Although stocking stuffers may be small and inexpensive, they can still make the biggest memories for kids. Plus, they’re great to have on-hand if you get surprise visitors throughout the holiday season.
Here, we’ve compiled 10 of our favorite Melissa & Doug stocking stuffer toys and gifts for the babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and kids in your life. Plus, you can find even more gift options in our complete 2023 Holiday Gift Guide.
The 10 Best Stocking Stuffers & Small Gifts for Kids
On the Go™ Water WOW!® Water Reveal Pad – Vehicles
Age: 3+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: No-mess painting is a hit with both kids and parents! This vehicles-themed book includes scenes to color, and a search-and-find activity for each scene.
Fun feature: The chunky-sized water pen is easy for kids to hold and stores neatly right in the front cover, making it great for travel.
Skills: Fine motor, creative thinking
Pair it with another present: Young vehicle enthusiasts will adore this Water Wow Vehicles activity paired with the GO Tots Wooden Race Cars for pretend play that puts kids in the driver's seat.
Rollables Farm Friends
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: Four adorably round farm animals are sure to get playtime rolling! Just right for sensory fun, the Rollables are easy to grasp, firm enough to roll, and soft enough to squeeze! They’re compatible with our other Rollables play sets, and conveniently store right back in the pack.
Fun feature: The cute cow features a chime sound!
Skills: Fine motor, sensory development
Pair it with another present: Have more farm animal fun with the machine washable K’s Kids On the Farm Cloth Book.
Safari Chunky Puzzle - 8 Pieces
Age: 2+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: African animal favorites are featured on this extra thick wooden puzzle–eight easy-grasp, chunky wild animal pieces have full-color, matching pictures underneath. Puzzles also available in Construction and Dinosaur themes!
Fun feature: The animal pieces stand upright, and can be used as figures for pretend play!
Skills: Encourages hand-eye, fine motor, and creative expression skills. Promotes hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and creative expression
Pair it with another present: If your little problem-solver is looking for more of a puzzle challenge in the dinosaur theme, dig up our Land of Dinosaurs 48-piece floor puzzle for them.
Wooden Stamp Set - Dinosaurs
Age: 4+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: Imagine a landscape full of dinosaurs! Children love using the 8 detailed dino stamps and a two-color inkpad. It's fun creating countless scenes, and coloring in the pictures with the 5 colored pencils! Also available in a Friendship theme!
Fun feature: Washable, non-toxic kid-friendly ink.
Skills: Promotes creativity and fine motor skills
Pair it with another present: Unlock more dinosaur fun while promoting problem-solving skills with our Dinosaur Jigsaw Puzzles in a Box!
Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles in a Box - Vehicles
Age: 3+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: Set includes four wooden, 12-piece vehicle jigsaw puzzles--a race car, a steam engine, a school bus and a fire engine--each stored in a separate compartment of a sturdy wooden box! Also available in a Construction theme!
Fun feature: The slide-on box lid doubles as a convenient puzzle board! Each puzzle piece is shape-coded on the back for easy sorting. Great for travel!
Skills: Promotes hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and problem solving
Pair it with another present: If vehicle play gets your little one’s engine racing, gift them our Take-Along Railroad!
Scissor Skills Activity Pad
Age: 4+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: Kids love to cut with scissors--as you can see by the trail of scraps often left in their wake! This creative and practical activity pad gives an engaging, creative direction to scissor work, meaning more concentration and less mess.
Fun feature: Organized from simple to more complex, 20 different paper cutting projects (with complete supplies included right in the pages of the book) practice slightly different skills and techniques, and produce 20 unique crafts, games, and activities to offer kids a creative focus and a sense of accomplishment. Plastic safety scissors are included, which naturally encourage proper form and are safe for preschoolers
Skills: Promotes fine motor skills, cognitive skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem solving
Pair it with another present: If your child loves learning fun (and if you want to help them develop key early skills), give our Tape Activity Book a try.
Dress-Up Tiaras Costume Role Play Collection
Age: 2+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: This fabulous four-pack of dress-up crowns and tiaras gives pretend play the royal touch! Designed in consultation with moms (and their little princesses!), the headband tiaras have been painstakingly designed to be pinch-free, the comb-backed crowns won't tangle, and all are made with the very best materials we could find--so they're tough enough to stand up to years of play and look gorgeous for years to come.
Fun feature: These glamorous and durable playtime accessories include four unique designs, each with its own royal style: Two metallic crowns (gold and silver) with recessed beveling shine with painted-jewel accents; two pearlescent tiaras (flowered lavender and jeweled pink) are fit for a prima ballerina or fairy queen.
Skills: Promotes imagination, social-emotional skills, and creative play
Pair it with another present: This royally fun pretend play set coordinates with Melissa & Doug's Step In Style Dress-Up Shoes Collections!
Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks
Age: 2+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: A is for an alligator eating an apple! Brightly colored animals and familiar objects illustrate the letters of the alphabet on these sturdy cardboard blocks that stack by letter, color, and size.
Fun feature: Nested, the 10 vibrant blocks fit into the included carrying case. Stacked, they form a tower nearly 3 feet high!
Skills: Gross and fine motor, letter recognition, problem solving, stacking and organizing
Pair it with another present: If your little one enjoys any kind of animal-related play, our Wooden Animal Magnets are great for developing fine motor, sorting, grouping, and storytelling skills.
Scratch Art Box of Rainbow Mini Notes
Age: 4+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: Kids can be creative at home or on the go with Scratch Art! They can jot notes, etch doodles, and make their own exciting masterpieces with these easy-to-use mini notes. Bright colors hide beneath the matte coating—use the wooden stylus to reveal them with a simple scratch. Includes 125 Rainbow Mini Notes!
Fun feature: They come in a handy "desktop dispenser" box to keep it all organized.
Skills: Creative expression, fine motor, cause & effect
Pair it with another present: Add more colorful on-the-go play options with the Scratch Art - Dinosaur or Fairy Tales pads.
Puffy Stickers Play Set: Princess
Age: 4+
Why it’s a great stocking stuffer for kids: This puffy sticker play set offers endless opportunities for kids to express their creativity and take part in lots of pretend farm fun. Simply peel up the reusable stickers to change the farm scenes, take care of the animals, and tell a barn yard story that lasts from sunrise to sunset!
Fun feature: The sturdy background board folds to neatly store it all away, and a handle makes it easy to travel to nearby farms.
Skills: Fine motor, creative thinking
Pair it with another present: If your kiddo goes wild for animals, double up the sticker fun and gift them our National Parks Reusable Stickers - Park Animals Play Set for even more pretend wildlife adventures.
Looking for more of the best Christmas and holiday gift and toy ideas for kids of all ages? Check out these blog posts:
10 Best Toys for Babies and 1-Year-Olds
