Kids' presents with the 'wow' factor that don't break the bank

[Pregnantabroad]

We're trying to cut down on Christmas spending and the main challenge is that 'Wow' gift that gets opened last. We usually do a big Lego set..c £100 each. We have 4 kids aged 5,5,8,10. Any suggestions for a cheaper wow?

You can buy second hand lego and then if they "lose a piece" ie. it's not in the set when it comes to be made you just order it from the lego site through select a brick.

2nd hand is the way to go - big sack but all for charity shops or boot sales .... see it as a challenge. The 10 year old however quite acceptable to have smaller quantity but what they actually want.

I so relate to the encroaching unicorns! I’ve even started wearing pink myself. Dd saw a Crayola airbrush plush unicorn in a shop and her eyes went so massive I had to sneak back and get it for her. I think that might end up being her ‘wow’ this year.

We got a good 'Wow'one year for a remote Controlled boat. There is a boating pond nearby that is perfect for it. It wasn't crazy expensive, about 40quid, but we got it from a decent model shop so we knew it would be decent.
Not something that had been asked for but was really well received.

A giant Lego storage box filled with second hand lego bricks?

www.homebargains.co.uk/products/14300-lego-stackable-rectangle-storage-brick.aspx

One Christmas for a joint ‘big’ present we bought one of the large plastic rainbow drawer sets that you can get in DIY shops and filled it with cheap paper and craft items. That was a big hit and still going strong tears later.

A skateboard i got them in the sale at £7.99 each from Smyth’s they will look nice and big all wrapped up and they won’t be expecting one.

You can get a table tennis net (fits on any table) 4 bats and a load of balls for about £15.

Alexa £30!

Tamagotchi are fashionable again.

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas yeah we've got a Tamagotchi. His name is Fernando but the battery was taken out because my daughter said "I'm not old enough for this responsibility" 🤣🙄

For what it's worth, the "Wow" Christmas DS (now a teen) remembers fondly was from when he was about 6yrs old. All I did was blow up about thirty ballons in red and green, so they covered the living room floor, then got red and green streamers hanging down in big bunches from all the lights, and he thought it was beyond amazing. Kids just love balloons don't they, he spent half an hour jumping around in them, booting them about, popping them. He couldn't even tell you what he got that year, but he can tell you all about the brilliant (£3 quids worth) of balloons!

Mine got alexa's as their 'big present' last year. £30 each on a deal and they were over the moon. Used daily since. Wish I could replicate this year with something as well received and as cheap

@mam0918 what’s that called? Sounds like the sort of thing my Gds would love!

As for cost versus wow!, one thing that wowed a Gdd of 6 was a make-up set from Claire’s accessories - in a sparkly ‘book’ type case with a sparkly unicorn on the front. Cost about £16 - total trash but she loved it.

I found these huge art set boxes one year in a catalogue a girl at work had. Every colour felt pen, pencil, paint, stickers and other bits. They were about £10 each and my girls were thrilled.

One thing my kids loved was a football table. That would be a great joint present. If you got it second hand it would be much cheaper.
We had one given to us which was brilliant and had lots of different games you could play on it too, including pool and air hockey. It's great.
Could be ace as a gift for all plus smaller Lego sets.