Stocking Stuffers for Young Boys

December 19, 2012 5:03 AM

Can you suggest some stocking stuffers for two boys, ages 11 and 13? They need to be inexpensive ($5ish) and ideally Amazon Prime items. Unsurprisingly, the boys like sports and video games. I'm a big reader though and I try to instill a reading habit in them when I can.

I always loved my stockings growing up (and was disappointed when mom thought I was too adult to have them anymore) so I need good ideas for my own son's stockings.

posted by qsysopr to Shopping (12 answers total)

Can you go to $11? Because this book is fantastic for young sports nuts, and written at a level a middle-schooler can tackle easy. It's written in first-person from Ted William's point of view, and includes not only sound technical advice with photos, but lots of stories about what it was like to be a major league baseball player, and some of the famous players he met throughout his career.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:18 AM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

My not-much-of-a-reader 10-year-old son is suddenly into the Guys Read books. I think there are several of them, boy-directed short story anthologies on various themes.
posted by jbickers at 5:35 AM on December 19, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks both of you. I just ordered both books and will get them Friday!
posted by qsysopr at 5:51 AM on December 19, 2012

My parents always filled our stockings with many ridiculous things and a few very awesome things, all individually wrapped. A given stocking may include:

- band-aids (try bacon shaped or pirate)
- batteries
- tiny flashlights
- tiny keychains (one was a measuring tape, another a thermometer, here is a mustache)
- gift certificates
- tangerines
- walnuts
- candy
- sardines (Dad: "guess Santa got that one mixed up! I'll take that" x every year)
- playing cards
- silly putty
- tiny tool kits (this one is shaped like a grenade for some reason; Kikkerland survival tool)
- cheap paperbacks (is Captain Underpants too young for your kids?)

I spent most of my youth pawing through walnuts, etc, to get to the good stuff, but it's always the batteries and the band-aids that get the most use.
posted by Dr. Regardless at 5:53 AM on December 19, 2012 [3 favorites]

We put a lot of small games and magic tricks in my ten-year-old's stocking:
Rubik's Cube. (This is very popular on the deck at swim meets, actually tearing kids away from game devices lately. Link goes to a 2x2 speed cube, which meets your price/prime criteria, but they'd probably like a 3x3 model better, which will kick you up to about $9)
Zombie Survival Playing Cards.
Stenzzle Sports Puzzle.
Mad Gab.
Balancing Bird.
posted by apparently at 5:53 AM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

Depending on maturity, that's a good age to get a first pocketknife.
posted by bfranklin at 5:55 AM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

These fyrflyz spinners are a lot of fun ($6.50 each or $17 for a pack of 3).
posted by selfmedicating at 6:06 AM on December 19, 2012

-hexbugs!
-Gross candy-amazon lists gummy body parts and boogers, for instance.
-Small gift cards-$5 to McDonald's or itunes or Redbox for game rental or whatever their thing is.
-Groupon or handmade coupon to do something fun over the Christmas break. I got one of my kids a bowling one for a family trip, and she'll bring her best friend.
-scratch off lottery tickets! Of course the rule is if they get more than $100 they have to split with mom :)
-new toothbrush. Not exciting, but hey.
-cool pens
-small figurine from their favorite video game
-card game or magic trick-kids this age often love magic

I could go on all day. I love stockings! :). And hey, no reason parents shouldn't get them, too.
posted by purenitrous at 6:26 AM on December 19, 2012

next year plan just a little farther ahead and Land of Nod (a catalog company) has 2-4 pages of stocking-stuffer-level toys including a lot of nostalgic ones like the ball-paddle game, gyroscopes, and the like, most for under $10 (most under $5) and all for a flat shipping fee. or buy a bunch of them this year and stick them in a box for next year! :)
posted by acm at 6:44 AM on December 19, 2012

Response by poster: Great suggestions so far!! Just ordered four more items. Love the bacon band aids!
posted by qsysopr at 7:58 AM on December 19, 2012

I often go to places like Party City, because they have fun little inexpensive items, like super-balls, little puzzle games, inexpensive yo yos, etc. Another fun item: pop rocks. Also, I will go to an Asian market to get fun unusual candies like pocky, botan rice candy (the wrappers are edible), or unusual flavours of chewy or hard candy.
posted by annsunny at 11:26 AM on December 19, 2012

Minifigs! Series 8 are the latest I've seen actually for sale. (This isn't a great price -- I get them at Target for less than that, but oh lord who wants to go to Target this week?)
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:00 PM on December 19, 2012