18 clever and affordable White Elephant gift ideas for kids
— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.
White Elephant gifts can be a tricky balance. You’re charged with finding something that will appeal to many personalities and tastes—all the while keeping within a strict pricepoint. When you also need to make these gifts appropriate for a kid’s party, it gets a whole lot harder.
Tackle your holiday shopping with deals and expert advice delivered straight to your phone. Sign up for text message alerts from the deal-hunting team at Reviewed.
Never fear, we’ve done the hard work for you. From funny gifts to useful ones, we’ve got lots of options that will be delivered by the weekend. Just click “buy” and tick this off your holiday to-do list. These gifts are so fun and so affordable, you may even find yourself tempted to buy two so you can slip a few into your kiddo’s stocking.
1. A mystery Squishmallow
For a sweet, snuggly, surprise gift, check out these scented Squishmallow mystery bags. Squishmallows are popular with all ages, minis are always in style and the unboxing trend shows no sign of stopping. This is a triple whammy of on-trend gifting that will knock it out of the park at any White Elephant you may attend.
Get the Scented Squishmallow Mystery Bag at Amazon for $17.99
2. A mini karaoke mic
Made popular by trending TikTokers Tinx and Minji, this is just the thing for kids who want to sing their heart out or record social commentary for the world to hear. It's cute, it's fun and it easily plugs into the headphone jack of any cellphone or tablet, which means the recipient of this White Elephant gift can take their sound studio with them anywhere they go, and at any time.
Get the Mini Karaoke Microphone at Amazon for $16.99
3. DIY printable face masks
Let’s face it. Mask wearing is getting pretty old. These customizable masks are just what kids need to make it a bit more fun. From the kid who hates to wear masks to the one who just wants to flex their personal style, this cool kit has everything to create customized, disposable face masks with the click of a button. Simply use the phone app to upload photos—or screenshots of fun designs—from your phone, print out the design on an inkjet printer and then use the heat-activated adhesive for some no-sew style.
Get the SnapStyle DIY 4-pack face mask kit at Amazon for $5.99
4. Fuzzy slipper socks
Who couldn’t use a pair of fuzzy socks to curl up with? These fleece-lined socks are part sock and part slipper and all sorts of cozy. Plus, we love the fun animal face designs that these come in.
Get the Kids Fuzzy Slipper Socks at Amazon for $9.99
5. A hilarious pencil case
Everyone can use an extra pencil case. These funny and ferocious zip-up pencil cases appeal to kids of all ages. These wacky-looking monsters zip up their sharp “teeth” to hold everything in safely, but when you unzip their lips they’re ready to roar. These styles are super colorful, funky, funny and quirky—and they are also machine washable. These pencil cases are sure to make them smile, and they might be the only thing that makes them look forward to going back to school after winter break!
Shop Zip-it Pencil Cases at Amazon starting at $8.99
6. Touch screen gloves
The weather outside is frightful, but that doesn’t mean that your tween won’t sacrifice their fingertips in order to text their friends. These adorable gloves are also high-tech and will keep their fingers toasty while they’re ignoring you (again) and scrolling through the ‘gram.
Get the Winter Touch Screen Cat Gloves 3-pack at Amazon for $13.99
7. All-natural bath bombs
You’ll be hard pressed to find a kid that isn’t a bath bomb fan. These ones use kid-safe essential oils and coconut oil so once the fun fizzies are over they can soak in a moisturizing bath. What’s more, each of these handcrafted bombs is filled with a fun little surprise.
Get the 6-pack of Sky Organics bath bombs at Amazon for $22.49
8. An upgraded game of Uno
Chances are you played this game a million times as a child. The ever popular card game, made legendary at camping trips and family gatherings has gotten a face lift—actually, it’s gotten lots of them. From Super Mario to Minecraft to Space Jam there is an Uno game for every kid. If you’re looking for one with more universal appeal, however, we like this emoji deck.
Get the Uno Emoji card deck at Amazon for $8.39
9. A slime-making kit
For the kid who wants to stake their claim in the slime-making game, how about a color-changing slime kit? With two different glues that change their hues when exposed to UV light as well as two activators, this is a cool chemistry kit that transforms into a trendy compound for them to experiment and play with.
Get the Elmer’s Glue Color Changing Slime Kit at Amazon for $12.49
10. A headlamp to illuminate things
They don’t need to be a camper to enjoy a headlamp. This clever gift can be used for night time reading, as a handy light to help them find their way to the bathroom, and—of course—they’ll love having this on their next camping trip.
This seven-mode headlamp has a tiltable face, which allows kids to focus the light exactly where they need it. It also has seven different lighting modes, including a strobe, should they want to turn the White Elephant party into a dance party.
Get the Blitzu 7-Mode Headlamp at Amazon for $15.49
11. Bravery bandages in a fun design
There’s something about Welly’s bandages that make every boo boo less painful. Named “Bravery Bandages,” these come in the most fun array of kid-friendly prints that even border on hip, so tweens won’t be so eye-rolly if they get this in their White Elephant draw. Plus, these are durable through play, showers and they are hypo-allergenic, which makes them great for the more sensitive kids.
Get the Welly Bravery Bandage kit at Amazon for $6.95
12. A pretty prank gift
Part of the fun of White Elephant gifts is you can give something to kids that you might otherwise get in trouble for gifting. This gift will go over big with the jokesters. This gift may look pretty, but looks can be deceiving. Crank up one of these colorful butterflies and place them in books, cards—you name it—and they come fluttering out to surprise unsuspecting friends and family. Kids will have hours of prankster fun, and their parents won’t even know that you are the one to blame! Just be sure to steer your own child away from this gift.
Get the Heytech Magic Flying Butterfly Surprise for $8.99
13. Fairy lights
Little kids will love the magical illumination and tweens will love being able to add a bit of ambiance to their room decor. These bendable copper LED string lights get high marks for being long-lasting and for being durable enough to bend into fun shapes, or to effortlessly hold up a photo collage.
Get the Starry Fairy Lights at Amazon for $11.99
14. A fun hat that spells out their vices
Who couldn’t use a new beanie for the new year? Coal is a terrific brand that’s anchored by snow and skateboarding aficionados. We love this one for its fun and whimsical message of indulgence. Whether your kid is a pizza fan or a candy kid, this well-made hat will have them covered and toasty.
Get the Coal Vice Beanie at REI for $22
15. Pop Its
The Pop Its trend shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. This one hits all the marks for popular shapes and styles. With a dinosaur, a unicorn, a pineapple and an apple there is bound to be a shape that they are thrilled about receiving.
Get the 4-pack of Pop It Sensory Toys at Amazon for $14.99
16. A super-sized Slinky
As they say, if it doesn’t say Slinky, it’s just a spring. This super-sized version of the original is a fun spin on a classic. This extra large Slinky stretches farther, flips higher and walks down taller steps, all while keeping that classic Slinky appeal
Get the Giant Slinky at Amazon for $11.98
17. A game for people who talk good
Don’t get hit with the No Stick! This is a laugh-out-loud fun and funny game that challenges players to get their team mates to guess words and phrases by only using single-syllable words. If you slip up and use a multi-syllable word, beware! You’ll get hit with the inflatable club or, the No Stick. Little kids love wieldling their power and older kids can’t help but laugh as they try their hardest to use the simplest of words to win the game.
Get Poetry for Neanderthals at Amazon for $13.99
18. A trendy octopus plushie
This TikTok-trendy toy is more than just an adorable toy. A reversible toy that shows one sad and one happy side, the TeeTurtle octopus plushie is cute, cuddly and lets kids express themselves in their present mood. Fitting in the palm of your hand, it comes in 21 different color combinations, each of which are reversible for double the fun.
Get the TeeTurtle Reversible Octopus Plushie from Amazon for $15
Don’t get thwarted by shipping delays or sold-out favorites this holiday season. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get shopping tips, deals, product reviews, gift guides and more.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
This article originally appeared on Reviewed: White Elephant gift ideas for kids
