31 Budget-Friendly Gifts to Reward Kids for Their End-of-Year Report Cards

1. A wooden block jigsaw puzzle – because your Gameboy’s been out of commission for years, and this is the perfect hands-on way to teach kids how to master Tetris the old-fashioned way.

2. A DIY Decorate-Your-Own water bottle craft kit featuring a spill-proof lid, perfect for keeping kids hydrated while they customize their new bottle with fun stickers and designs.

3. A remote-controlled moon lamp and night light with 16 color options. This globe offers everything from bright illumination to a dim night-light setting. It plugs in, but also has a battery that lasts 8 to 24 hours of moonlight magic.

4. The Yeti In My Spaghetti game. Seriously, what else is there to say? If the title doesn’t pull you in like an Abominable Snowman eyeing a plate of pasta, nothing will.

5. A 75-piece, lenticular "Cats Big and Small" puzzle that morphs from adorable house cats to even more charming (and larger) big cats from the Panthera genus.

John Mihaly / Mytour

For ages 5+.

This is one of my all-time favorite puzzles to work on with my kids. Because it's lenticular, each piece shows three different images depending on the angle. Even as an adult, it’s a fun challenge! Plus, the pieces are thicker than normal puzzles, so it lasts much longer without getting worn down. The kids are also crazy about the cats, both big and small!

Available on Amazon for $10.

6. An origami kit for kids with 54 unique projects (plus 55 sheets of paper) to teach little hands the art of paper folding. Be prepared for an influx of cranes that will soon fill your house.

7. A multiplayer Super Mario Piranha Plant Escape! board game where aspiring plumbers roll the dice, move their characters, and hit the trigger to see if Petey Piranha decides to snack on some Italian cuisine tonight.

8. A Paint By Sticker book featuring zoo animals, which is exactly what it sounds like: a crafty, sticky activity that’s much less messy than traditional painting. That’s a major win for parents!

9. A six-pack of "Max Liquidator" water blasters, because "Max Liquidator" is exactly the kind of name you’d pick if you were chasing your kids around like a Terminator, only your mission is to make sure the kids of 2023 are drenched. Hasta la vista, babies!

10. A Crocodile Dentist splash water game where kids press down on a tooth, and if the crocodile bites back, they’re sprayed with water! It can also be played dry, but trust us—it’s much more fun with water!

11. An eight-pack of pop tube sensory toys, perfect for building letters, numbers, or any shapes that creative minds can dream up—plus, they double as a stress reliever with that super-satisfying popping sound each tube makes.

12. A "Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek" game (from the creators of What Do You Meme?) where kids hunt for a talking, singing, clue-giving plastic poo that’s hidden somewhere around the house.

13. A pair of LED gloves and shoelaces your kids will love (oontz, oontz, oontz) whenever they wear them. The lights have different speeds (slow, fast, continuous) and modes (strobe, gradient, steady). "Alexa, let’s teach the kids some "Block Rockin’ Beats!"

14. A Connect 4 Spin Game that takes the classic (you know, align four colored discs vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) and adds the twist of spinning each column every time you drop a piece. Family game night just got a whole lot more exciting, stressful, and challenging—take your pick, maybe all three.

15. A unicorn-themed pop purse pack gift set, because kids can totally de-stress while looking fabulous and vibrant at the same time!

16. A 70-piece Plus Plus construction puzzle set, which can be turned into anything your child can dream up and even combined with other sets to create even bigger, wilder creations. Best part: the pieces are soft on your feet when you step on them.

17. A Melissa & Doug Blue's Clues wooden mailbox because if there’s one thing every kid enjoys, it’s receiving snail mail. (Although, you might need to clarify that no actual snails are involved in this process.)

18. A 174-piece Lego Creator 3-in-1 dinosaur set that allows you to build a T-Rex, Triceratops, or Pterodactyl. Once the kids finish those, just wait to see what other wild and fearsome dinosaurs they come up with. It’s going to be a prehistoric construction frenzy!

19. If traditional brick-building is a bit too tricky, try a fun and interactive dinosaur construction kit instead. Your little builder can use the included toy drill, drill bits, and screwdriver to assemble classic dinosaurs—or even create their own wacky hybrid creatures (new word alert!).

20. A fun and vibrant crayon set for gamers featuring the iconic video game controllers of all time (yes, Sega Genesis is in there!). If your kids have been eyeing a new gaming system, this might be the perfect gag gift—or, you know, a very cruel one (parent's discretion, of course).

21. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" craft kit for children to learn the basics of sewing while creating a stylish wardrobe and accessories for a charming little fox stuffed animal. It’s a fantastic all-in-one gift that doesn't require any extra tools or supplies!

22. A Grouch Couch game to show children the importance of never losing the remote control! But seriously, they will love this seat. (See what I did there? Loveseat!)

23. A dueling stomp rocket double-launch set that allows two kids to launch foam-tipped rockets up to 200 feet into the sky. No batteries or fuel are needed, just the pure energy of a child stomping on the pedal to send the rockets flying!

24. An Educational Insights "Design & Drill" robot take-apart toy to introduce kids to the world of tools and building as they use a screwdriver to disassemble and reassemble a robot. Watch those fine motor skills flourish as they play! 

25. A 1,000+ piece Make Your Own Wall Collage craft kit to encourage kids to explore their artistic and creative talents by transforming their rooms into gallery-worthy creations. This kit has everything from stickers to string and sticky tape, making it an all-in-one masterpiece in the making!

26. A five-pack of mess-free Monkey Noodle stretch fidget toys that offer squishy, springy, and stretchy (up to eight feet!) sensory fun for everyone, from kids to adults.

27. A 47-piece flower garden-building toy set for budding botanists and florists to 'plant' and create vibrant floral arrangements. Perfect for anyone who loves flowers or suffers from allergies, as it’s a pollen-free alternative!

28. A stress-relieving rainbow puzzle ball, where the challenge is to start with one empty circle and shift the colored balls to match each ball with its corresponding colored ring. It’s simple yet addictive and always engaging!

29. A 3D skyline puzzle designed for architecture enthusiasts to build miniature scale models of some of the world’s most iconic cityscapes. It’s the perfect way to start exploring international architecture, and best of all, this puzzle can take up to three hours to complete!

30. A 43-piece Melissa & Doug "Fill & Fold" taco and tortilla set that’s perfect for play on Taco Tuesdays—or really, any day you want to enjoy some imaginative cooking fun.

31. A Kinetic Sand folding sandbox that includes 2 lbs. of sand, along with 7 versatile molds and tools. The best part? It transforms into its own play area and storage space, keeping everything neat and organized!

And if you think your kids are the only ones excited that school is out, think again! Be sure to show appreciation to those amazing teachers as well!