Cheap but popular present for small children

[Scandisaurus]

There was another thread about children not always wanting to play with the more expensive toys like wooden toys etc but instead picked something unexpected as their favourite toy ever.

Our most played with toys ever, was a big box with real food cartons (washed) like juice, milk, ice cream tubs, baking powder, ketchup bottle etc. They played for hours and years with that stuff. And easy to replace when broken. The wooden pretend food wasn’t even looked at. Anyway, just a tip if you have children who are into pretend play. 🎅🏼🎁

@WellTidy

The insert tray from a box of chocolates (lots of little chocolate shape holes) and a selection of play doh and tools in different colours. Ds would ‘make chocolates’ for hours.

Genius! I was going to mention my DS favourite toy at Christmas which was the Bop It game, it's noisy and battery operated so not really on point here, but relatively affordable and entertained the whole family over Christmas.

Torch rings. They cost about £1 for six off Amazon and my two had one each as a tiny stocking filler. They LOVED them!

When she was about one and a half I got my step granddaughter (from my previous relationship) a mini tea-set from Poundland - it was a really rubbish one and just a spur of the moment impulse buy that I sent them in the post. Apparently she absolutely fucking loved it more than anything she has ever had before.

That Xmas I got her a more expensive and very lovely tea-set in a posh basket thing which, of course, was utterly ignored in favour of the cheap one…..

You gotta love kids!

DD7's friends all ignore her mountains of plastic landfill and clamour to sit at the dining room table with... a block of cheese, a rotary grater and chopsticks. Add a penknife to the mix and there's silence for a good hour or two.
Another of DD's friends took a fancy to crocheting, having seen me crochet. She proceeded to sit for 2 hours crocheting the longest chain stitch thing ever while my DD entertained herself

@headintheproverbial

An empty box of After Eights with the little envelopes for the chocolate still inside. Painted the box becomes a post box and they can pop little notes inside the envelopes.

Genius!

I’ve got a maze Death Star puzzle I brought it in January I can’t wait to get my hands on it.