School bday party. What gifts do people usually buy?

[Namechanger67]

We have the first 2 reception parties next month and wanted to gauge what is an appropriate gift? I have only ever been to close friends parties before but what do people usually get to a whole class party to a kid they don’t really know?
If it matters, we are in the London suburbs, wealthy area.

We live up North! Less affluent area and gifts range between £5 - £20. Reception age it was all gifts, as they have got older more cash / vouchers.

TK Maxx is your friend; less likely to end up giving a duplicate gift!

We tend to go for no more than £10 spent on a gift though - I'm the parent who prefers to gift books, colouring books, craft sets. L

I came to suggest these too, my kids are much older now but always used to give a small lego set.

Do you have the Works near you? Buy ten picture books for £10. A couple of the books and a packet of sweets. The pack of 10 books will then do 5 parties! The cheap play sets my son got were absolutely rubbish- big box full of tat!
I would either go with books, Orchard Games, colouring book and crayons/pens, a toy car set, play dough or some sort of craft set. If you have Home Bargains/B&M they have some nice things along these lines.

Around £15 and I ask what the child is in to when I RSVP.

So many people recommend this. But I think those books are crap.

OP- If you're going down the book route as a gift, go for a decent one.

We buy items with RRP of £15-30, but usually spend £6-12. Amazon and Argos clearance are good to stock up. We buy toys or craft kits. We never receive or give cash or sweets. We've received lots of jewellery making kits and other craft boxes with small bits - not a problem for us as we have time to supervise. We're in an affluent part of London.

If they were struggling financially then fair enough, otherwise I’d consider this very stingy.

I have never invited a child to a party to obtain a gift.
I would consider you to be 'grabby'.

I’d never consider a gift stingy, as you don’t know others’ circumstances but I’m not a fan of the big floppy generic storybooks. If it’s girls you’re buying for Smiggle is great - they’ve always got discounts and you can’t have too many pens or notebooks. I generally spend about £15 and sometimes get a Cineworld gift card.

We are in SW London and I usually get Legos about £15 when I don’t know well the kid!

From my experience, for a reception party in a wealthy London suburb, I’d recommend a simple gift like a book, small toy (Lego or puzzle), or an art kit. A gift card to a toy shop or Waterstones works well too. I usually stick to a budget of £10-£25, and sometimes edible treats in a nice box, as long as the parents are okay with it.

I’d spend £15-20 on a present or put £20 in a card, depending on how well I could gauge what you child would like. I got good feedback on this present for a 5 year old boy previously: www.johnlewis.com/plus-plus-learn-to-build-robots-275-pieces/p112227523?s_ppc=2dx_mixed_fashion_BAU&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20151162654&gbraid=0AAAAAD2el1w07pDE5cjqKsvhqup2YJoa-&gclid=CjwKCAiAybfLBhAjEiwAI0mBBjzFJIInLbXKXvHNdfRa6V9uBp8pOKci6NDUGctIaiuNlHmu6rlFIhoCR8cQAvD_BwE

How would you know if they’re financially struggling or not? People often don’t have a sign above their head saying they’re going through hard times. Appearances can be deceptive.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have bought a couple of cute activity pads from Floss&Rock which seems like a really sweet brand and price is around £12-£13. Saying this in case somebody comes across this post and needs more ideas!

£10 in a card or if you really want to buy a gift get something you know your child really enjoys. My son used to love the Orchard games at that age so if I had time I’d buy one if those if I hadn’t time… money in a card.