Last Minute Gifts for Kids

There’s still time to get last minute gifts for kids. In fact, you may be surprised at all of the stores (online and in person) where you can get these eleventh hour presents for last minute holiday shopping.

Back in the day when my daughters were attending lots of birthday parties, I always had a well-stocked gift closet, filled with children’s toys, art supplies and the like. That way if I needed a last minute kid’s gift, I didn’t have to rush to the store. I just had to head upstairs to my gift closet.

Note to self: I need to write a blog post about how to design a gift closet to help you out of these last minute present jams. And I did–here is my article on gift closets.

Where to shop for last minute gifts for kids

Of course, if you’re shopping for holiday gifts for children (or anyone else), you need to keep some important things in mind. One, there are shipping deadlines.

Two, if you’re going to shop in person or buy online and pick up in person, you have to remember which stores are closed on major holidays.

Three, keep in mind store hours, especially during the holiday season. However, shopping online is always 24/7, am I right?

Anyway, I’ve outlined some of the companies that can help with last minute kids’ gifts as well as gifts overall. Hopefully, you’ll find something that fits your budget and timeline.

Remember shopping at these defunct toy stores for kids?

Bass Pro Shops

You may know Bass Pro Shops  as one of the stores where you can take your dog shopping with you. However, what you may not know is that Bass Pro Shops has a wide selection of high-quality toys for kids.

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Here are some top toy picks you can buy today. Also, you can get up to 40% off select products from now until Christmas Eve!

Bass Pro Shops Wooden Ice Cream Cart Set

I loved playing “store” when I was child. If I could have pretended to be the ice cream man, that would have been the cherry on top.

So, take a child’s love for ice cream to the next level with the Bass Pro Shops Wooden Ice Cream Cart Set! The cart itself features a charming sign overhead, plenty of room for pretend ice cream varieties and wheels for a realistic look.

Young entrepreneurs will have tons of fun “selling” pretend ice cream cones, ice cream bars, popsicles and even scoops of ice cream! You can add a kid-sized apron to this gift to round out the theme.

Bass Pro Shops 20-Piece Camping Toy Set for Kids

Recently, I wrote about the best camping gifts for adults. If that love of camping includes the younger generation, you can help them pretend to camp anywhere with this Bass Pro Shops 20-Piece Camping Toy Set.

While it doesn’t include a tent or sleeping bag, what it does include is pretty clever. For example, there is a working lantern. In addition, they can pretend to cook on the light-up stove with actual cooking sounds. The set also includes:

  • five utensils
  • seven toy food pieces
  • skillet
  • ketchup
  • mustard
  • salt and pepper shakers

This might be a fun gift if you’re hoping to ease into teaching kids to cook.

Melissa & Doug First Play Wooden Safari Zig-Zag Tower Toy

The Melissa & Doug First Play Wooden Safari Zig-Zag Tower Toy is designed for babies and toddlers, 12 months and older. It is a sturdy wooden tower that comes with four solid wood pieces that slide and spin down the tower’s zig-zag track.

Each of the wood pieces features a friendly safari animal face the child can match to the same image on top of the tower. And, the wood pieces store in the tower when turned sideways for easy storage.

Target last minute gifts for kids

If you read my article on Target deal days, then you’ll recall three important things about shopping for gifts at Target. One, you can utilize Target same-day drive up or in-store pickup for last minute shopping trips.

Two, Target is offering a price match guarantee this holiday season. So, if you buy something and then the price goes down, Target will refund you the difference. Also, through Dec. 24. Target will match select competitors’ pricing within 14 days of purchase.

Here are other stores that price match.

And, three, Target has brought the iconic toy story FAO Schwarz back to life this year. This includes with BOGO–buy one, get one–offers on FAO Schwarz toys, along with other brands, too.

My favorite for this season–available for pick up at a Target store near me? The famous piano mat from the movie “Big.” Except now it’s called the FAO Schwarz DJ Mixer Mat.

Last minute subscription boxes for kids

One of my favorite last-minute gift ideas for anyone is a subscription box. This is something you can purchase online and notify the recipient the same day.

Also, I love giving subscription boxes as gifts because they really are the gift that keeps on giving. Depending on how long you sign someone up to receive these boxes, this could be a gift they enjoy monthly all year long.

One of the best places to shop for subscription box options online is Cratejoy. And, as luck would have it, they’ve got a collection of last minute subscription box gifts for kids. For example, they offer a DIY kids crafts box.

Not only that, but they have a holiday discount code you can use. Through 12/18 type in coupon code WRAPITUP to save 20% on your purchase.

If you miss that coupon code and still need last minutes gifts for kids, then, starting 12/20, use coupon code SILENTNIGHT to save.

Children’s gift ideas at Etsy

Etsy is my favorite place to shop for unique gifts that you can’t get anywhere else. I’ve highlighted Etsy as a resource for pet parent gifts as well as Peloton instructor quote gifts.

For the purpose of this article, you can also use Etsy for great children’s gifts. And if you need them last minute, here’s an Etsy hack you may not know about.

When searching for gifts, use the Etsy filter. For example, I recently searched for outdoors toys for kids on Etsy. When the results page popped up, I got this filter option: “Estimated Arrival.”

Because I’m searching during the holiday season, I was able to select a day before Christmas. So, I chose December 20th.

Then, I could see all of the children’s gift options I could order today and get in time for both Chanukah and Christmas this year. Were you even aware of this Etsy hack overall?

You can always go with a rock tumbler on Amazon.

Final thoughts on last minute kids gifts

When in doubt I’ve always found that arts and crafts supplies, or coloring books and crayons are a great last minute gift. One terrific place to pick these up on the cheap? Your local dollar store.

If I’ve missed anything you think I should have covered in this article about last minute gifts for kids, please let me know. I’m always happy to consider other ideas and points of view.

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