Stocking Fillers for Kids: 15 Aussie Ideas Under $10 That Won’t End Up in the Bin

Gift Guides · By the Flipsy team, Hunter Valley NSW · Updated 31 October 2026 · 4 min read

Good stocking fillers for kids are small, cheap and still being used in January. The trouble is that most of what’s sold as “stocking stuffers” is plastic that’s broken by lunchtime and in the bin by Boxing Day.

Here are 15 ideas under $10 that suit an Australian Christmas, along with the simple formula we use to fill a stocking without overspending. A few are things we make in our Hunter Valley workshop. Most aren’t, because a good stocking is a mix.

The four-part formula for stocking fillers for kids

Pick one thing from each group and the stocking feels full, balanced and not too expensive:

• Something to do: a puzzle, a joke book or a craft kit for Christmas morning.
• Something to keep: stickers, a keyring or a small collectible they’ll hang on to.
• Something for outside: it’s summer, so goggles, chalk or a water pistol.
• Something to eat: one treat at the toe, the way it’s always been done.

Four to six items is plenty. Small kids care about the unwrapping far more than the price.

15 stocking fillers for kids under $10

1. A Christmas sticker pack $6

Stickers are our favourite “something to keep”. They’re flat, light and fit any stocking, and kids use them for months on drink bottles, lunchboxes and school books. Each Flipsy sticker pack has six die-cut stickers, about 7.5 cm each, starring one character from the gang. The Christmas packs have Swoop the magpie on a sled, Spike the echidna in a Christmas jumper and Chuckles the kookaburra in reindeer antlers.

2. An everyday sticker pack $6

If you’d rather the stickers outlast the Christmas season, the everyday packs work all year. Let kids pick a favourite character, or match the pack to a tee they already love. See Spike’s sticker pack or Snug’s.

3. Swimming goggles

This is the most useful thing in the stocking. Every Aussie kid loses at least one pair a summer.

4. Fun-coloured zinc or a kids’ sunscreen stick

Coloured zinc makes sun protection feel like face paint, and it’ll be used on Christmas Day itself. Kids’ skin burns quickly in an Aussie summer, so sun protection is worth making fun.

5. Footpath chalk

It’s cheap and messy in the best way. It also keeps kids outside while lunch is being cooked.

6. A bike bell

A bright bell is a great add-on for a new bike or scooter. It also happens to be the hero of our free story Swoop and the Bike Bell, about a magpie who’s scared of bikes and a boy who’s scared of magpies.

7. A small torch

Kids love a torch for camping, cubby houses and reading under the covers. If you have a child who’s not keen on the dark, Snug the monster is scared of it too: read Snug and the Dark together on Christmas night.

8. A joke book

Bon bon jokes only go so far. A kids’ joke book keeps the Christmas lunch table entertained, and Chuckles the kookaburra would definitely laugh along (whether he gets it or not).

9. A card game

Uno, Snap or Go Fish fits in a stocking and gets played all holidays, especially on a rainy day at the caravan park.

10. A water pistol

It’s the classic Aussie Christmas afternoon weapon. Buy two, or one for every kid, to keep the peace.

11. Bubble wand

Bubbles are a winner for little ones aged 2 to 5, and much cheaper than anything with batteries.

12. A mini puzzle

A 100-piece puzzle of Australian animals is a quiet Boxing Day activity. Our post on funny Australian animals kids love has the facts to go with it.

13. Native seed packet

Wildflower or herb seeds and a tiny pot give kids something to look after over the holidays.

14. Hair clips or scrunchies

They’re small, colourful and useful every school day, for the kids who’ll wear them.

15. A free colouring page roll

Print a few of our free printable colouring pages, roll them up with a ribbon and add a couple of pencils. It costs next to nothing and buys you twenty quiet minutes on Christmas morning.

Stocking fillers for kids by age

• Ages 2 to 4: bubbles, chunky chalk, big stickers, a bath toy.
• Ages 5 to 7: sticker packs, a torch, a joke book, goggles, a mini puzzle.
• Ages 8 to 10: card games, a bike bell, collectible stickers to swap, coloured zinc.

Want one bigger present to go under the tree? Our guide to Australian Christmas gifts for kids covers Christmas tees, UPF 50+ bucket hats and gifts that aren’t things.

Stocking fillers for kids: FAQs

How much should I spend on stocking fillers for kids?

Most families spend around $20 to $40 per stocking. Four to six items under $10 each, including one treat, makes a stocking feel full without blowing the budget.

What are good stocking fillers that aren’t junk?

Choose things that get used: stickers, swimming goggles, coloured zinc, chalk, a torch, card games and books. Avoid novelty plastic that breaks on the first day.

What are good stocking fillers for a 5 year old?

Five year olds love stickers, bubbles, chalk, a small torch and a simple joke book. Character sticker packs are a favourite because they can stick them on everything.

How big are Flipsy stickers?

Each Flipsy sticker pack has six die-cut stickers of about 7.5 cm each, so they fit easily in a stocking.

How much is postage on sticker packs?

Sticker-only orders are posted for $4.50 however many packs you buy, and postage is free on three or more packs. Stickers also ride along free with any tee order.