Kids also love to have some “cool” stationery to show to their friends at school.
Socks And Slippers: Socks with funny patterns, or novelty slippers can go down a storm and cost fairly little. Why not get your kids some Bart or Lisa Simpson socks, and teddy bear slippers?
Puzzle Toys: Rubik’s cubes, chess sets, jigsaw puzzles and more all make great affordable toys. They usually keep kids occupied for a long time and are educational, too.
Second-Hand Videogames: If your kids have a games console, consider buying second-hand games for them. These can be half the price of new games, and if you look around you can often find them in packaging that looks almost like new.
Dorling Kindersley Books For Kids: Dorling Kindersley have been producing great books for kids for a long time. Have a look around a local bookstore for some of the excellent Dorling Kindersley picture books. They contain amazing illustrations that your kids are sure to love, and they’ll learn something at the same time.
Footballs: An easy option, footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, baseballs, bats and so on are great choices and can be had at reasonable prices. They’ll encourage your kids to play outside and they’re perfect for social play with brothers, sisters and friends.