It’s that time of year again. Christmas is around the corner, and while we all parents love this time of year, the day itself can be exhausting. All the shopping, wrapping, and cooking take their toll, so if you can help it, it’s worth doing what you can to avoid being woken up at the crack of dawn to go downstairs and get started by the kids.
A good stocking filler can be a godsend, buying you that all so precious extra hour – or even two if you’re lucky – in bed before you start the big day. We’ve created this article to help parents find the perfect dino stocking filler that will keep your little ones busy when they wake up on Christmas morning.
Our criteria for choosing dinosaur stocking fillers is pretty simple;
- They’ve got to be small enough to fit in a Christmas stocking – obviously;
- They’ve got to provide enough entertainment for those precious extra minutes of sleep on Christmas morning; and
- They’ve got to be cheap. You’ve already forked out a small fortune for the main event; you don’t want to spend more than you need to on a warm-up gift. This is why every pick on our list is under $10.
This means that things like dinosaur robots and other electronic toys would entirely defeat a stocking filler’s purpose, given the noise they generate.
We’ve also left out dino toys that don’t often much in the way of functionality, like plush dinosaur toys and other similar options that are either too static or too easy, as these won’t keep your little ones entertained for long.
We’ve broken our picks down into four distinct categories; arts and crafts, construction toys, egg and fossil toys, and games and puzzles, in no particular order.
Table of Contents
Arts and crafts
There are a near-infinite number of choices for arts and crafts gifts at this price range – think everything from dinosaur coloring books and dinosaur coloring pages, to craft kits, dinosaur ink stampers, and everything else in between. We’ve picked a few of our favorites here to consider, all of which should provide you with plenty of time to sleep in late on Christmas morning before the busy day ahead starts.
1. Mudpuppy Mighty Dinosaurs 6ft Activity Roll
Buy it: From $10, Amazon.com
2. Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Figurines Craft Kit
Buy it: From $8, Amazon.com
3. EUGY 3D Tricera Dinosaur Model Craft Kit
Buy it: From $9, Amazon.com
4. Bendon Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom Coloring and Activity Book
Buy it: From $6, Amazon.com
Construction toys
While you’re not going to get much of a dinosaur lego set for under $10 – in fact, we only found one product from the brand in this price range – there are plenty of options from lesser-known block toy companies, which make for excellent stocking filler options.
5. PLUS PLUS Triceratops Dinosaur Building Set (70 pcs)
Buy it: From $8, Amazon.com
6. LEGO Jurassic World Mini Set: Triceratops Dinosaur (65 pcs)
Buy it: From $6, Amazon.com
7. Nanoblock Stegosaurus Building Set (130pcs)
Buy it: From $10, Amazon.com
8. Strictly Briks Raptor Building Set (111 pcs)
Buy it: From $6, Amazon.com
Egg and fossil toys
If you don’t mind dealing with the clean-up, dinosaur egg toys and other fossil kits can be a great choice. They’re easy to use, as they don’t require instructions or rules, such as more complicated options like games, and kids love them.
9. JA-RU Fossil Digging Kit Dinosaur Eggs Excavation Toy
Buy it: From $5, Amazon.com
10. National Geographic Dino Fossil Dig Kit
Buy it: From $10, Amazon.com
Games and Puzzles
For parents with more than one kid, dinosaur board games and puzzles can be a great choice, working to keep all your kids entertained on Christmas morning before waking you up. At this price range, you’ll find mostly simple games, like card games or dominoes, all of which provide an inexpensive way to keep your little ones entertained.
11. Dinosaurs Top Trumps Card Game
Buy it: From $10, Amazon.com
12. UNO Jurassic World
Buy it: From $6, Amazon.com
13. Mudpuppy Dinosaur Dominoes
Buy it: From $10, Amazon.com
14. Game Accolades Go Fish Dino Edition Card Game
Buy it: From $10, Amazon.com
Final thoughts
While everyone with kids loves Christmas – we’ve spent the last few months gearing up for it – it can be exhausting. Do yourself a favor, and pick out a stocking filler that will keep your children entertained long enough to get yourself some extra sleep on the morning of the big day.
As you’ve seen from our list, a good dino stocking filler doesn’t need to cost the earth – there are loads of options, with our list merely covering a few of our favorites. Avoid loud, noisy electronic toys, instead choosing quiet, creative, or otherwise entertaining options, and don’t spend more than you need to.
We hope you’ve found this list useful, and of course, wish you the very best of luck come Christmas day. Hopefully, you’re not up too early for it!
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