Small gift ideas for kids' advent calendars please!!

[FrodisCapering]

I have bought refillable advent calendars for my two kids this year (boy is about to turn 5 and girl 3.5).

We will put chocolate in some of the drawers, but maybe only about 8. Does anyone have any ideas for the rest of the drawers? I am thinking small bits of girl's jewelry and hair slides etc for my girl, but I am a bit stumped for the boy. I don't want to break the bank on this but I want them to have a lovely advent.
The drawers are varying size but not huge.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Mini stationary like those little rubbers, Christmas stamp & ink, mini bauble for the tree, some Christmas tattoos, a few printed jokes or notes of an activity you are doing that day ie card writing or cookie making

Thank you! My little boy loves stamping things so I will look out for those!

Small bouncy ball, mini racing car - the type you get in Tiger, Christmas badge.

When my Ds was small I sometimes had an activity for one of the days - eg put a little note in with "sparklers and hot chocolate day" or similar

If your DS has Playmobil, then some extra Playmobil figures/animals/accessories
Magic expanding face cloth

I make calendars for my DC & over the years have done:

Mini Brands
Barbie Accessories
Mini Toy Box
Lego Minifigures
Matchbox Cars
Fidget Toys
Xbox Accessories
Jewellery
Fossils
Dinosaurs

As well as a few chocolate coins, candy canes, chocolate sprouts etc.

Stampers or stickers, Christmas socks, small cars. I have some tiny Christmas cookie cutters. I put notes in with activities too (let’s watch a Christmas film/read a Christmas story/bake gingerbread men/ make Christmas cards/make tree decs etc)
Last year on one or two days I put a bigger item (I think one was Christmas jumpers for jumper day at school) in a gift bag, and put a note in the drawer saying to go hunt for a red gift bag.

Marzipan fruits are good cos they all look different

Or anything from baker ross

https://www.bakerross.co.uk/christmas-stampers?&utm_campaign=PMax-Christmas-Heroes&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD4FDOWwujABHYsTxQEBMTz5YAF1j&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjMKqBhCgARIsAPDgWly0dHrVtz0wFHhCs6ohLly2DKuZ1ZjYq6HOtp6go42fzaMz0SxThSsaAp3yEALw_wcB

Also for bigger items I sometimes out a clue in the calendar and then he has to go and look for the item. A hassle to do but he loves it.

Similar to the above, I used to wrap some presents that were too big and put in a gift bag. Then put a 'lucky dip' note in the calendar. Kids loved it, can mix it up with treasure hunt approach.

If you have Christmas Crackers this year, save any age appropriate jokes for the calendar next year, ditto any of the little gifts that are discarded that would be age appropriate next year.

If you do put in experiences ( garden centre visit; drive round to see lights etc) make a note of which dates you have put these in so if you have to change plans, you're not having to rifle through all the pockets if it has to be done in a hurry.

I don’t put gifts in mine but there is a small chocolate everyday sometimes a coin, one of the jingle bells chocolates or Aldi & Lidl do little pots of tiny chocolate Santas/Reindeer or Penguins which are great for putting in calendars.
I put in a stamp, & a pencil or pen for writing letters to Santa on the 1st.
I print Christmas puzzles or colouring sheets for some days.

A chocolate bauble for tree decorating day.
small craft kits to do after school ( I put a little clue in with the chocolate for them to find the kit where I’ve hidden it).
i put the Christmas cookie cutters in for days we bake (I use the same ones every year).
Christmas Eve I make a small ticket for the Panto we go and see with a Malteasers Reindeer chocolate.

I mix it up every year but the 1st & 24th are always the same thing.

Dc are now 9, 8 nearly), 6 & 4.5.

What about a small lego set but spread it out? Give a few bricks and the instructions in the first drawer then every few drawers have more bricks until it's done - maybe make the final one on Christmas eve?

I think lindt do a teddy thats tiny enough

So far I have bought (girl aged 5)

Hair slides
Hair clips (those 90s style)
Decorative hair bobble. She csn wear to school on xmas jumper day
Bracelet
Some tiny squashie toys
Mini trolls
A barbie surprise gift from poundland
Stickers
Chocolates
Choc coins

I'll find some small bath bombs
Stamper
Rubber
Keyring
Tree ornament. Bonus if it has her name

Christmas mochi, stamps and tattoos and the obligatory chocolate coins

I don't want to be ba humbug but why create something else that involves buying yet more bits and bobs and plastic to head into the season of yet more stuff. Chocolate or sweets in various forms are appreciated especially if rationed the rest of the year. I like the suggestion up thread though about saving the jokes from crackers from one year to the next.

Ours get chocolate coins/mini Lindt bears on a Friday, otherwise they get notes for our chosen activity that day, most of which are really really simple (two sen kids, we don’t try to do too much).

So for example one day will be that we’ll all watch the bluey verandah Santa episode together, I have Christmas books I’ll read them, Christmas colouring pages, we’ll have a few Christmas discos (play rockin around the Christmas tree and have a dance).

Some of the activities are really jobs for them like writing Christmas cards for their grandparents, help decorate the tree, tidy the playroom to make room for more toys.

i don’t really like the modern trend to give them physical gifts in advent, they have plenty of stuff already. Tbh I think they appreciate the time and experiences more.